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TACTICS & TRAINING

What Really Happens In A Gunfight?

by Dave Spaulding |September 24th, 2010

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Theconclusionsfromtwentyfiveyearsoflethalforceinvestigation.
ByDaveSpaulding

Likemanyseriousstudentsofpersonaldefense,I
constantlyupdatemyknowledgeofwhatactually
happenswhenoneisfacedwithadeadlythreat.The
bestwaytodothis,atleasttomywayofthinking,is
totalkwiththefolkswhohavebeenthere.This
Mostlethalconfrontations meanstalkingtogunfightsurvivors,gettingtheir
perspectiveonwhattranspiredatthemomentof
occurinbadlight,
Criminalslikethedark.
Thiscomplicatesand
confusesthesituation.

truth.Itonlymakessensethatbytalkingtothose
whohavewoninlifesultimatecontest,toseewhat
theysaw,feltandheard,therestofuswillbebetter
abletounderstandwhattoexpectandhowtoprepare
forit.

Therearesomewhoquestionsuchanapproach,sayingthatthemindoftendoes
notrecordeventsclearly,whichIadmitdoeshavesomemerit.Icanremember
workingasaviolentcrimedetectiveandtakingwitnessstatementsfromnotonly
thevictimofaparticularcrime,butalsofrompeoplewhowitnessedtheevent.The
discrepanciesbetweenwhatthevariouspeoplesawandheardcansometimesbe
quitedramatic.Thesediscrepanciesareduetotheshockeffectthatsuchan
incidenthasonthewitnesspsyche.
Mostpeoplewhowitnessaviolentevent(suchasacrimeinprogress)arenot
accustomedtoviolentacts.Crimewitnesseshavetoldmethattheyalwaysthought
aviolentattackwouldlookliketheantisepticeventasportrayedbytelevision.
Whenabystanderwitnessesblood,victimscreams,pandemoniumandtheshear

violenceoftherealthing,theyaretakenbackandoftentimestellthemselves,This
cantbehappeningthiscantbereal.Thisdenialstatewillcertainlyinterfere
withtheirretellingofevents.
Unfortunately,thissameattitudeandlevelofperceptionisalsothenormwith
crimevictims,oftentimesresultinginadeadlylagtime.Criminalsandterrorists
knowthisandbelieveme,theyuseit.Additionally,criminalattackstendto
happenintimesofreducedlight(predatorslikethedark),andthehumaneyedoes
notfunctionaswellwhenthelightislow,furthercloudingthewitnessperception
oftheevent.Ihaveinterviewedpeoplewhowerejustafewyardsfromacrimeand
cannotrememberwhattypeofweaponwasusedintheattack.Interestingly,thisis
usuallyduenottolowlight,buttoinconsistentlight.Whilewhattheperpetrator
wasdoingwasclear,hisface,handsorotheractionsareoftencastinshadowsby
theinconsistentlightatthescene.Thinkabouttheenvironmentthatyoulivein.
Howoftenisthereatotallydarkenvironment?Isntthereusuallyastreetorhouse
lightthatlightsupanareawithdarknessallaround?Lookdownanalley
sometime.
Itislikelythatyouwillseealightedareabutwithdarkspots,liketheshadowed
areabehindanearbydumpster.Thisinconsistentlightenvironmentisveryreal
andisafactorinarmedconfrontations.Policeofficershavetoldmeofincidents
wheretheylefttheirflashlightbehindbecausetheywereworkingthedayshiftand
theydidntneedalightbecausethesunwasout.Thentheygetintoasituation
wheretheyneedtolookintoadarkcloset,alcoveorbasementandtheyjustcant
seewellenough.Beingabletoseewelliscritical.
Perceptionisafunnything,butitisreallyallthatwehavewhentryingto
investigatesuchevents.Thehumanmindisnotinfallibleactuallyitiseasily
tricked.Thereareanynumberofmagiciansandillusionistwhoaremakingagood
livingmakingpeoplethinktheysawsomethingtheydidnot.Unlessavideo
cameraisrunningatthetimeoftheevent(whichishappeningmoreandmore),
thenthetestimonyoftheparticipantsisstillthebestindicatorofwhattranspired.
ThisisstillthestandardforourcourtsystemandIfeelthatitwillremainabig
partofdefenseresearchforyearstocome.

Eventhevideocameradoesnotalwaystellacompletestory.Quiteoften,whatthe
viewerseesisnotnecessarilywhatactuallytranspired.Forexample,astudentof
minewasinvolvedinoneofthemostpublicizedshootoutsinrecenthistory.In
thiscase,thisyoungdeputyassistedastatetrooperonatrafficstopthatturned
outtoinvolvetwodomesticterroristswhowerealsomurdersuspectsinanother
state.Thefighttookplaceatverycloserangeandfortunately,thedeputywasnot
hit.Unfortunately,neitherwasthesuspectwhothenbecamethesubjectofa
nationwidemanhunt.
Afterthetrialwasoverandthecourtimposedgagorderwaslifted,Iwasableto
talkwiththedeputyatlength.Iwasquitegratifiedwhenhetoldme,Lieutenant,
everythingthatyoutoldusinthebasicacademywastrue.Ithappenedjustlike
yousaiditwould.IfeltthatIwasverywellpreparedforwhathappened.We
instructorsliveforsuchmomentstheymakeallofthefrustrationworthwhile.I
thenwentontoaskhimabatteryofquestionsthatIhadaskedsomanyothers
overtheyears,feelingthatIalreadyknewtheanswerssinceIhadwatchedthe
videooverandoveragain.ItwasatthispointthatIfoundoutthatmyeyeshad
notseenwhatreallyhappened.Isaid,Iwasgladtoseeaftertheinitialexchange
thatyoumovedbehindtheengineblockofyourcruisertotakecover.

Hisresponsetothiswassurprising,Ididnttake
cover,Ifelldownanditwasthescariestpartofthe
wholesituation.HereIwasinthemiddleofa
gunfightandIwasflatonmyback.Iwasterrified
thatIwasgoingtogetshotinthebutt.Ifeltso
helpless.Whatyoutoldusintheacademyaboutnot

Changinglightconditions

tryingtowalkbackwardswassotrue.Thisandother aggravatedbymuzzleflash
suchincidentshavemademerealizethatvideosdo
andloudnoisealladdto
notnecessarilytellthewholestory.Itisessentialto
interviewtheparticipants.

theconfusionofagunfight.

THEGUNFIGHTPROJECT
Overthelast25IhavemadeitapointtotalkwitheverygunfightsurvivorthatI
couldfind.Lastcount,Ihadspokenwithalmost200individuals.Thesepeople
includemenandwomen,military(includingwarveterans),lawenforcementand

legallyarmedcitizens.Theseconfrontationsincludebattlefieldsituations,back
alleystruggles,attemptedmuggins,attemptedrapes(andsuccessfulrapes)and
thelike.
RightafterIstartedmylawenforcementcareer,alocalpoliceofficerwasinvolved
inashootingincident.Ihadtheopportunitytospeakwithhimandfoundmyself
fascinatedwithhisaccountingofwhattranspired.Afterward,Ithoughtthatwhat
hadhappenedtohimcouldhappentomeandIneededtobebetterpreparedthan
hehad.
SoIundertookthisprojecttoeducatemyselfonwhathappensduringlethal
encounters.Ateveryopportunity,Isoughtoutothersandaskedthemwhat
happened.Ithendevelopedalistofquestionsandincludedtheminmyinterview
process.Ididnottryandmakethisprocessscientificasitwasformyown
edification.OnceIgotinvolvedindefensiveskillsinstruction,Ibegantorelyon
whatIwastoldtodevelopmylessonplansanddecidewhatIshouldteach.Over
time,Ihavefoundthisapproachtobequitereliable.
Ibegantoseektrainingfromthebestandmostfamousfirearmsinstructorsand
wasconcernedwhenwhatIhadlearnedsometimesconflictedwithwhatthey
taught.Ononeoccasion,Ispokewithoneofthesewellknowninstructorsand
inquiredaboutadiscrepancyregardingatechniquehetaughtbasedonwhatIhad
beentold.Helookedatmeandsaid,Youngman,Ihavebeenteachingthis
techniquearoundtheworldwithagreatdealofsuccess.Imnotgoingtochange
nowbasedonafewwarstories.Thistechniquewasoneofthisinstructors
flagshiptechniques.Itwasquiteclearthathewasnotgoingtoletrealitygetinhis
way.

Severalweeksago,IwastalkingwithHandgunseditor
DaveArnoldaboutthissametopic.WhenItoldhimof
someofthetrendsthatIhadseen,heaskedmetowrite
anarticleaboutthemythsofgunfighting.Ihadafew
reservationsaboutthis,asIneverintendedtodothis.I
havenotcataloguedit,norhaveItriedtoput
Gunfightsarehigh

percentagesonhowoftensomethinghappens.Quite
frankly,thereseemstobenosetpatternonwhatpeople

stresssituationsthatare rememberabouttheirconfrontation.WhatIhavefound,
oftenaggravatedbyone however,isthattherearecertaintrendsthatseemto
beingtakenbysurprise occur,insomefashion,overandoveragain.Withthisis
andcaughtflatfooted. mind,IagreedtoDavesrequesttoreportonwhatIhave
beentold.Iamnottryingtogoheadtoheadwiththe
researchofothers,noramItryingtobecometheguruofgunfighting.Itis
informationthatthereadermayuseastheyseefit.Ifithelpssomeone
somewhere,thatsgreat.
SIGHTSTOSEE
Oneofthegreatcontroversiesofgunfightinghaslongbeenwhetherornotpeople
canusetheirsightsduringthehighstressofagunfight.First,letmesaythatsome
versionofpointshootingneedstobetaughtinanydefensivehandguncourse.
Therearegoingtobetimeswhenpointingthegunatsomeoneclosewillbea
necessity,period.However,Iamnotconvincedthatitisimpossibletoseethe
sightsinagunbattle.Thisbeingthecase,IalwaysaskthepeopleIinterviewif
theyrememberseeingtheirsightsduringtheirconfrontation.Iknowthatthere
aredifferentscientificstudiesexplaininghowitisimpossibletoseethesightsona
pistolduringanarmedconfrontation.Recently,AOSightSystemreleaseda
documententitledFactorsInfluencingVisibilityofFirearmSightsDuringBAR
(BARmeaningbodyalarmreaction)inwhichauthorDr.EdwardC.Godnigclaims
thatitispossibletomaintainvisualawarenessofthesightpicture.I,too,have
foundthistobethecase,butitisdependentonseveralfactors.Thefirstis
whetherornotthesubjectinquestionwascaughtunawareandthestartle
responsekickedin.Whenstartled,peoplewillrespondoutoffearandpanic,
whichusuallydoesnotresultinthedesiredoutcome.
Thebiggestfactorduringastartleresponseisluck.Whileluckwillalwaysbea
factorineveryconfrontation,Iamnotconvincedthatweshouldmakeitafactor
inourtraining.Whenstatementsaremadesuchas,Imnotgoingtobeableto
usethesightsanyway,whyspendtrainingtimeusingthem?Itisalmostasifwe
areexpectingtobecaughtunawareandallowinglucktobethedecidingfactor.
ClintSmithhassaid,Whenyougetupcloseyoudonthavetobegood,youjust
havetobelucky,whichiscertainlytrue.Maybetheanswertothisproblemisnot
tobeworriedaboutwhetherornottousesights,buttoconcentrateonbeing
switchedontowhatisgoingonaroundyou.

Withoutfail,thepeoplewhorememberseeingorusingtheirfrontsightarethe
oneswhowerepreparedtoengageincombat.Goodexamplesofthisaresoldiers
onthefieldofbattleorSWATcopswhoknowgoinginthattheyarequitelikelyto
shoot.Thesefolkskeptsightsintheirconeofvisionandreliedonthemwhena
hostiletargetwasencountered.Ihavealsoexperiencedthisphenomenonwhile
workingnarcoticsforanumberofyears.Priortoraidsandvehicletakedowns,I
wouldvisualizeinmyheadwhatIplannedondoing,includingwheremyfirearm
wouldbe.Thispositionwouldalwaysbesometypeofhighreadypositionwhere
thegunanditssightswerewithinmycone.Ifoundthatduringtheoperation
itself,thatwhenIencounteredpotentialhostiles,Icouldshiftbetweentheactions
ofthesuspectandthelocationofmyfrontsightwithlittleproblem.Thebig
differencehereisthatIwaspreparedtoengageandnotcaughtinstartlement.
Awarenessisasimportanttogunfightingasistriggercontrol.
Alongthesesamelines,thespeedoftheeventisalsoreportedfrequently.Whileit
iscommonknowledgethatpeoplereportasenseofslowmotionduringanarmed
confrontation,therearealsopeoplewhosay,Ithappenedsofast,Ijustcouldnt
getcaughtup.Whilesomemayrelatethistobeingstartled,Imnotsurethatthe
speedoftheeventandstartleresponseisoneinthesamething.Beingstartledis
beingcaughtflatfootedandnotbeingabletogetinthefightquicklyenough.The
peopleIhavespokenwithreportthattheiraggressorwasfast,movedquicklyand
aggressively,movedwithpurpose,andinhibitedrational,controlledthoughton
theirpart.Onepersontoldmethattheyactuallywereawareoftheirattackers
presenceandwerepreparingtorespond,butwhentheattackcame,itjust
happenedfasterthantheythoughtitwould.Thissamepersonaskedme,What
happenedtoallthisslowmotions**tthatIveheardabout?Thisguymovedat
warpspeed.Addtothistryingtodrawagun,necessarymovement,muzzleflash
andotherrelatedthingsand,well,speedkills.
CLOSEENCOUNTERS
Formanyyears,wehavebeentaughtthatarmedconfrontationsoccuratvery
closedistances(oftentimesatarmslength),thatfewshotsarefiredandthe
personinvolvedusuallymisses.ThesestatisticswerecompiledfromtheFBIs
OfficerKilledSummary,whicharereleasedonanannualbasis.Notethatthe
operativewordhereiskilledtheseareofficersthatlosttheirconfrontation.Have
youeverwonderedwhathappenedwiththeofficersthatwon?Didtheydo
anythingdifferenttohelpensuretheywouldprevail?

In1992,veteranpoliceofficerDickFairburn,nowa
trai
nerfortheIllinoisStatePolice,wascommissionedby
thePoliceMarksmenAssociationtoanswerthisvery
question.Mr.Fairburnsoriginalquestwastotryand
answerthestoppingpowerdebateofthetime,in

Beingabletoseeones

whichhefailedbecausethedatabaseof241shooting assailantandbeingclearly
incidentswastoosmall.However,whathedid
abletoidentifythemasa
developweresomeinterestingtrendsthatshowed

whatofficersdidwhentheywontheconfrontation.
Oneofthemostinterestingwasthedistances

lethalthreatisvery
importanttoavoidliability.

involved.WhiletheFBIstatisticsshowdistancesas
beingaroundtenfeet,thePMAstudyshowedtheaveragedistancebeingmorelike
twenty.Thismakessense,asdistancewillfavorthepersonwiththemosttraining.
Thisrelatesdirectlybacktoawarenessasthesooneryouseetroublecoming,the
moretimeyouhavetoprepareforwar.ThePMAstudyalsoshowsthatthehit
ratioperencounterwascloserto62percentinsteadoftheoftenreported18
percent.Thehistoryofgunfightingformorethanacenturyhasshownthatthe
personthatlandsthefirstsolidhitwillusuallywintheconfrontation.Hittingis
hardtodowithoutpreparationandrelyingonluckisaninvitationtodisaster.
WhiletalkingwiththepeoplethatIhaveinterviewed,Icouldnothelpbutnotice
thatthepeoplewhoperformedthebest(andcouldalsorememberthebest)were
theoneswhowereabletokeepcontrolofhimorherself.Manyremembergetting
controloftheirbreathingandusingthistofueltheirinnerdrive.Thosewhocould
getcontrolandovercomethestartleresponsewereabletohandlethesituation.
Manyofthesefolksreportedthattheywerenotsurprised,butwereangeredbythe
audacityofthepersontryingtoattackthem.Itappearsthatthosewhobecame
angeredwereabletochannelthechemicalsflowingintotheirsystemintofight
insteadofflightorfreeze.Manyadvisedthattheyhadtakenthetimetothink
aboutwhattheywoulddointheeventtheywereattackedandhadevenplayedout
scenariosintheirhead.Itisclearthatthisroleplayingorvisualizationprepared
themtotakeactionwithlittlelagtime.Foryearsthishasbeencalledif/then
thinking.Formystudents,Itellthetothinkofitaswhen/thenthinking.

TheothertrendthatIhavenotedinregardstotheuseofsightsistheactual
configurationofthesightitself.Ihavenotedtwodistinctcategoriesofindividuals
whorememberusingtheirsightstheyarethosethatusedlonggunsandthose
thatusedarevolver.Thereasonforthelonggunuseofsightsseemstobedirectly
relatedtorespondingasoneistrained.AllthatIspokewithadvisedthatwhen
theysawthethreatfacingthem,theybroughtthegunupuntiltheircheek
connectedwiththestockandthefired.NoneofthepeopleIspokewithadvised
thattheyhadeverbeentaughttofiretheirrifleorshotgunfromthehip.When
askedwhytheyremembertheirsights,acommonresponsewas,Becausethey
wereshovedupinfrontofmyface.
Revolvershooterscontinuouslytoldmethingslike,Irememberthatbigred(or
orange,orgreen)frontsightcomingrightupinfrontofmyeyesandlayingright
onhischest.Forthoseofuswhobrokeintodefensiveshootingusingrevolvers,
wecanrememberhowwellthatredfrontinsertcontrastedwiththewideblack
rearsightonourSmith&WessonModel66orRugerSecuritySix.Thoseofus
whodidnothavesuchaninsertwouldusuallypaintourfrontsightwithsome
highvisibilitycolor.Thinkaboutwhatisnowavailableonsemiautomaticpistols.
Wenowhavetolineupthreedotsorwehavetoplaceadotontopofabar,allof
whichIbelieveistoocomplicatedforoureyestodoquickly.Therevolverssimple,
butcontrasting,sightsystemwaseasyfortheeyestouseunderstress.

Dr.Godnigreportsonthisphenomenon,Contrastof
atargetisacriticalvariabledirectlyrelatedtoeaseof
visibility.Contrastcorrespondstotheabilityto
discriminateadarkvisualimagefromalightervisual
imagewithinatotalvisualsurrounding.Ingeneral
Fearandpanicarereduced terms,contrastistherelationshipbetweenthe
lightingintensityoftwoadjacentareas.Adarkimage,
bypreparationandan
awarenessofpotential
danger.

approachingblack(havingnoreflectedlight)ismost
easilyseennexttoawhite(reflectingalllight)
background.Shadesofgraythatmostlyresemble
eachotherinlightintensityandreflectionaremost

difficulttovisuallydiscriminateandseparatebecausethecontrastvaluesaremost
similar.Dr.Godnigalsostates,Sizeofanobjectisrelatedtovisibilitybecause

relativelylargerimagesizeshavethepotentialtostimulatemoreretinalcells
insidetheeyeresultinginhighernumbersofconesandrodssendinginformation
viatheopticnervetothebrainforvisualinformationprocessing.Objectsthatare
largeandofcontrastingcolorareeasiertoseeunderstress,whichmakesthe
currentgenerationofsemiautosightsonthewrongendofthesightplane.I,for
one,havehighlightedthefrontsightofallmypistolswithbrightorange
emergencywarningtape.ItoffersacontrastthatislargeandboldandIfeelisthe
reasonthatIcanrecallmysightsduringhighstressevents.
THERIGHTSTUFF
AnotherareathatIaddresswiththepeopleIinterviewisthesubjectofbullet
effectiveness.Likemany,Iaminterestedinwhetheronecaliberisbetterthan
anotherorwhetherhollowpointammoismoreeffectivethanfullmetaljacket.
Truly,themostimportantthinginallthisiswhereyouhityouropponent.Ihave
spokenwithalittleoldladywhoseveredtheaortaofahomeinvaderwithaFMJ
.32while,atthesametime,talkingtoapoliceofficerthatcouldnotstopaknife
wieldingassailantwithfiveroundsof.45ACPhollowpoint.Asamatteroffact,
manyofthepeoplethatIspokewithcontinuedtofireuntilthethreatwasno
longerinfrontoftheirgun.Thinkaboutthetimeittakesforgravitytopulla200
poundmaletotheground.Asamatteroffact,timeitforyourself.
Layamattressonthefloorandjustcollapseonit.Itwilltakebetweenoneandtwo
secondstohitthefloor.Alotofroundscanbefiredinonetotwoseconds.Dr.
VincentDiMaio,anotedpathologistandauthorofthebookGunshotWounds,has
beenquotedassayingthestoppingpowercomesfrom,Whereyouhittheperson
andhowmanytimesyoucanhitthem.
Interestingly,fewpeopleremembertakingnoticeofanyimmediateeffectsoftheir
bulletstrikes.Somereportedthattheyexpectedsmallchestexplosionslikethey
sawinthemoviesandweresurprisedwhenthatdidnothappen.Somerecallthe
suspectsshirtpuckeringormoving,butmosthavenorecollectionofanybullet
strikes.MostofthepeopleIspokewithremembershootingandthentheir
opponentjustnotbeingthereanymore.Atthesametime,gunfightsurvivors
whoareshotvarygreatlyintheirrecollectionofwhathappenedwhentheywere
shot.People,whoareshotintheleg,unlessaboneishit,takelessnoticethan
otherareasofthebodythatarehit.Peoplewhoareshotinthechestremember
beingslammedorbeingpunchedatthetime.Howtheyhandledtheimpactseems

tofalltotallyonhowmuchangerandresolvetheyfeltatthetimetheywereshot.
Doctorsandemergencymedicaltechnicianshavetoldmeovertheyearsthatifyou
arenotkilledinstantlybyagunshotwound(avitalorganbein
ghit)orbleedoutinafewveryshortmoments,youprobablywillnotdiefrom
yourwound.
ThemostdramaticwoundthatIeverpersonallysawinvolvedawomanwhowas
shotintheheadbya.357Magnum.Iwasapatroldeputyandrespondedtoa
publichousingprojectonthereportofashooting.Iarrivedatthesametimeasthe
mediccrewandfoundawhitefemalesittingonthesofawithadimpledholeinher
forehead.
Therewasasimilarwoundonthebackofherhead.AsIspoketoheratthescene
(tofindoutwhoshother,nottofurthermypersonalresearch)Iwastoldthatshe
hadbeeninanargumentwithherliveinboyfriendwhenhepickedupasnub
nosed.357revolverandshotherintheforehead.Sheadvisedthatherhead,
SlammedbackandIfellbackontothesofa.Ihavebeensittinghereeversince.I
haveabigheadache.Itlaterturnedoutthatthe158grainjacketedsemi
wadcutterbulletusedintheshootinghadspiltthelobesofherbrainfinerthan
anysurgeoncouldhavehopedto.Thebulletleftaholeintherearofherskull,
whichwaspatchedinsomeway.Thisvictimwasreleasedfromthehospitaland
thenrefusedtotestifyagainstherboyfriend.(Istilllovehim.)Hewas
prosecutedanyway.ThisincidentremainsoneofthestrangestthingsthatIhave
everseen.
Itissafetosaythatthelargerthebullet,themoreeffectiveitwillbe.Idonotfeel
thatitisarealdramaticdifference,butbiggerisbetter.Atthesametime,itissafe
tosaythathollowpointammoismoreeffectivethanball.Thisseemstobethe
resultnotofexpansion,butfromthebulletsenergybeingdumpedinthebodyand
notexiting.
Whilenottryingtoplaceapercentageonhowoftentheywillbeeffectivewithone
ortwoshots,Ihaveseencertainroundsbeeffectiveoverandoveragain.Theyare
the.38Special158grainleadhollowpoint9mm+P+jacketedhollowpoint.40
155and165grainjacketedhollowpoint.45ACPhollowpoints.22355grain
FMJandhollowpoint12gauge00buckshotand12gaugerifledslugs.

Thevariousphasesofbodyalarmreactionthathave
beendiscussedovertheyearssuchastunnelvision,
slowmotionmovement,lossofdigitaldexterityand
thelike,wereallrecalledbythesubjectsinterviewed.
NoneofthepeopleIspokewithremembersuffering
allphases,buteveryonerememberssufferingatleast
oneofthesensationslistedunderthecategoryof

Theauthorbelievesone

bodyalarmreaction.Thosethatunderstoodwhatwas reasonwhymanydonot
seetheirsightsinagun
happeningtothembetterhandledthesensation
duringtheencounterversusthepeoplewhodidnot.

fightisbecausethelow

Withoutadoubt,forewarnedisforearmed.

profilefrontsightsofmany
oftodaysautopistols(left)

REFLECTIONS

arenotasprominentas

Finally,howdidthesepeoplefeelaftertheincident

thoseofrevolvers(right).

wasoverandtheywerethevictor?Again,awide
varietyofresponsesarereported.Therearethosewhosurvivedonlybysheerluck
andactuallyhadlittleinputintotheirownsurvival.Thesepeoplewerehorrified
bywhathappenedandwhattheyhadtodoandwillneverbethesamepersonthat
theywerepriortotheincident.Thesefolksallseemtoshareonecommontrait
theythoughtthatnothingcouldeverhappentothem.Theyarelifessheepandfelt
thatcriminalattackshappenedtoothersortosocietysunderbelly.Itshouldbe
notedthatsomegunshopcommandosorgunbullies,regardlessoftheir
outwardbravado,fallintothiscategory.
Theotherextreme,thosewhoaretotallycomfortablewithwhattheydid,haveno
doubtintheirjustificationtodosoandhavesufferednosideeffectswhatsoever.
Thesepeopletendtobethosewhoareconfidentandwelladjustedintheir
everydaylife.Theytookthetimetothinkaboutwhatmaybe,withoutdwellingon
it,andmadepropermentalandphysicalpreparations.Themajorityfall
somewhereinthemiddle,whatIcallthecompassionatesurvivor.
Thesefolksregrethavingtotakeactionagainstanotherhuman(itisnotnormalin
theanimalkingdomtopreyononesownspecies.Mankindseemtohavethe
patentonthis),buttheyrealizethatiftheyhadnot,theywouldhavebeen
seriouslyhurtorkilled.Somehaveaperiodofphysicalandmentaldistress,butit
passesandtheygoontoliveproductivelives.

Wheremostsurvivorsaretakenoffguardiswhathappensinthecourtsystem.
Few(includingpoliceofficers)arepreparedforthegrandjuryandcourtsystem.
Whiletheythinktheyunderstandwhatwillhappen,fewactuallydo.Othersare
amazedthattherelativesofthelowlifewhoattackedthemaresuingthem.The
processis,Hey,Iamthegoodguyhere.ThispersonattackedmeandIjust
defendedmyself.Howcanthesepeoplepossiblysueme?Peoplecansuefor
anythingandtheywillbepreparedforit.
Takethisinformationforwhatitisworth.Imnottryingtodisputeresearchthat
hasalreadybeenpublished,noramItryingtotakeonanyspecificgroupor
theory.ThisismerelywhatIhavebeentoldbyalittlefewerthan200survivors.
Takeitforwhatitisworthanduseitasyouplease.

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Jointhediscussion
Guest 3yearsago

Thanksforthis!Reallyinformative.
6

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Bob 3yearsago

GooDArticleyouknowyourstuff!
4

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JDJohnson 2yearsago

Veryinformativearticlewithvitalinformation!
IamgladyoudecidedtowriteitandEffectiveTacticsshareditontheirfacebook
page!
Thankyou!
2

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Mouse 4yearsago

Well,allIcansayisthatit&#039sreallyfastandthatthereisn&#039treallyany
timetoget"scared".Ididntseethesightscauseididn&#039tevenbothertotryas
distancewasalmostpointblankandalsoduetothefactthatihadtrainedalotin
pointshootingatarapidpace.Mostnotablerecollectionsishowmysightandears
seemedtogoslightlytunnel,couldnthearmuchotherthanpopsandyells,butall
othersoundsseemedmuffledout.
2

Reply Share

MichaelHargis>Mouse 2yearsago

InWashingtonDC1976wewereheadedintoaclubwhensomeonefrom
ourgroupmadeabadcommenttoguyinfrontofus.Withoutemotionthe
pulleda25semifromhispocket,astheguncameupIpushedmy
FRIENDawayandturnedtorun.Thereportssoundedlikeacapgun,4or
5rangout.Thingshappenedsofast,weranabout100yardsasourgroup
split.MyheartwaspumpingandIwasbreathingveryhardwhenwe
stoppedtolookback.WestartedlaughingtilIfeltwetonmyhipand
stinging.Igotshoot.Icouldn'tbelieveit.Iwasyoung,fastandBulletProof!
Idroppedmypantstofinda1/2inchtearinmyhiprightonthetipofmyhip
bone.Atthattimethewoundstartedtothroblikewhenyouhityourshin
reallyhard.Thiswasbad,Igotshoot,Istillcouldn'tbelieveit.Iwenttothe
hosp.IVBlah,Blah...Thexrayshowednobullet!?!TheDocfoundanotch
inmyhipbone!Hesaidthebulletentered,hittheboneandexitedmaking
thewoundanoblongshape.TothisdayIhavethesmallscarandnotchin
myhipbone.Ilookbackonhowafunnightoutturnedbad,Life
threatening,inaninstant.ThingshappensofastandIwasnotreadyforit,
mostlycauseIwasn'tlookingforit.TodayIamveryawareofwhatgoes
onaroundme.Iwasluckythen,Iamsmartnow.AtleastnowIcanavoid
andorhavethatsecondtoreact.BesafeMichaelHargis

andorhavethatsecondtoreact.BesafeMichaelHargis
3

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JohnCasor ayearago

"Itisnotnormalintheanimalkingdomto
preyononesownspecies.Mankindseemtohavethepatentonthis."
Youapparentlyknownothingabouttheanimalkingdom,asintraspecies
killingiscommon.Malelionsroutinelypreyonthelioncubstheyare
notthefatherof.Meerkatswagewaronadjacenttribes,includingthekillingofany
enemymeerkattheyareabletocorner."Intraspecificstrifeiscommon,"ishow
FairbankswildlifebiologistCraigGardnerputsit,after22yearsstudyingwolves
andothercrittersfortheAlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame."Wolveskill
wolves."Gardner,whoalsotraps,estimatesthatabouthalfthewolves
thatdieeachyearinAlaskaarekilledbyotherwolves.Icouldgoon,butIthink
yougetthepoint.

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dom.uncl>JohnCasor 7monthsago

Don'tforgetchimpanzees...they'llkillotherchimps.

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repo4sale 2yearsago

G27&vestforme!

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