Defending against Guns

[bushido_man96]

#3 if you control the hand, you control the weapon. A lot of Aikido techniques are good for this because the movements are circular, and slight modification of those techniques will retain effectiveness while keeping the gun from pointing at you. I would suggest purchasing a rubber gun to practice with at first because there are some techniquest where simple knowledge of body mechanics (trapping the finger within the finger well and breaking it) can CAREFULLY be practiced. We also train with the new pellet guns that have come out recently, because they are more realistic than paintball guns at seeing if one is fast enough to get out of the way before the trigger is pulled. It hurts a little (if you are wearing a thick gi), but when you can actually see that you aren't getting shot, it builds your confidence. (We only train with these guns for the first part of geting out of the line of fire, as after this some of the techniques end up in the gun flying through the air, and these pellet guns (that shoot plastic pellets) won't last too long after that treatment).

Something to keep in mind when in this stage of training as well is to be observant of where the gun is pointing, and whether or not you are moving it in that direction, or the bad guy is, and where bystanders may be located.

Bushido-Ruach; another idea to try when practicing gun disarms, slap leather drills, etc., is to try using rubber band guns. They are cheaper, and not as fragile as the pellet guns. They don't have the same dimensions of the training guns, but if you want the realism of getting shot in the process, they really add to it.

[NightOwl]

if someone has any idea of what they are doing, they are not going to put the gun up right next to you. If it is a shooting, they are probably going to just shoot you anyways=- not to mention that putting the gun right up against someone doesn't make too much sense for a ranged weapon.

Any weapon disarm if difficult to pull off- it's not too hard to do in a demo, but if someone actually wants to kill you then the best defense against a weapon is another weapon.

[bushido_man96]

One positive thing is that if someone pulls a gun on you, but hasn't killed you yet, and is busy talking or threatening you, then that person most likely has some misgivings about killing you. If this is the case, then being able to talk your way out is probably one of the things that can help you get away. Now, if you have a cold-blooded killer on your hands, then you options are fewer, and your need to react in some way or another is much higher.

[NightOwl]

I've heard a statistic on the amount of time and space you have before a gun is drawn before, but it alludes me at the moment. Most gun SD drills however, deal with the weapon once it is already in play, and at that point you are pretty much stuck.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

I've heard a statistic on the amount of time and space you have before a gun is drawn before, but it alludes me at the moment. Most gun SD drills however, deal with the weapon once it is already in play, and at that point you are pretty much stuck.

I actually think i know what you are getting at, if not this is useful info for this post...

a policy officer has his or her duty weapon holstered. he or she being 30 feet away from a knife weilding suspect. by the time the suspect brandishes the knife and charges at the officer, the officer has enough time to unclip, draw, aim, and shoot but the suspect can STILL deliver a fatal blow to the officer. from 30 feet away! we use this statistic while we teach our women's self defense course. it's interesting stuff.

[bushido_man96]

I've heard a statistic on the amount of time and space you have before a gun is drawn before, but it alludes me at the moment. Most gun SD drills however, deal with the weapon once it is already in play, and at that point you are pretty much stuck.

Most deal with the gun in play, and with it held either in contact with your body or very near. Learning how to deal when the assailant is at a distance is just as important.

[NightOwl]

Well the untrained person can't hit a moving target past a certain point(with much accuracy), so if you are far enough away and you know you are going to be shot at, you might try running in a zig-zag pattern/ using cover, etc.

[bushido_man96]

I have seen the zig-zag pattern pushed, but Jim Wagner has also stated that the half-moon path is a good one as well.

[tallgeese]

Well, it's a good question that deserves debate.

You've got a couple of oprions whenever dealing with a weapon. 1) close the gap and engage, 2) disengage by creating more of a gap or (and perhaps in conjunction with 1 or 2) 3) escalate weaponry.

When the threat is perceived, you need to look at your distance and situation. Can you close to unarmed range by either subterfuge or sprint? Do you feel that you can sucessfully take this individual once there? If you can't, then looing for a strategy to disengae is the way to go.

As mentioned before, keep moving, be a harder target to hit. Look for cover, something solid that can stop bullets. An engine block (not the rest of the car), a stury tree, a fire hydrant, anything that will keep that fast moving hunk of hurt out of your body.

Don't forget, as we sometimes do) about option three. If you can close and have rapid access to a knife, use it. If you can disengage and your profession or state law allow it, upgrade to your sidearm.

Keeping in mind that even when you decide what to do, that the situation remains fluid and a disengagement may lead to crashing the gap later.

Just a couple of thoughts.

[bushido_man96]

Those are good thoughts, tallgeese. Way to think outside of the box.

Many times, we assume in these scenarios that we are unarmed, and it may not always be the case. It is important to be able to see your options and react quickly.