This week I attended a joint cop/civilian active shooter course run by active-duty LEO's. The training took place in an elementary school. There were 7 cops, 6 civilians, 3 role-players, and the head LEO who ran the course.
This was an excellent class. Those of us on the civilian side got to see how LEOs handle AS scenarios and also get their feedback and suggestions as we went through our own scenarios.
We all used Glock simmunition pistols and ammo and the LEO's also used 870 and AR sims.
A couple of things I observed, from the civilian side:
1. The older students, myself included (I'm 39, the other guy was probably 43), were much more decisive and less hesitant. We were also much more accurate in shooting under very stressful environments. I could attribute some of this to my infantry background, but the other gentleman had no mil or LE experience and he did just as well.
The other civilian students were in their late 20's and early 30's and I noticed significant hesitation and confusion. This is not to knock any age group. It's an observation.
2. While I handled the scenario very well, in two incidents, I was the one who had to call 911. I found myself floundering to get descriptions right and even had to look at my shirt to remember what color it was. The other 911 callers struggled as well. Adrenaline and heart-rate can make you say some strange things.
Overall, this was a great course and I highly recommend something like this if you can find one if your area. As we have seen in Tuscon, Colorado Springs, Flight 93 and countless other incidents, civilians, both armed and unarmed, are often the first line of defense against madmen.
Two thumbs up!
This was an excellent class. Those of us on the civilian side got to see how LEOs handle AS scenarios and also get their feedback and suggestions as we went through our own scenarios.
We all used Glock simmunition pistols and ammo and the LEO's also used 870 and AR sims.
A couple of things I observed, from the civilian side:
1. The older students, myself included (I'm 39, the other guy was probably 43), were much more decisive and less hesitant. We were also much more accurate in shooting under very stressful environments. I could attribute some of this to my infantry background, but the other gentleman had no mil or LE experience and he did just as well.
The other civilian students were in their late 20's and early 30's and I noticed significant hesitation and confusion. This is not to knock any age group. It's an observation.
2. While I handled the scenario very well, in two incidents, I was the one who had to call 911. I found myself floundering to get descriptions right and even had to look at my shirt to remember what color it was. The other 911 callers struggled as well. Adrenaline and heart-rate can make you say some strange things.
Overall, this was a great course and I highly recommend something like this if you can find one if your area. As we have seen in Tuscon, Colorado Springs, Flight 93 and countless other incidents, civilians, both armed and unarmed, are often the first line of defense against madmen.
Two thumbs up!