Indians For Guns

This is an article that I stumbled upon an another forum. Hope it makes some sense to our members who intend to carry for self-protection.

http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Tuel ... .Close.htm

The "good guy" with the gun against the "bad guy" with the knife (or machete, axe, club, tire-iron, etc.). "No contest", you say. "The man with the gun can't lose." Or can he? A great deal depends on his ability with that gun and the proximity of his opponent.

If, for example, our hero shoots his would-be attacker at a distance of 20 yards, he loses. Not the fight, you understand, but most probably his freedom because he will almost certainly be charged with murder. The only thing that justifies your shooting another human being is the immediate need to stop him from trying to kill you (or someone else), remember?

If, on the other hand, our hero waits to fire until his attacker is within obvious striking distance, he may still lose. His shots may not stop his attacker instantly enough to keep him from using his knife.

So, what is the answer - just how close is too close?

Consider this. How long does it take for you to draw your handgun and place two center hits on a man-size target at seven yards? Those of us who have learned and practiced proper pistolcraft techniques would say that a time of about one and one-half seconds is acceptable for that drill.

> With that in mind, let's consider what might be called the "Danger Zone" if you are confronted by an adversary armed with an edged or blunt weapon. At what distance does this adversary enter your Danger Zone and become a lethal threat to you?

We have done some testing along those lines recently and have found that an average healthy adult male can cover the traditional seven yard distance in a time of (you guessed it) about one and one-half seconds. It would be safe to say then that an armed attacker at 21 feet is well within your Danger Zone.

As the photo series illustrates, even if your draw and shots are perfect, you are cutting things awfully close (no pun intended). And even if your shots do take the wind out of his sails, his forward momentum may carry him right over the top of you, unless, of course, you manage to get out of his way. And if you are confronted with more than one assailant, things really get tricky. So what's a pistol-packing person to do?

Having analyzed the problem, the following suggestions come to mind: First, develop and maintain a healthy level of tactical alertness. If you spot the danger signs early enough, you can probably avoid the confrontation altogether. A tactical withdrawal (I hesitate to use the word "retreat") may be your best bet, unless you're anxious to get involved in a shooting and the consequent legal hassles which are sure to follow.

Next, if your "Early Warning System" tells you that a possible lethal confrontation is imminent, you want to place yourself in the best tactical position available. You should move to cover (if there is any close at hand), draw your weapon, and start to plan your next move.
Why use cover, you may wonder, if your attacker is using only a knife? Because you want to make it hard for him to get to you. Anything between you and your attacker (trash cans, vehicles, furniture, etc.) that slows him down buys you more time to make the appropriate decisions, and, if it becomes necessary, more time to place your shots.

I suggest you draw your weapon as soon as the danger clearly exists. There is no point in waiting until the last possible second to play "Quick-Draw McGraw" if you recognize the threat early on. Also, the sight of your "Equalizer" may be sufficient to terminate the action then and there.

The purpose of the pistol is to stop fights, and whether it does so by dropping a thug in his tracks, or by causing him to turn tail and run, your goal is accomplished, is it not?

At this point it might be advisable to issue a verbal challenge such as, "Stop"', "Don't move", or "Drop your weapon!" It may work, and even if it doesn't you'll be developing your legal case for self-defense by showing that you did everything you could to prevent a shooting. If all goes according to plan, the odds are that by now you will no longer have a problem, your attacker having remembered he had a more pressing engagement elsewhere.

But, as we all know, things seldom go according to plan and the ideal circumstances previously described are probably not the norm. For example, if this goon tries to throw his knife (or other weapon) at you, what do you do then?

Realistically, knife-throwing is something of a gallery trick requiring specially balanced knives and a pre-measured distance to the target. Suffice it to say, however, that if your attacker is within effective throwing range he will almost surely have encroached into your Danger Zone. This throwing business does create something of a timing problem, for, if you fire after he has thrown his weapon, you may have difficulty convincing a jury that you fired in self-defense since technically you were not in jeopardy if your former attacker is no longer in possession of a deadly weapon. Something to consider, and just one more reason to use cover if it is available and time permits.

Sometime, of course, despite your best efforts, you could find you are suddenly, at close quarters, the intended victim of some lunatic slasher. If you are an expert in one of the many martial arts, you may opt to go at it hand-to-hand, and if you are in this category you do not need advice from me on how to do it. So, we'll get back to the use of the handgun for solving the problem. What it all comes down to now is your ability to smoothly and quickly draw your pistol and hit your adversary, and do it all reflexively. And the only way to develop these reflexes is through consistent, repetitive practice, practice, practice.

Practice so the right move comes automatically.

One thing you should practice, with this kind of encounter in mind, is the step-back technique in which you take a long step to the rear as you draw. This puts another three to four feet between you and your attacker, which may be just enough to make the difference.

Remember, the greater your skill with your weapon, the smaller your Danger Zone will be, but only if that skill is coupled with good mental conditioning, tactical planning and alertness, because no amount of skill will do you any good unless you know that you're in trouble.

Skill at arms and proper mental attitude. that's the combination that will make you the winner in a "Close Encounter of the Cutting Kind".

In other words,run if you can and avoid confrontation at all cost.Imagine if we in india had to use our guns,we will be running around the lawyers for next decade or two.
regards
dr.jk

dr.jayakumar wrote:In other words,run if you can and avoid confrontation at all cost.Imagine if we in india had to use our guns,we will be running around the lawyers for next decade or two.
regards
dr.jk

> Thanks for sharing Vikram....
> Mental alertness with quick thinking & reflexes are the key factors...in situations such as these....
Briha

when that close, basic of self defence should be employed, handgun could be used to whiplessh[not sure if IOF MADE ones] the head area.

I think that anyone who owns a firearm for self defence not only needs to be aware of the very valid points made in the article posted above, but should also have some kind of game plan worked out and practised in his/her mind about what kinds of threats one might face and how the weapon could be employed safely and with least risk of serious consequences to oneself.

I do a lot, I mean a lot, of shooting. 90% of it with air rifles because firearm practice is only at the range open only on weekends and one day of shooting costs more in ammunition than a week's worth of pellets. When it comes to shooting and hitting something - say a 6 inch square target at 20 yards, I find that it takes about a second or so to get a good sighting of the target. Sometimes, I use a rifle that has a light trigger and I shoot a little early and although 6 inches at 20 yards should be "unmissable' one can definitely miss such a large target by taking a hurried shot. The targets tend to be in the shade in my home, shooting range and there is a white cloth background. But if lighting is low - such as on a cloudy day or early evening, or the target is also light in colour, giving poor contrast, it takes longer to get a bead on that target. If it is dark one is more likely to miss rather than hit any target.

The point I want to make is that when it comes to self defence with a firearm, one is faced with all the factors that make missing a huge possibility. One might be tempted to shoot in a hurry - even three seconds seems a long long time when one is stressed, and the intruder may be in the shadows at night. If one reads war stories of the old days, one would frequently read abouut a leader telling his men to "Hold fire until you see the whites of their eyes" The reason is clear. It is easy to miss a target that is moving and at a greater distance. If I was asked to hazard a guess, a man with a handgun for self defence, under stress, and/or in the dark, is quite likely to miss anything that is over ten yards away. Seems such a shame for weapons that are effective at a hundred yards or more.

This brings me to the point about "warning shots", and these are my personal views, not recommendations to anyone. If someone shoots directly at a man and misses, it will have exactly the same effect as a "warning shot". If he does not miss then it's a court case, and perhaps jail for a while in India.

This is where I think this business of shooting at legs comes in handy. There is absolutely no use firing a warning shot in the air. That is for the police. The thing to do is to fire a warning shot (or two) at the legs. Why? As long as the shots are definitely fired in self defence (as in when the intruder has broken into one's house, or is approaching threateningly with a weapon) - a missed shot is a "warning shot". A hit will incapacitate, but is less likely to kill - the latter has more severe consequences. Another advantage is that a bullet fired towards the ground - even when it misses, will have smaller chance of being lethal as a ricochet from the ground rather than a shot fired (in a hurry in the dark) at someone's head or chest that misses and then flies off into the dark to hit someone else at a distance. If the intruder keeps coming - aim, pray and shoot to kill. Nothing is certain about shooting in such circumstances, but if one has a weapon for self defence, one must mentally prepare for good as well as poor outcomes as far as possible.

If there is no time or opportunity to do all this, I think running or hiding behind a bolted door would be the only option.

Just my views.

If you are carrying the guns in India, I am sure that after this encounter with your opponent, you will be behind the bars