Realities of a Gunfight: Portrait of a Defensive Encounter
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- In this video, for the first time on camera, I'm going to recount my experience in a gunfight. The point of my story will be to illustrate the realities a defensive shooter must train to survive.
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Thanks for sharing that HR. It takes a lot of guts to do so. No matter how hard we train, the circumstances can always be arbitrary and chaotic. The good Lord above was looking after you.
Agreed. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you again for your decades of service, and for making people like me safe by putting yourself in harm's way.
It’s been my honor.
(1) [All your preparation crumbled] As von Moltke said, "No plan survives contact with the enemy". (2) [You need to be flexible] As the same von Moltke said (he is worth reading), "Strategy is a system of expedients". Great video, thanks.
I’ll definitely be watching. Unfortunately my agency has been involved in several recently. Thankfully, no deputy was injured.
You remind me of Paul Harrel. I read this book about a Marine company in Vietnam (called Matterhorn) and they had this expression “A.J. Squaredaway.” That’s how I see you guys.
I wish I could be more like that.
Thank you! That’s a pretty common phrase in the Corps, just FYI.
One of the best videos I have ever seen. It also shows the risks that LEO's take every day to protect society.
Thanks Scott.
Glad to hear that you and your fellow officers all got home to your families safely. We all appreciate you guys.
Thanks Roy!
Yep, it's NEVER like you think it'll be...and the Bad Guy decides when the attack commences...
Yep.
No truer words have been spoken.
@@maskedman1980 Situational Awareness is probably the most Important tool in our kit. Milliseconds of recognition can determine a favorable outcome. If we are Lucky, a self defense situation will Never come to fruition. The Best way to win a gunfight, is to Not be in one.
Been a LEO 12 years, and a firearm instructor since 2014. Just had a suicide by cop situation where I had a knife wielding subject at 3 yards. I always figured that with my training and skill that I would use my sights even at close distance. We just narrowly avoided shooting, but I know for a fact that even though I had my pistol up and in my line of sight, it would have been point shooting. I know from my training that even at 7 yards I can hold an 8 inch group point shooting, so I know it would have been a good shoot. Luckily he backed up just as I was pulling the trigger. He was about 6 ounces from 6 feet under!!!!!!
I know exactly what you mean. All the bravado and just plain BS sounds great until you’re holding someone’s life in the balance of a 5 pound trigger squeeze. I’m glad your situation worked out for the best. One of my fellow officers had almost exactly the same scenario a few years ago, and I had one that wasn’t all that different myself. Police work is the same everywhere. Stay safe.
Semantics ,semantics , and more semantics .
When you had your pistol in your line of sight ,that's NOT point shooting , that's Visually indexed .
* Flash Sight Picture * is a specific technique , and only one of a plethora of methods inbetween * front sight centered in rear notch * and true Point Shooting . My point is there are multiple approaches short of classic Bullseye sight picture and Point Shooting , that all offer much greater hit probability , while being very nearly as fast .
The late Jim Cirillo tought extensively on this. Very much paraphrasing , and massively oversimplified , just a few examples .
Treat the front sight of pistol like a shotgun bead , ignore rear sight .
With gun more or less at head level , use the entire top of the pistol as equivalent to shotgun rib , and basically look over the top of the pistol .
Use the entire " blob " of the pistol placed into center of bad guy .
@@filianablanxart8305 I’m curious. Have you ever employed any of those techniques in an actual fight? If so, how did it perform in terms of effectiveness?
@@hrfunk Knock on wood , have not had to shoot at person with intent , yet.
But I have had front site pop into position on center of felon , who then imeadately took acceptable actions instead .
Good! Here’s hoping you never come closer than that. Thanks for the response.
Mr. Funk, this video and your account of what happened surely demonstrates that even with the best training, sometimes things happen which can render you totally helpless. I like your point about being flexible.
This is a perfect illustration of what I was just saying earlier about how even a trained person who is already operating in a mode of enhanced situational awareness can still be taken by surprise when unforeseen and uncontrollable events occur and be rendered unable to act in some manner.
Real life is not a novel or a movie or television set, where everything is scripted. The after action review that plays out in your head over and over can be a real bear. It's normal to feel fear, anger, shame, grief, and to blame yourself, even though you know there's nothing you could have done in that moment. It takes a long time to mentally and emotionally recover from that.
Thank You for sharing this with us. Know it was hard for you to do on camera! Teach from experience and hopefully someone will learn from your past!
Bloody hell, I was literally on the edge of my seat listening to you, the genuine anger that you could still hear in your voice , really incredible stuff, well done Sir
Thank you.
In his book , the late great exhibition shooter and Montana barber Ed McGivern gave sage advice to lawmen and laymen alike regarding the limits of what can be done with a handgun when aimed and fired extremely rapidly. He admitted that even when you were as fast as he was, if somebody has the drop on you, your reaction time cannot beat him because of the time it takes to process what you see and respond to in kind. I believe he measured this at being between 1/10 to 1/4 second. By the same token, if your opponent hesitates, you can actually draw and fire accurately before he can react to you. This is assuming you don't fumble or snag your pistol on something and you don't choke, flinch, or slip on a banana peel. Lots of opportunity here for failure. Even if it was a frustrating experience, you came out of your gunfight unscathed. That's all that really matters.
Yep. That’s the good part of the story. Thanks for the comment.
If I've learned one thing in 33 years in the field, it's that no matter what training, procedures, or special measures you have put in place, when the SHTF and you arrive on scene, "Murphy" always gets there one step ahead of you. "Murphy" might be a fellow officer, a suspect, a nosey Karen, a stone on the sidewalk, the dog next door, or even a momentary distraction 4 hours ago that caused you to fail to do something you normally would have... but "Murphy" WILL be there. And when the time is exactly WRONG, "Murphy" WILL intervene. It's called "Murphy's Law" for a reason. (And after all he's done to me over the years, if I ever actually get my hands on this "Murphy" character, I'M going to end up in prison...!)
If you find out where he is, let me know!
Pray Jesus takes him away from your life. It works for me. 😊
@@hrfunk LOL You, me, and anyone who has ever worn any uniform, anywhere!
Excellent, You made your point with common sense
one lesson here, taser doesnt work if your target have sweater, jacket or multilayer clothing. If your target is well clothed, dont reach for the taser, rather go for the gun. or shotgun with a beanbag round. and next round is a buckshot. just incase the beanbag wont work either.
Thanks Funk. This is a great training video! I'm a retired PO too and I know how hard it is to share stories like this one. The bottom line is train for anything and everything because in a real life shooting it's going to be total chaos!
Great video and what I was hoping you would get into in the last video. I would like some more videos on this topic.
In my humble opinion, we have to rely on point shooting more than we like to admit. Most confrontations are close quarters and, therefore, do not give enough time to use proper fundamentals of marksmanship. The time element coupled with physiological stresses on our body. ( adrenaline release, time compression, tunnel vision, increased breathing and heart rate, increasing, and loss of fine motor skills) These factors make the most primitive form of shooting the most effective. Yes our training does matter but it takes a lot to be comfortable just pointing and squeezing. I would suggest, if your range will allow it, that as part of a training regiment that the person should practice performing exercises that increase the heart rate and then attempt to fire. This is a good training to use dry fire. Even trying to present from a holster can be a challenge.
I think adding anything that changes the dynamics of your shooting regimen can be useful. Whether it's inducing stress, shooting from different positions, adding a time element, or some other thing to deviate from your norm. The greater your range of experience, the more likely you'll be able to contend with the unexpected.
Point shooting, takes some confidence..it really does.🤠
Southwest Ohio here, brother! Thank you for all you do for our community!
This a is great topic I would like you to do more of your opinions on this subject.
From my own experiences it's about survival and preservation of life.
I also totally agree with what saying about some instructions that are too focused on how a dynamic situation will unfold ; when by nature they are unpredictable events!
I agree 100% with your view on this. In my opinion, the problem is that not all, but far too many of these on line debates are nothing more than detached from reality, intellectual fantasies engaged in by people with no real world experience.
Or, at very least, they wander out into the stratosphere during the course of the debate.
If watching John Correia's Active Self Protection videos for several years has taught me few lessons it is these:
1) On body carry of a loaded firearm with which you have practiced drawing and safely firing quick aimed rounds is the first step.
2) Situational awareness and clear thinking unencumbered by emotion but driven by circumstances.
3) Pre-attack rehearsal of common scenarios so that violating significant thresholds leads to legally, morally, and tactically defensible actions.
4) Know and prepare for the complete disintegration of skill sets under massive stress. No complicated manual of arms or complex battle plans.
5) A very real understanding that after years of training and preparation, we may never have to do anything at all, or that the events will take place one hour later and a block over from where we were.
But... the chances are not zero. So we continue to prepare.
It all sounds good, and I'm sure that having a practiced plan is certainly better than no plan at all. Those items I have zero heartburn about or disagreement with. However, not everyone can sit around studying every nuance of the law. The average person simply has too many other daily items in their lives to do so. Should people have an understanding of the laws where they live in regards to self-defense, and the use force and deadly force? If they carry a firearm, they should. However, I'm an aircraft mechanic and electronics technician. Just as very few lawyers can come out to the ramp and fix an aircraft, well, very few aircraft mechanics can go to a trial and win against a practiced prosecutor. The fact is, if you are forced to defend yourself, loved ones, or some other third-party, then you should hope and pray that you live where the ADA/prosecutor doesn't need to use your case for their career stepping stone. I'm not afraid of the police, but the "judicial system" scares the hell out of me.
Amen…people “arguing” serves no purpose. No one knows the future. You train, think about the subject and do what you must at the time. Thanks for this video.
You're welcome Damian.
I can only give you my experience, and I’ve been retired since 1997 so all my fights were w/my issued .38 & no night sights. Without going into a lot of detail two instances happened in the dark so quickly that my only option was point shooting, and it worked. The third case was freeing a hostage I’d walked up on in a motel lobby from just over arm’s length away. In this instance I took three quick aimed shots to save the hostage. There’s no doubt I was lucky b/c training back then was mostly bulls eye back to the 50 yard line w/our four inch revolvers.
I’m glad you’re still here to share the stories. Thanks for the comment.
Clint Smith: You never know what your fight is going to look like.
I appreciate how difficult it was for you to tell this story out loud on camera for the first time. And the general consensus is, you cannot plan for every contingency. By way of introduction I’m a psychologist and psychoanalyst and I specialize in working with veterans and first responders fighting with post traumatic stress disorder and related issues. I often hear stories such as these being told for the very first time in my consulting room. What I’m saying here it was obviously very difficult for you to tell your story, but being finally able to do so will also aid in your own emotional recovery from the incident. The stigma against speaking out has been a difficult thing to break, and the fact that you spoke out as eloquently as you did in this video tells me that stigma is, at long last, starting to go away. Carry-on, HR!
Thank you. I think what really helped me turn the corner is when I started recounting this incident during training sessions. I tried to take a negative experience and turn it into a positive training tool for others.
@@hrfunk thanks for responding as fast as you did, check your email. I expanded a little bit on what I was just talking about here.
If you only would have deployed the Weaver stance and activated your situation awareness scan protocol...... Oh wait, nevermind :)
Ha, ha! I know, I know. I have to turn in my tactical operator card.
Wow. Thanks for sharing that story. Someone was watching out for you and your partner that night.
Possible scenarios are just theories. Theories are often shattered by real life. Thank you for sharing the story. I would like to hear more police stories if you are willing to share. You had my attention for the entire video.
Thanks Rachel. I try to throw in a story every now and then if I think it’s relevant to a particular video, but it’s easy to overdo them. I’ve been in more than one long and boring training session that was basically all “story time.”
Great story! I agree with you, training is the key and the more you do the better potential results. As Clint Smith says, you want to do as much training as possible because you potentially will deal with a variety of things that go wrong in training so it's something you've seen before and have had to deal with. Not so fun dealing with a novel situation the first time when it's a real situation.
Thank you for sharing your real life experiences.
Life happens and I'm grateful you guys made it home.
Great story, there is no training for every possible contingency. As you stated, you have to adapt to the situation if you can, and if you can't, you have to rely on your brother officers and God's providence.
Bingo! That's the point I was trying to make. We are not in ultimate control of the outcome.
It's not One Or the Other , it's BOTH skills are needed . Use best judgement for each case . You shoot better than the av shooter , it can be done , practice BOTH !!!
Looking forward to this, you always bring us good information and training, this may help someone survive, maybe me.
Thank you for sharing this.
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching.
Great video, very wise counsel for those of use who hope to never be in those situations.
Thanks Tim.
How have I missed this video for so long? Very insightful. Thank you.
The point shooting thing is a subject unto itself. USPSA guys shoot under a little pressure, and I’ve seen guys still get good hits after losing a front sight. On closer targets, we still index the gun the same way we have for thousands of shots, but you catch yourself cheating and not using the sights. Shooting from the hip, like in the westerns, shouldn’t be a thing beyond contact distances.
Another great show..not a fan of tazers..working only 17 percent of the time.i remember seeing a officer using a Shotgun butt on a bad guy trying to go for a weapon..worked well..but I'm old...thank you
You're welcome Mark. Just FYI, the shotgun-butt thing is rather frowned upon these days.
As an instructor all I can add is that I believe most civilians who carry for personal protection unfortunately don't get enough training or invest enough in practicing, most people still believe possession constitutes proficiency. I pose this question . If you knew you would be in a gunfight one month from tomorrow and if you lost it would widow your wife and take you away from your children...would you start training and practicing more ? and what makes you think you won't be ?
No matter what the plan, Murphy is always looking over your shoulder.
Yep.
I read in a gun magazine once that a well known firearm trainer for NYPD.back on 1980s (back during NYPD revolver days) the firearm trainer in charge taught the officers a system where instead of point shooting.. using no sites.. at closer distances..USE JUST THE FRONT SITE ... A system where you could use the front sight and be much more accurate than just trying to point shoot without any sites
Did you ever hear if officers shot better in armed encounters after undergoing that training?
@@hrfunk yes Mr Funk... I wish I could remember the firearm trainer's name. He took over training NYPD officers and their hit potential increased greatly if I find a magazine which I still have somewhere.. I will tell you the trainer's name
Should be interesting, looking forward to this weeks submission. Its controlled fear and training that will determine the outcome.
HR, just ordered my official HR Funk T-Shirt! today in this humidity in N/W PA I am feeling like the "Tack!" Lol! Thanks for sharing that story! Time to go fire up the chainsaw for tree debris removal! Uggh!
Try to stay cool Dan. If nothing else, I hope you have a pool close by for when you're done (I jumped in mine yesterday after mowing the yard and it was fantastic!)
I am so glad that both You and Bob were not hurt. Point shooting is so important! Thank you for sharing your experience Sir. Personally, I have been working on point shooting since I was 5 years old. I knew that I wanted to be a Soldier that young, and every squirt gun, nerf gun, BB gun, and later on Ruger 22 revolver and Mark II etc. Was a tool to train with. I always had a toy gun in my hands as a kid. I was very serious about my training, so much so that my Grandfather and step dad took interest and helped me all the time. So much of my training was point shooting. I would also work on Marksmanship with my single shot 22 rifle set up with a peep sight then an old Sears and Roebuck with a cheap scope. I started working on a farm in the fifth grade and saved up to buy a 10/22 and my first 20 gauge shotgun. Etc. At 8 years old I began rabbit hunting almost where weekend. Then I took Hunters Safety and began deer and Elk hunting at 12. Later on I joined the Army and made my dreams come true in 18B. I have been a Shooter almost my entire life, and you are correct in saying don't limit yourself, But embrace all forms and adapt to what works for you. "Be water my friends" - Bruce Lee
Thanks for the great comment William!
That’s one of the things about our profession. You can do everything right and it still goes sideways. BTDT. Got the shirt, hat, and coffee mug.
Yep, it's all the same song. The dance just changes from time to time.
Great video! I agree with you. My personal opinion is use the sights if you can but there are times when you can't and point shooting may be your only option, so why not use it. Another tool for the tool chest.
Agreed!
Wow! What a story! Thank you. That was a very sobering. An angel (and Bob!) was looking out for you!
You’re welcome. I wanted to let everyone know just how wrong things can go.
Thanks for your insight on defensive shooting, each incident will have it's unique circumstances. As a citizen, I'm painfully aware that every round coming out of my pistol or rifle has an attorney attached to it. As such, my training involves at the very least a sight picture of some type. It does little for me to win the gunfight only to lose the court fight.
In our minds, we are all looking for the ideal situation, where the good guy wins through skill, determination, and righteousness. But that isn't likely to be the case. There are few guarantees in life, and the only one I know of in regard to gunfighting is " the gun you have on you beats the blaster you left at home ".
I had considered buying a Taser, but have chosen not to, for the reason you describe. The best we can hope for is to not be caught unaware, and that our skills will be sufficient to the task at hand.
Good luck and be well.
Thank Kevin. Same to you.
Life is sloppy, and training IS better than being flumouxed..but often a fraction of a second decides history....Training for multiple situations with mutiple outcomes prepares muscle memory reflex and reaction time and is important!...But in my experiences though, the training has seldom matched the situation...All I can say is... I believe my "luck" has been... not giving up, or in ....and lightning fast prayers.
I think it's just as you say that you need to train in all three. I seem to remember that in descriptions of Applegate's house of horrors that all the targets were at 10' feet or less. Eric Haney in his book "Inside Delta Force" said that they trained in CQB to concentrate on the target not the sights. I think people forget that he's talking about shooting across a small room at extreme close quarters. Side note: I remember your video on losing weight. I commented on it. I've lost about 60 lbs since December by walking and reducing my portions.
Good job Randy! Are you trying to loose more, or are you just trying to maintain now?
@@hrfunk Trying to get down to about 225 from 300. I weighed 205 at times in the army, but looked like a death camp survivor when I did. I usually weighed about 215. So , I've got about 15 more lbs to lose. At 57, I can stand an extra 10 lbs.
@@randym6439 Great Job! Keep it up!
Very good vid. There's a tendency to imagine things will go in our favor like an action movie script.
Yep. I see that a lot.
Thank you for sharing your story. A great lesson to learn from that. Glad it didn’t turn out worse than it did. Nobody really knows how they would react in these situations. Although I carry often for personal protection, using situational awareness, I’m always looking for an escape first.
Obviously that is not an option in your case.
Makes perfect sense to me. I think a good way to train for getting used to unexpected circumstances is to spend your life hunting. Your reflexes benefit and so does dealing with all sorts of different scenarios.
this is going to be good! no better way to learn than from someone who has been there
Really Good Training Video!
Also in conjunction with your point of being flexible in your thinking
Your Possible Attacker may Not Look like some Scary Guy from a Prison movie.
Clean Decent Appearing People can also be Violent Attackers as well.
I Learned this the Hard Way.
Best Wishes from Montana! M.H.
Thank you!
Good vid, thanks ... Agree, reaction will follow training. When it's close & dirty, it happens vary quickly and there's no time to think about it, you just react to it. And that reaction will follow your training. For me, roughly five yard and closer, it's point shooting; two to the torso, and one to the head if it's REAL close.
One method I don't see trained much.. is the '' crumpled isosceles" .. this is for extremely close quarters self-defense.. start with your traditional isosceles.. then bring the gun back to your chest with your elbows bent.. you're actually looking over the gun barrel without using sites.. this keeps the perpetrator from grabbing or deflecting your gun... Of course this is for extreme close quarters bad breath distances.. it works extremely well with snub nose revolvers and pocket pistols. Which many people carry daily nowadays... If the threat starts to back away you can transition back into the full isosceles position....
Excellent analogy of your experience with training as it applies to real world. Thank you for sharing. Back in the late 90s when I was running Simunitions scenarios we had a gun come back from a student with the rear sight almost out of the dovetail. I asked the student if they used their sights. They said no but had OK hits on the threat. I moved the sight back into the dovetail some but still way off if used and continued to ask the officers going through the scenarios if they used their sights and compared them to the hits. Some said they used their sights and some not but no one who used their sights had hits off to the side the sights were. Most had decent hits regardless if they said they used their sights or not and on Simunition guns where the sights weren't out of adjustment. Not a scientific test but it was interesting results for scenarios from 2-12 yards that day and 200 officers in the 10 weeks we had the facility for scenarios.
Another interesting experience is that of Mike Conti. He wrote several books promoting sighted fire and modern technique before having a similar real life experience where he didn't use the sights and then went on to explore and promote point shooting techniques where appropriate. There is no one size fits all technique as no one is point shooting at far distances just as no one is sighted shooting at near contact distances where the gun can be grabbed or deflected. Where a person uses point shooting or sights and to what extent is the key but also quite individual and/or circumstance dependent. At least in my experience.
I agree. As I mentioned in the video, I think flexibility and varied training are important elements in survival.
HR - I sincerely THANK YOU VERY MUCH for sharing this story, with sufficient detail that your “bottom line” - one approach is not ideal for all circumstances - makes absolutely perfect sense. However, I believe your subscribers might benefit from a third RUclips related to the original “point shooting” video.
Specifically, it’s clear that many (probably most) entirely lawful defensive firearms owners can’t (or won’t) afford the time, the money, the effort, etc. to attain “instinctive” and “sufficient” capability for all defensive shooting modes (point, sighted, flash, etc.). In many situations, things like reasonable training facilities and truly good instructors are too few and too far removed, which is unfortunate but not necessarily a shortcoming on the part of the decent citizen.
Of course, gradually attaining excellent instinctive proficiency would be ideal, but many realities make this rather unlikely. Therefore, if - and I believe this is frequent - a resonantly competent lawfully armed citizen could only become adequately proficient in one technique, what whould you suggest and why? Unquestionably, this isn’t the optimal solution, however, it just might constitute actuality for most legally and defensively armed individuals.
Thanks Roy. I believe there is a natural progression from basic sighted fire (i.e. learning to fire accurate shots) and using a flash-sight-picture at a more rapid shooting tempo. If limited to developing only one, that would be my suggestion. Still, from time to time, a shooter should try a few close-range rapid "instinctinctive" shots to to become acquainted with the concept.
@@hrfunk yeah but since I am not an LEO.
@@silver2644 I'm sorry. I don't understand your comment.
@@hrfunk I mean, since I am a civilian now, was USN, the use of a butt stroke isn't against any department rules.
OK, now I understand.
As always Mr. Funk, you have presented very useful information in a highly intelligent way so as to help save lives. Throughout my own training and teaching in martial arts and firearm self-defense classes, I have aspired to achieve and impart such highly useful knowledge. God bless brother.
Thank you. I just try to pass on what I have learned.
This story really puts things into perspective. I have always thought it is hard to predict how you would react in a stressful situation where someone is pointing a gun at you. You are well trained and have encountered more dangerous scenarios than an average civilian like myself would ever experience, and there were variables you had to deal with that would be hard for anyone to anticipate. I hope I never find myself in a situation where I have to draw, much less use my carry weapon. My main concern is having innocent bystanders behind the threat. I don’t ever want to make things worse by injuring or killing an innocent person in an attempt to stop a dangerous one. Thanks for sharing, thank you for your service, and I am glad your story ended with you and your team safe and the bad guy in custody.
Thank you Steve. Here's hoping you never find yourself in such a situation either.
your story isnt what i was expecting but it is definitely a good lesson, humbles one to evaluate how one thinks about self defense or really any opinion, not to be so stuck on ones own opinion so as to miss others point of view - thanks again for another great video and glad you didnt become a dead helpless victim
Yeah, that makes sense, you cannot train for every situation, but more of it and aware that anything can happen. Good story, and an extreme one at that.Thanks
You’re welcome.
So I have a plan based on your experiences practice all 3 point ,flash sight, and sight shooting, flexible thinking and and take the time to train so reaction becomes instinctive. Thank you HR for sharing your experience with us to help us all to be able to improve our skills and maybe save my own life someday.
You're welcome Paul! I think you completely grasped the message I was trying to convey.
HR good video yet again and although the content was a personal story of an experience you had. Appreciate you sharing that story. As the SGT MAJ stated controlled fear and training is what will keep one alive. Keep up the good work and God Bless my friend.
Thank you David!
I am also a martial artist. You know full well be it your open hand skills or using your weapon, all you can do is train. Train to react, train to be aware, train to quickly and accurately assess what's happening if you find yourself in or about to be in an encounter. Your skillset has to be accessible without thinking, and adaptable.
I know exactly what this fool was hopped up on based on your description. Those people are wildly unpredictable, you did well and managed to walk away with a lesson.
I have to say I'm in the pro point shooting camp on this one however I also believe situational awareness and being an adaptive shooter is paramount. Your defense may take place in an uncomfortable or confined space or angle most don't accustom themselves to shoot from I think there's a lot of occasions where a person may be seated at a table or a vehicle potentially. Point shooting (squaring up the body and using the pistol as if pointing a finger) is brought up in old ww2 training films demonstrated for minute of man accuracy. From that footage it can be drawn that it is indeed effective for combat shooting that first round can disorient or panic an attacker even if there isn't a positive hit I've seen it used while simultaneously raising the handgun into a more accurate hold. Projectiles pass through at closer ranges to my understanding regardless meaning there is always going to be an inherent risk to anyone/anything beyond the intended mark there is always the potential for over penetration with point blank muzzle energy I do however believe the discipline to quickly find that front sight should be sought in most cases if that weapon needs to be pulled to protect quick first strike capability is a valuable tool for any gunfighter to have. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I see a huge lesson in this story and assume others see it as well. Good video, Howard. Extremely happy you are here making these great vids!
Thank you! I'm glad the message is coming through. This video really has very little to do with shooting.
Semper Gumby. Glad you survived that one. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for sharing, Howard. VERY educational.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching.
I think you are right on the money.Thanks for the vid
You're welcome Lee.
All the training you practice is definitely helpful because at the very least you develop muscle memory , However in the heat of the moment of actual Crisis no situation is ever exactly the same. God bless.
Good and very necessary information! Especially good for those who haven't been involved periodically in these highly stressful and critical situations. Remember a plan is just a list of things that are not going to happen. With that said, you do have to formulate some sort of plan and then dump it or adjust as necessary. Not everyone can do that. Great content! More!
Thank you.
Nice job!
Thank you Fred.
Since I started in 2005 I've been in my share of hairy situations. Only in one case did it involve me pulling a trigger. Every single time I've drawn my gun and pointed it at someone thus far, the sights were a complete non-factor. I tend to be more in the point shooting camp from my own experience. However, that does not mean a situation can't arise where pistol sights are the best option.
There was an Incident at my department about 10 years ago I was not in attendance for. In this case a suicidal man with a shotgun emerged from his house, pointing it at the neighbors. The first responding officer opened fire from behind his vehicle at about a distance of 20 yards. He told me he fired several rounds at the subject without using his sights and missed. At the point his next opportunity to return fire came he beared down and used his sights, firing 2 more rounds, both hitting the mark and dropping the threat.
So I'm not completely in the point shooting camp. It depends on the situation.
Agreed. And that's the key. Tactics must fit the circumstances.
Howard, great video. Thank you for sharing your story. I've been in those high stress situations and nothing works perfect, "Murphy" always shows up.
Yes he does. Thanks Mike.
Great story, honesty and reality, appreciate your sharing how this could happen to anyone...
Thank you LeRoy.
Thanks for sharing your story. Its hard to explain to people how training kicks in on those high stress split second decisions. Effective training is the key to solve these types of scenarios. Thank you for your time serving your country and community. I really enjoy watching your videos. Keep up the good work and enjoy your retirement sir.
Thank you so much.
Outstanding video, and thanks for sharing your story. This is exactly what a lot of novice defensive gun carriers don't get - we don't always get to choose the battlefield, or the circumstances, when it hits the fan. in fact, USUALLY we don't get to choose those things. In the tactical world in the military we used to have a saying about that: "It's a come as you are war." Meaning, whatever we have in terms of weapons, equipment, training, and doctrine are going to be "the clothes on our back" so to speak if we suddenly find ourselves at war. So yes, practice both kinds of shooting, and be prepared to employ whatever tactics the situation dictates. Often, those tactics have to be improvised, too. And as regards tactics, let me repeat the old wisdom regarding arguments about calibers and stopping power - "amateurs argue about caliber, professionals discuss tactics."
Well said. Thanks for the comment.
Great information, as always sir. I recently had to defend myself with my sidearm at my business against an armed burglar. It happened in broad daylight during business hours, and I can honestly say NONE of that went down like anything I had expected or trained for in my 54 years. It’s hard to articulate how fast self defense situations unfold. I’m quite lucky to be here!
I’m glad you are!
@@hrfunk I have a totally unrelated inquiry. It’s hard not to notice what a nice and orderly garage you do most of your videos in. I also noticed on some of your early videos your garage looked like…well, MY garage..lol. Do you have any videos of how you transitioned that into such a nice work area? -Thanks
No, sorry. As you noticed, I use my shop area as a backdrop for many of my videos. Early on, I tried to put together a “set” but I never ended up with anything I liked. Finally, I decided to rearrange/reorganize my shop area to serve that purpose. From that point, I started cleaning, straightening, and decorating. That task continues to this day. I’m always looking at that area and wondering how I might improve its appearance, and I’m always on the lookout for new additions to enhance it. I have nothing to guide me except whatever I think looks appealing. I also have to be diligent when it comes to cleaning up after a project.
Thank you for your service HR Funk.
Thanks to Bob, the only thing this lesson cost you was some pride. G*d bless you, Bob.
Thanks Rabbi. The incident didn't really cost me any pride, per se. I was not embarrassed or ashamed. Rather, I was extremely angry because when the incident occurred, circumstances conspired to prevent me from doing any of the things I otherwise would have done.
We train point one hand in close , flash sight picture out to seven and sighted fire beyond. The target and timer tell the truth.
I would say the timer and target tell a particular truth. That truth can change in an actual gunfight.
Thank you very much for sharing this experience.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching.
Great story, the telling was enthralling, my only complaint was it was the abridged version..
If I told the whole story, I would still be telling it and everyone would be asleep in front of their monitors.
thank you for sharing that story . Its a very good lesson to all of us
You’re welcome Steve.
Thanks for sharing that, certainly one of the most detailed and personable accounts I can think of.
Thanks Chris.
@@hrfunk Could you once again assist me with one of my firearms? (I'm having *Severe Problems* with one of my .357's)
I can try. What is the problem?
cool
One of your best - Thanks.
Thanks Gabriel.
Well done. True, true. Thank you.
You're very welcome. Thanks for watching.
Good points. I don't get all the arguments about what is or is not point shooting either. Just another tool that your brain will recognize if its ever needed. I even practice drawing and firing from laying flat on my back without using the sights because we never know what position or situation we might have to react from. My brain now recognizes shooting from that angle so it may just make a difference some day.
Solid advice
Thanks!
If you can see the sights, you can use the sights. Even from the hip. Your eye, the front sight and rear sight, form an angle, with the front sight at the vertex. The smaller that angle is, the more accurate the shot will be.
To the story, what Clint Smith said: "How many gunfights have ya been in? How many times have ya tripped and fell 👍"
Thanks for a good lesson!
outstanding Howard !
They need to replace those tazers with tranquilizer dart guns.
When Tasers work, they work great. When they don't work, they don't work at all. Really no middle ground.
I think the biggest problem with a tranquilizer gun would be dosage, you need a dose large enough to put them down, but not so large as to kill them. When you are outfitting the gun at the start of your patrol shift, you have no idea if you are going to need to stop a 100lb female or a 300lb male. Also what drug might that person have taken that the tranquilizer might react with? There may also be legal issues with "proscribing drugs" by someone who is not a licensed physician.
If you don’t rise to the occasion, you’ll regress to your training.
Does “rising to the occasion” require one to abandon his/her training?
Great insight.