Shoot once or twice in defense..

Status
Not open for further replies.
Stephen 426

Unless Clint Smith haschanged his instruction course "The Boarding House Rule" was being taught there, admittedly its been a number of years but old habits are hard to break. Without going into the Mr.Smith's logic behind this or getting into any other gun guru's theories on the subject, let me just say that I favor Mr. Smith's wisdom on the subject. Not to say anyone is wrong or right, its a choice we all must make and believe in. None of us want to be caught undecisive.
 
I carry revolvers, and you can empty a gun pretty fast. And if you're not hitting anything, that can present a problem( remember pulp fiction?). I know that's the movies and this is real life, but I practice double taps. If two don't do it, then they get two more and so on. I think a disciplined approach is best, and practice makes perfect.
 
How many shots?

As many as it takes to down the agressor but beware the Prosecutor in court because if he is gun unfriendly or out to make a name for himself, and or there are a tribe of witnesses who hate you because you are a whatever and they are willing to lie to see you found guilty........have good lawyers and lots of money.
 
IF you or another are in imminent danger of great bodily injury or death or a REASONABLE assumption can be made thereof, the best policy is "shoot to stop".

In other words: shoot till they are no longer a threat...vary your shot placement from center mass to instant no-go areas (heart, spine, brain stem...)
 
well personally i dont have any set training pattern nor do i go to a shooting range regularly and all of my shooting experience came form either my dad or my uncle my uncle taught me the the way he learned to shoot in the military and my dad says if they are comming in your house and they arent supposed to be there you unload on them and reload and if they are still twiching you unload on them again until all movement stops or you run out of ammunition and seeing as how im shooting .357 sjhp and just stocked back up with a box of 100 i would say the movement would stop before i run out:D
 
Real Life

Folks, here's some real life stuff:

a 30yr old fit and strong 5'10" male with 170# on speed storms your 15x15ft office with a knife while you are sitting at your desk focussing to our PC and are as peaceful as you can be.
He comes straigt at you and keeps stabbing onto your head until - luckily - his cheap folding knife breaks.

That happend in the room right next to mine at my workplace recently. Unfortunately I was out of office that day and couldn't help.

So what could you really do? MOVE MOVE MOVE and draw as you MOVE and keep shooting as you MOVE until the threat no longer is a threat.

How often you shoot depends on where and how you hit whom. COM hits at a young strong male on speed may be lethal but can take a long time to incapacitate. You only gain time by MOVING.

Get real.
and stay safe.
PB.
concentrated to your
 
Double Taps

Something to think about
About fifteen years ago during a Coronial Inquest in a departmental shooting The Coroner, asked: “So officer if the threat to life stops after the first shot, why are you firing the second shot, to make sure his dead?”
The officer on the stand (not me) did not have an answer.
Double Taps have been removed from our training program ever since.
Now it’s…shoot, evaluate, shoot, evaluate, shoot, evaluate….
 
.Some people tell me that you should shoot in pairs, not one at a time...if attacked...
Click to expand...
The training that I received at LFI, Sigarms Academy, and Cumberland Tactics is to keep shooting until the attack stops. Never expect a single shot to stop the attack immediately -- this isn't Hollyweird. Even if you shoot someone directly in the heart, they may still have enough oxygen in their brain to be functional for 10-15 seconds.

Ayoob suggested two shots to the chest and if the threat is still there, to shift to the head or possibly pelvis.
 
The officer on the stand (not me) did not have an answer.
Double Taps have been removed from our training program ever since.
Click to expand...
As our range officer explained it, there is a sound, physiological reason for the double tap. A single, penetrating wound causes the body's defenses to rally. Adrenalin flows and nerve endings in the affected area are shut down, allowing the person to continue fighting.

A double tap confuses the body's response; defenses are split between the two wounds and become inadequate, and the body goes into shock.

Does it work? Analysis of actual shootings suggests.... sometimes ;) .

My department began teaching the double tap approx. 15 years ago, and it remains an important part of our training.

One other thing: When you're being grilled on the stand about your actions, the best response is often, "I acted the way I was trained". This shifts the focus to your department and instructors.
 
I'd recommend using as little force as possible, especially if the would-be assailant is unarmed----neutralize the threat, but you dont have to personally ensure a meeting with Jesus by emptying your magazine into him......2 or 3 rounds and reassess the threat---more only if necessary. Save some ammo for his buddies around the corner.

As crazy as this sounds, after you have neutralized the threat, make sure in addition to requesting police you request EMTs......this way, if you are ever on the defense side of a courtroom, you can say you shot to neutralize the threat and then immediately sought medical help for your attacker....no jury in the world would convict you of excessive force.

Of course if you put 14 rounds, reload and put a few more in him, then douse him in gasoline and light him up to toast marshmellows til the police arrive you might have some legal problems.
 
As someone who works for and was trained by a large federal law enforcement agency that is VERY politically correct in its firearms policies, we are trained to shoot till the threat has stopped. When that adrenaline is rushing, no one is counting bullets and when you revert to gross motor skills, you do what has been ingrained in you at training. Shooting 2 rounds and then stopping to assess the situation could get you killed. I think that was something taught years ago but most agencies have realized that it is not practical anymore.
 
Doubletap is a great way to learn gun control and keeping em' in the target. It's easy to do with semis but rather difficult with a revolver (for me) I can do it with my Ak or Ar 15.
As far as for defense, empty it in em', reload, and try to find cover at the same time.
Double tapping is a training device for some orginazations.
All that 2 in the chest and one in the head stuff(as far as civilians go) is for Rambo magnum brained idiots who try to be cool. Do what works for you.
George
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top