I have noted that there is an attitude present on this board(and the other gun boards, too) that having been in an armed confrontation/combat somehow mystically transforms that person into one who is knowledgeable about armed combat.
Does having survived a mugging make one an expert on street crime?
Does having one's car stolen make one an expert on grand theft auto?
Okay, so you have fired a weapon at another person and/or been fired upon and you lived to tell the tale. That, IMO, doesn't automatically mean you took the best course of action or the only good one. It may mean you were lucky. It may mean your opponent screwed up even worse than you. Yes, it may even mean you did do the right thing. I know people who have survived auto accidents, but their having survived doesn't mean I'd turn to them for driving lessons.
I have students (kids) who lead the gang-banger lifestyle and for whom violence is a big part of the world. They've been in lots of armed confrontations with and without shots fired. Some of them have been shot, (one took a bullet through the neck) and survived. Yet only an idiot would call these kids combat experts and seek their advice.
What I'm saying is that just because somebody says that he's been in X number of gunfights and he did so... and so...and thus, that individual isn't automatically able to pass judgement at a higher level than others. On the boards, I see a few law enforcement and military types who have been involved in some shooting pontificate about it at great length, even to the point of apparently becoming psychic, since they predict what others would or should have done.
As a side note, I am amused by the way folks at these boards make fun of the gang-bangers and their sorry gun-handling skills until we hear a story about a confrontation with one. Suddenly, that gang-banger and his Lorcin isn't laughable any more. Now, we hear a tale of facing imminent death from a big, bad street criminal.
Anyway, what do you learn from a gunfight? IMO, all you really learn is what how you, personally, react to such a situation. No more, no less.
[This message has been edited by Golgo-13 (edited October 31, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Golgo-13 (edited October 31, 2000).]
Does having survived a mugging make one an expert on street crime?
Does having one's car stolen make one an expert on grand theft auto?
Okay, so you have fired a weapon at another person and/or been fired upon and you lived to tell the tale. That, IMO, doesn't automatically mean you took the best course of action or the only good one. It may mean you were lucky. It may mean your opponent screwed up even worse than you. Yes, it may even mean you did do the right thing. I know people who have survived auto accidents, but their having survived doesn't mean I'd turn to them for driving lessons.
I have students (kids) who lead the gang-banger lifestyle and for whom violence is a big part of the world. They've been in lots of armed confrontations with and without shots fired. Some of them have been shot, (one took a bullet through the neck) and survived. Yet only an idiot would call these kids combat experts and seek their advice.
What I'm saying is that just because somebody says that he's been in X number of gunfights and he did so... and so...and thus, that individual isn't automatically able to pass judgement at a higher level than others. On the boards, I see a few law enforcement and military types who have been involved in some shooting pontificate about it at great length, even to the point of apparently becoming psychic, since they predict what others would or should have done.
As a side note, I am amused by the way folks at these boards make fun of the gang-bangers and their sorry gun-handling skills until we hear a story about a confrontation with one. Suddenly, that gang-banger and his Lorcin isn't laughable any more. Now, we hear a tale of facing imminent death from a big, bad street criminal.
Anyway, what do you learn from a gunfight? IMO, all you really learn is what how you, personally, react to such a situation. No more, no less.
[This message has been edited by Golgo-13 (edited October 31, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Golgo-13 (edited October 31, 2000).]