HankT
State Researcher
imported post
Lots of good points in this article: Maslow, the big "R," the big "P," "tools," fatboys, "gun-fu," and what not to do when somebody threatens tobox with you...
Ready For Anything
Be Smart Enough To Know When Guns Are Not the Answer.
Handguns Magazine--June/July 2009
Street Sense
By Dave Spaulding
We have all heard the old saying, "If all you have is a hammer, all problems will look like a nail." This appears to be true for some who seek defensive handgun training.
A gunfight is still a fight, so I have long supported combining handgun training with open-hand techniques and bridge weapons (OC spray and impact devices) as it has been my experience that firearms are seldom the proper response to interpersonal conflict.
For a firearm to be applicable, the threat faced must be serious physical harm or death. Otherwise, the legal system will view the force as not reasonable, and reasonabless is essential for any use of force.
A while back, I taught a defensive handgun course to a group of legally armed citizens, and a sizeable portion of the third day was directed at close-quarter shooting techniques. A part of this training requires students to deliver hand, elbow and knee strikes in order to repel the attack or create enough distance to employ the proper weapon based on the threat.
Hands are never superior to weapons, so gettting a weapon quickly is crucial as it offers a distinct advantage. I want my students to recognize what tool they need--or to just flee--without conscious thought, as it enhances one's ability to prevail.
Lack of physical ability or desire is not an excuse: This is exactly the type of person a predator will lookfor. They don't want a fight, they want surrender, so they seek out the old, the overweight or the timid.
One of the students in this class was a rather rotund fellow who would not take part in the close-quarter shooting. He did not have the "wind" or strength to perform the techniques as he would like, so he just stood back.
In truth, he was concerned how he would look to the rest of the class. Real world hand-to-hand conflict is never pretty, and it is one's commitment to the task that is important, and I tried to explain this, but he would have none of it. He stood behind the line until the class moved on to something he was more comfortable with.
Months went by and I was contacted by the police in this student's locale. I was told that he had been confronted in a bar by a guy who took a classic boxer's stance and announced "I'm going to kick your ass!"
Since all my former student knew was "gun-fu," he drew his concealed pistol and told the aggressor to back off. When this drunken idiot refused, the student fired a round into the floor at his feet, which resulted in pandemonium in the bar. The aggressor turned and ran right into a wall, which "incapacitated" him.
Multiple witnesses stated that the aggressor never threatened any level of force beyond fists, so it was difficult to articulate serious physical injury or death. When I was asked about the content of my course, I could not hide this student's refusal to partake in the open-hand skills, which did not help his case.
In the end, he pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon in a liquor establishment and inducing panic. He received probation and lost his carry permit. He was lucky.
Personal defense should include a concealed handgun, but it is not the total answer. Personal defense should be viewed as a multi-skill package with awareness and avoidance as primary combined with contingency skills needed to solve a variety of potential threats.
Lots of good points in this article: Maslow, the big "R," the big "P," "tools," fatboys, "gun-fu," and what not to do when somebody threatens tobox with you...
Ready For Anything
Be Smart Enough To Know When Guns Are Not the Answer.
Handguns Magazine--June/July 2009
Street Sense
By Dave Spaulding
We have all heard the old saying, "If all you have is a hammer, all problems will look like a nail." This appears to be true for some who seek defensive handgun training.
A gunfight is still a fight, so I have long supported combining handgun training with open-hand techniques and bridge weapons (OC spray and impact devices) as it has been my experience that firearms are seldom the proper response to interpersonal conflict.
For a firearm to be applicable, the threat faced must be serious physical harm or death. Otherwise, the legal system will view the force as not reasonable, and reasonabless is essential for any use of force.
A while back, I taught a defensive handgun course to a group of legally armed citizens, and a sizeable portion of the third day was directed at close-quarter shooting techniques. A part of this training requires students to deliver hand, elbow and knee strikes in order to repel the attack or create enough distance to employ the proper weapon based on the threat.
Hands are never superior to weapons, so gettting a weapon quickly is crucial as it offers a distinct advantage. I want my students to recognize what tool they need--or to just flee--without conscious thought, as it enhances one's ability to prevail.
Lack of physical ability or desire is not an excuse: This is exactly the type of person a predator will lookfor. They don't want a fight, they want surrender, so they seek out the old, the overweight or the timid.
One of the students in this class was a rather rotund fellow who would not take part in the close-quarter shooting. He did not have the "wind" or strength to perform the techniques as he would like, so he just stood back.
In truth, he was concerned how he would look to the rest of the class. Real world hand-to-hand conflict is never pretty, and it is one's commitment to the task that is important, and I tried to explain this, but he would have none of it. He stood behind the line until the class moved on to something he was more comfortable with.
Months went by and I was contacted by the police in this student's locale. I was told that he had been confronted in a bar by a guy who took a classic boxer's stance and announced "I'm going to kick your ass!"
Since all my former student knew was "gun-fu," he drew his concealed pistol and told the aggressor to back off. When this drunken idiot refused, the student fired a round into the floor at his feet, which resulted in pandemonium in the bar. The aggressor turned and ran right into a wall, which "incapacitated" him.
Multiple witnesses stated that the aggressor never threatened any level of force beyond fists, so it was difficult to articulate serious physical injury or death. When I was asked about the content of my course, I could not hide this student's refusal to partake in the open-hand skills, which did not help his case.
In the end, he pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon in a liquor establishment and inducing panic. He received probation and lost his carry permit. He was lucky.
Personal defense should include a concealed handgun, but it is not the total answer. Personal defense should be viewed as a multi-skill package with awareness and avoidance as primary combined with contingency skills needed to solve a variety of potential threats.
