Fighting in houses...or fighting in your
house can take on many forms depending on your mission. Having
clarity of mission is essential so you know how to comport
yourself in each event.. Sadly, most training out there is
limited to the police application which has little in common
with what you may need if you are not in that line of work.
Basing our focus on the armed CCW operator we can identify
several missions for fighting in houses.
1). Holding Ground.
This is the most common home defense type scenario. The good guy
has no pressing need to enter the fight or go in search of the
threat so he takes up a position of advantage, using cover and
concealment. He points his muzzle at the chanelized approach of
the bad guy and wait in ambush. A "warning" may or may not be
given depending on the tactical situation.
2). Taking Ground. This involves
attacking the attackers. An example may be the rescue of family
members about to be victimized. The police parallel is a hostage
rescue. This involves moving rapidly and stealthily to close on
the bad guys and suppress them with surgical close range
gunfire. The urgency of the situation proscribes any negotiation
or attempt to descalate or warn. They are located, closed upon,
and shot in order to save innocents.
3). Traversing Through.
Traversing involves traveling through a contested or conflict
area where there may be hostiles. The mission is not to engage,
but rather to escape. The operator (s) and their protectees move
rapidly through and out, free of the threat area. There is no
time to clear or search. Danger areas will be covered with
muzzles on the approach and egress, and the abandoned as new
threat areas appear. The goal is to escape...but in a strong and
controlled manner.
4). Search and Clear. This is an area of
study that is often the basis of many "shoothouse" events. It
involves moving cautiously and deliberately through an area in
search for an adversary that is presumably hidden or unaware of
the good guy's presence. It is basically a hunt.
All of these require a thorough understanding of the nature of
architectural features and how to negotiate them at various
speeds, the ability to identify danger areas and potential
threats, and the ability to mold one's fighting platform to the
environment at hand.
Alot of the tactics will depend on how
much information you have. This is not the time to be
thinking about liability and stuff like that. If you do,
you'll lose.
Consider these scenarios
1). You wake up at 0300 HRS becuase
you heard something. You are not certain enough to go back
to sleep but not certain enough to call 911
2). The noise that wakes you up is
much more pronounced than in #1. Still not confirmed "human"
but definitely something is not right.
3). You wake up to the sound of
glass breaking and swearing. You live alone.
4). You wake up at 0300 HRS because
you heard your kid scream accross the house. His or her
scream was followed by a male voice telling them to shut up.
5). You are at church and your kids
are across the on the other side of the church at youth
ministry. You hear gun shots coming from tyat direction,
people screaming and running away from the sound.
6). You and your protectees are
inside a building where bad things are happening. Your
current location is untenable and you must leave but expect
to encounter resistance as part of the escape.
What "skill set", or combination thereof, among those
described would be needed in each event??
