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October 10th, 2008
"...Assumptions are awesome when they're
actually right,
but they sure can hurt when you're wrong......"
I've been a concealed carry instructor
for five years, I hang out with a bunch of gun nuts, and I've been around
self-defense buffs for most of my adult life. In that time I've seen a recurring
theme, and unfortunately it can be a dangerous one. Many of us have something in
common.
I call it My Gunfight. We've imagined a scene, a violent encounter, in our head.
And in this scene, we take decisive action and we prevail and save the day. Many
of us have a mental fabrication of what My Gunfight is going to be like.
Most people who chose to carry a gun have done this. I have myself. It isn't
anything to be ashamed of. In fact, it really helps develop a proper mindset to
be able to realistically assess what kind of terrible things can happen to you
and start laying some groundwork about how we want to respond.
The problem comes in when we make assumptions about My Gunfight. Assumptions are
awesome when they're actually right, but they sure can hurt when you're wrong.
I have had students tell me that they never practice at anything past
conversational distance, because the average gunfight takes place at only seven
feet. See, in Their Gunfight, the bad guy will be conveniently placed at a
distance that they can actually hit stuff.
Sadly, there's no such thing as an average gunfight. The only thing they have in
common is that they all suck. If you only prepare for a gunfight inside an
elevator, it will be a bummer when the crazy guy starts shooting at you across
the mall. I've had students tell me that if the assailant is that far away, then
they wouldn't be justified in shooting. That's also a mistake. There are
hundreds of reasons why you might need to shoot somebody out past conversational
distance. And if you find yourself in a situation where you need to, you dang
well better have practiced.
Another assumption I get from many students is that they will have plenty of
time to draw their gun and get it into action. Oftentimes these folks want to
carry with an empty chamber. There is a misconception that this is somehow
safer, and besides in Their Gunfight, they'll have plenty of time, and both
hands available, to get their pistol into action.
In real life, the bad guys may not be as compliant as the ones in Your Gunfight.
In real life, the violence may occur so quickly that you do not have time to
rack the slide. Or you may have one hand occupied holding the bad guy back from
stabbing you in the head with a screwdriver. The point is, you won't know until
it happens. Even best case scenario you've added a significant amount of time to
your draw stroke (and if you've been in a fight to the death, you know that even
a second is a significant amount of time), and one more chance to fumble and
screw up.
During my regular class, I integrate a role-playing session. We go through
several realistic scenarios with students and actors armed with rubber weapons.
All of these scenarios are based on actual cases, and like real life, most of
them tend to happen quickly.
Usually after going through the role-plays, nobody is tempted to carry chamber
empty anymore. A fatal assumption was pointed out in Their Gunfight, and they
adjust accordingly. If you're really worried about carrying with a loaded
chamber, get a good, safe holster that keeps the gun secure and protects the
trigger. If you still have a mental hang up, switch to a gun that has a heavier
trigger or other safety devices. Anything is faster and safer than assuming
you'll be in a position to rack a slide.
These are just a few examples of assumptions caused by My Gunfight. One of my
personal favorite students of all time was hung up, not only on carrying chamber
empty, but he also had a belief that he would "easily" be able to neutralize the
bad guy by shooting them in the leg. No, I kid you not. He brought this up
repeatedly during class, even after I pointed out that it could be just as fatal
only slower, the same lethal force in the eyes of the law, and with the added
benefit of not being nearly as effective at incapacitating an actual threat.
What did I know? I was only the guy he was paying to teach him this stuff.
During the role-play, he was lucky enough to get a scenario that I use to
demonstrate the principles of a Tueller drill. Without going into too many
details, I'm playing the part of an obviously dangerous threat, interrupted in
the act of committing a forcible felony on a third person, with the ability and
opportunity to cause him serious bodily harm, and I just happen to start
twenty-one feet away with a rubber knife.
I charged. He went for his gun. Not only did he fail to rack the slide and shoot
me in the leg like he had talked about, he managed to draw the gun, fumble, and
actually tossed it across the room. I stabbed him a few times, and as a happy
bonus, picked his gun up before I fled the scene.
His Gunfight had not taken into account things like speed, adrenalin, or
confusion. Last I checked, he was carrying a chamber loaded Glock, in a good
holster, and practicing a bunch.
That was an extreme example, but I think all of us need to watch out for the
decisions we make based upon our assumptions. Be smart, be realistic, and don't
be afraid to keep an open mind. Just because My Gunfight makes sense to me,
doesn't mean that the world cares one bit.
-Larry Correia is an author, firearms
instructor, and one of the owners of Fuzzy Bunny Movie Guns in Draper, Utah.
FBMG is a gun store, specializing in self-defense needs, training, and full-line
smithing. Their online store is at
www.fbmginc.com. His first novel, Monster Hunter International, will be
released by Baen Books in June 2009. The author can be reached at
larry@fbmginc.com