Sensible rules for a gun user.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Given the constant discussion about guns, tactics, etc. - I've just recently read these two and thought I'd post them. Pretty good, IMHO.


From John Holschen at Insightstraining (great trainer but he is quite heavy when he is leaning on your head).

Recipe for Personal Defense Preparation:

1. Get a handgun you will carry and can shoot well, in a caliber you can handle, fill it with cartridges that go "bang" every time you pull the trigger, launching a hollow point bullet that reliably expands.

(Gear/Ingredient selection is done. The ingredients are in the refrigerator and/or cupboard. Now you have to make something with them.)
2. Get safety, gun-handling, marksmanship and mindset training.
3. Practice to develop proficiency.
4. Have the gun at hand when you need it.
5. Get tactics training (force-on-force).
6. Practice to develop proficiency.
7. Have the gun at hand when you need it.
8. Practice to maintain proficiency.
9. Have the gun at hand when you need it.

From Policeone - oriented a touch towards LEOs but relevant.
http://www.policeone.com/off-duty/ar...view-for-cops/

Six Rules of a Gunfight

1. Have a gun. Elementary, Soltys admits, but from his personal inquiries over the years he believes that “at best only 20-25 percent of officers consistently carry at all times, including to church, to the mall with the family, and at those times when you decide on the spur of the moment to dash out to your neighborhood convenience store for a gallon of milk.

“Over time, you develop personal perceptions about when you’re at risk, but in reality you never know when your number is going to be called. We don’t get to pick the time and place when a gunfight happens; those are decisions the offender makes. The key is to be ready when the moment comes.”

2. Make sure it’s loaded. “A large percentage of officers never check to be sure there’s ammo in the weapon when they strap on,” Soltys says. “They just assume it’s in the same condition as the last time they loaded it. But that can be a dangerous assumption.”

He’s known officers who carried dummy rounds from the range in their gun for months, others who’ve forgotten to reload after cleaning. As a rookie, when he was booking a prisoner, he himself was the butt of a misguided practical joke when fellow officers removed rounds from his gun and replaced it in the locker. Fortunately, as a matter of habit, he checked his weapon before leaving the station and discovered it had been tampered with.

“The loudest sound you’ll hear in a gunfight is a click when you expect to hear a bang,” he says.

3. Shot placement is critical. “You want to deliver fight-stopping rounds and end any engagement ASAP,” Soltys says. “Unfortunately, some officers get so fixated on training with two-dimensional targets and putting rounds in the scoring area for qualification that they can’t easily adapt to real-life dynamics where a 3-D, hostile, moving offender may present something other than a full-front view.

“Dr. James Williams, another ILEETA trainer, teaches concepts like ‘tactical anatomy’ and ‘shooting with x-ray vision.’ What he means is understanding anatomy sufficiently so that you can envision where a suspect’s vital organs are from any angle, no matter what his posture is.

“Keep applying deadly force to his central nervous system and vital areas until he can’t function any more or ceases to attack. It will take longer to neutralize him if you are just hitting areas where he may eventually bleed to death but won’t quickly be incapacitated.”

4. Bigger bullets are better. “This is controversial,” Soltys concedes, “and it’s true only if you can competently control a larger bore. Considering that accuracy is most important, 9mm rounds that strike vital areas are going to be more effective than .45s that are not well-placed. Rounds of any caliber that miss the intended target can injure or kill innocent people. Good decision-making and solid marksmanship under extreme conditions are supreme.

“But if you can master accuracy and are comfortable with a larger gun, let’s face it: bigger holes are better.”

5. More bullets are better. “There’s a good possibility that more than one assailant will be present when your life is threatened,” Soltys says. “Even if you can end the fight quickly against one attacker, the fight may not yet be over. You could still run into a problem if there are multiple attackers and you have a low-capacity weapon or are not carrying extra magazines.

“In terms of reloading, the issue becomes how much ammunition do you have on your person? If you’re carrying 50 extra rounds in a briefcase that’s locked your squad car and therefore not accessible, that’s of little value to you.

“Officer-involved shootings are come-as-you-are events. When you leave your cruiser, what you have on your person is all you can depend on.”

6. You must be mentally prepared to shoot. “At the core of winning is your mind-set,” Soltys emphasizes. He recalls a sergeant he once worked with who admitted candidly that he didn’t know for sure whether he’d actually be able to pull the trigger in an armed confrontation.

“If you can look in the mirror and honestly make that statement, it’s time to start looking for another line of work,” Soltys declares. “There is nothing dishonorable about leaving law enforcement because if just isn’t for you. However, it is dishonorable to remain in law enforcement if you believe you cannot or will not uphold the oath you took. You should leave your house thinking, ‘If today is my day, I’m ready to take whatever action is necessary.’

“Watch your thoughts,” he concludes, “because they become your actions over time. Watch your actions because they become your habits, good or bad.”

[bababooey32]

Sticky?

This is great. Boiled down and non-contrived guidelines for carrying. Thanks Glenn!

[Legionnaire]

+1, both on the content, and the comment about John Holschen!

[smince]

Better sticky and lock this before someone adds a bunch of nonsense to this good list