Knimrod
12-08-2005, 10:14 PM
Gunfighter Traits
What qualities does it take to survive a gunfight?
By Bart Skelton
Guns & Ammo Magazine, November 2005
As a daily pistol packer, I must admit that I have, at one time or another, suffered from a dreaded condition known as tunnel vision. Those who carry every day, whether or not they're in the law enforcement profession, must continually be cognizant of the fact that they're armed and be continually aware of their surroundings, realizing that at virtually any time they can be pressed into a situation that can forever change their lives, or someone else's.
They must practice with their sidearm, carry reloads and have an idea of how they're going to respond to certain situations before they happen.
A friend recently sent me an account of a shoot-out involving an off-duty police officer. The officer had taken his wife and kids into a fast food restaurant, and they were standing at the counter, ordering. The officer, a veteran with considerable training and experience, was on his day off, wearing casual clothes along with his pistol. The last thing on his mind was the incident that was about to take place.
As he and his family ordered lunch, he became aware that an armed suspect had taken an employee hostage and was robbing the restaurant's safe. The officer ordered his wife and kids out the door, then tried to get others out of the way. Suddenly, the robber started running at the officer with a pistol in his hand. The officer drew his auto, identified himself as a policeman and took cover. The crook fired two shots at the officer, who returned fire, emptying his sidearm. He reportedly hit the crook 11 times. After taking cover and reloading, the officer approached the crook, covering him with his reloaded pistol.
Fortunately, the crook's shots missed the officer. The officer's family had not made it out the door as he had ordered, though they were unhurt. It was then he realized there was a little girl lying on the floor, suffering from a head shot. As it turned out, one of the crook's two stray shots had hit the little girl, who didn't survive.
The tragedy of the incident prompted that officer to take a hard look at the situation. Reading about it also prompted me to think about a lot of things as well. It's impossible to know how anyone would react in that exact same situation, and though training is definitely going to have a hand in it, the personality of the armed individual is likely key.
In this incident, the officer reflected that carrying a reload was an immense benefit, and though he hit the suspect with the vast majority of his shots, it could've been different had he missed.
The officer further reflected that instead of getting directly into the fight, he should've taken care of his family first, making sure that they were out of danger prior to the shooting. Finally, the officer indicated that he survived the incident partly because of his preparedness, his tactics and his training.
All of this brings out an interesting philosophical matter. I believe there exists a lot of hokum regarding gunfighting and gunfighters. While I'm not a gunfighter, I do know a few and have had the fortune of talking to them about the matter. Several of these people have the intrinsic characteristic of a warrior--they are brave men of mettle. Whether this attribute can be taught or it exists at birth, I can't say. What I can say about those who possess this quality is that they don't hesitate to act and do so with absolute disregard for their own safety.
I have no idea whether the officer in this story possesses this warrior trait--maybe so. But his training impelled him to hesitate and identify himself as a police officer, prompting the crook to start shooting. Had the officer not hesitated and immediately dropped the crook, the story might have turned out differently.
Our society doesn't support these inherently self-sacrificing fighters, though. Instead, many law enforcement training departments teach officers not to shoot an assailant unless the shooting has already started. I believe this type of training is dangerous. But many police departments seem to be more concerned with the potential for litigation than the safety of their officers. They insist on pounding into the heads of their officers that taking action--shooting first--isn't worth the risk of being sued.
Packing a gun as a lawman, soldier or everyday citizen brings with it a tremendous amount of responsibility. While it is impossible to predict how any one of us might react to a bad situation like this officer found himself in, we must realize the significant onus of carrying a gun.
I hope that all gun carriers can manage to keep their sidearms strapped down--warrior or not. But, regrettably, that's not likely.
Link to article (http://www.gunsandammomag.com/gun_columns/border/0511/)
What qualities does it take to survive a gunfight?
By Bart Skelton
Guns & Ammo Magazine, November 2005
As a daily pistol packer, I must admit that I have, at one time or another, suffered from a dreaded condition known as tunnel vision. Those who carry every day, whether or not they're in the law enforcement profession, must continually be cognizant of the fact that they're armed and be continually aware of their surroundings, realizing that at virtually any time they can be pressed into a situation that can forever change their lives, or someone else's.
They must practice with their sidearm, carry reloads and have an idea of how they're going to respond to certain situations before they happen.
A friend recently sent me an account of a shoot-out involving an off-duty police officer. The officer had taken his wife and kids into a fast food restaurant, and they were standing at the counter, ordering. The officer, a veteran with considerable training and experience, was on his day off, wearing casual clothes along with his pistol. The last thing on his mind was the incident that was about to take place.
As he and his family ordered lunch, he became aware that an armed suspect had taken an employee hostage and was robbing the restaurant's safe. The officer ordered his wife and kids out the door, then tried to get others out of the way. Suddenly, the robber started running at the officer with a pistol in his hand. The officer drew his auto, identified himself as a policeman and took cover. The crook fired two shots at the officer, who returned fire, emptying his sidearm. He reportedly hit the crook 11 times. After taking cover and reloading, the officer approached the crook, covering him with his reloaded pistol.
Fortunately, the crook's shots missed the officer. The officer's family had not made it out the door as he had ordered, though they were unhurt. It was then he realized there was a little girl lying on the floor, suffering from a head shot. As it turned out, one of the crook's two stray shots had hit the little girl, who didn't survive.
The tragedy of the incident prompted that officer to take a hard look at the situation. Reading about it also prompted me to think about a lot of things as well. It's impossible to know how anyone would react in that exact same situation, and though training is definitely going to have a hand in it, the personality of the armed individual is likely key.
In this incident, the officer reflected that carrying a reload was an immense benefit, and though he hit the suspect with the vast majority of his shots, it could've been different had he missed.
The officer further reflected that instead of getting directly into the fight, he should've taken care of his family first, making sure that they were out of danger prior to the shooting. Finally, the officer indicated that he survived the incident partly because of his preparedness, his tactics and his training.
All of this brings out an interesting philosophical matter. I believe there exists a lot of hokum regarding gunfighting and gunfighters. While I'm not a gunfighter, I do know a few and have had the fortune of talking to them about the matter. Several of these people have the intrinsic characteristic of a warrior--they are brave men of mettle. Whether this attribute can be taught or it exists at birth, I can't say. What I can say about those who possess this quality is that they don't hesitate to act and do so with absolute disregard for their own safety.
I have no idea whether the officer in this story possesses this warrior trait--maybe so. But his training impelled him to hesitate and identify himself as a police officer, prompting the crook to start shooting. Had the officer not hesitated and immediately dropped the crook, the story might have turned out differently.
Our society doesn't support these inherently self-sacrificing fighters, though. Instead, many law enforcement training departments teach officers not to shoot an assailant unless the shooting has already started. I believe this type of training is dangerous. But many police departments seem to be more concerned with the potential for litigation than the safety of their officers. They insist on pounding into the heads of their officers that taking action--shooting first--isn't worth the risk of being sued.
Packing a gun as a lawman, soldier or everyday citizen brings with it a tremendous amount of responsibility. While it is impossible to predict how any one of us might react to a bad situation like this officer found himself in, we must realize the significant onus of carrying a gun.
I hope that all gun carriers can manage to keep their sidearms strapped down--warrior or not. But, regrettably, that's not likely.
Link to article (http://www.gunsandammomag.com/gun_columns/border/0511/)