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Old May 9, 2001, 01:11 AM   #1
pax
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Join Date: May 16, 2000
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Posts: 7,520
I went to a match this weekend (see http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...hreadid=60028) and had a great time. It was a 'tactical handgun' match and I'd never done anything like it before.

One of the scenarios took place in a low light house. The house itself was pretty neat; just a largish woodshed with moveable panels for walls. It was pretty dark inside, especially just coming in out of the sunshine. For safety's sake, the R.O. had a harness for each of us to wear while we were in there, so that he could remain one step behind us without getting shot if we turned around in the dark and he couldn't see where we were pointing. So he was one step behind me during the whole stage.

The scenario was that you are asleep with your significant other in the master bedroom the first night after moving into your new home. You have an 11 to 13 year old child in the next bedroom. The house is otherwise empty except for packing clutter. You are awakened by the sound of breaking glass and a voice you do not recognize saying a cuss word.

In that one, what you are supposed to do is to get the kid into the master bedroom (where the phone is), call the cops, and guard the door until the cavalry arrive. That's the smart thing to do.

That's not how I did it.

I told "Bob" (who looked suspiciously like a moldy mannequin with multiple bullet wounds from other shooters in other scenarios) to call 911, while I pulled my flashlight and gun out and investigated. First I called out to make sure "Ben" was safe and that no one was in his room. No one was and he was on the floor. I told him to STAY on the floor and not to get up until one of us called him by name, no matter what else he heard. He agreed.

Then I snuck out of the room and went to clear the house. The scenario was set up so that you were supposed to get caught in the crossfire between two goblins if you were stupid enough to do this. But I stuck near the wall and upon spotting a BG wielding a knife, I didn't take another
step. (Apparently normal people pointing a gun at someone from an angle take one more step so that they will be front and center ... but I don't like knives and I wasn't getting any closer no matter what.)

I hollered, "Drop the knife! Drop the f***ing knife! RIGHT NOW! What the f*** are you doing in my house!" (I don't normally sprinkle my speech with cuss words, honest I don't. Don't ask me where they came from because I
really don't know.)

The manniquin (aka the R.O. who was standing behind me) hollered back, "Don't shoot! Don't shoot, ok?!"

"Kick the knife away from you. Drop the d*** thing and kick it, drop it and kick it right the f*** NOW!" (stage whisper to the RO, did he drop it? RO, "yeah, ok, he kicked it away.")

"Where's your buddy??"

"I don't have a buddy!"

"LIAR! Where is he, you gotta have a buddy, where is he!?"

The R.O. laughed out loud at this for some reason. But the 'bad guy' shouted back that he didn't have a buddy.... oohhhkay.

"Get out of my house! Get out, just get the H*** out of my house, get out ..."

"Hey man, I can't get out, there's no door here ..."

Ummmmm. Ok, well, I couldn't very well shoot this guy who was talking to me. I told him to put his hands on his head and turn away from me, facing the wall. Called out to Bob, asked if the cops were on the way, make sure they know I have a gun and am holding the BG at gunpoint.

There followed a longish pause while I stood there holding a manniquin at gunpoint, with the R.O. standing behind me holding onto my leash. Finally I said to him, "Ummmm, ok, now what?"

He said, "I'm thinking! No one's ever done it THIS way before!"

Great words of encouragement, those.

Eventually he let go of my leash, telling me NOT to move even an inch, and pretended to be the cops coming in the door. We play acted all the "I'm the homeowner, officer, there is an intruder right here, what do you want me to do with my weapon" stuff. I put down my gun, reholstered with a sigh of relief.

And the "cop" said to me, "Look over here, behind you" ... And pointed out the bad guy with a gun who had been hiding on the other side of the pile of boxes I'd been sheltering behind.

I said, "Oh God" and shook for the next hour or so.

The R.O. very nicely cut me some slack and let me pass that stage, because apart from my first (big) mistake I hadn't made any. I didn't actually step into the ambush he'd set up and he was impressed with how forceful I sounded yelling at the goblin (hmmm, being mom to five little hellions
must've made a difference). All the same I'm still shaking about it -- which of course was part of what was intended.

That's how you learn, right?

pax
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Old May 9, 2001, 01:17 AM   #2
C.R.Sam
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Join Date: October 29, 1999
Location: Dewey, AZ
Posts: 12,858
Sounds like you were in the "zone" and it was real to you for a while. That be good trainin.

Sam
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