Life Safety Skills
Most defensive shootings are over in 3 seconds, take place within 3 feet from the attacker and 3 rounds are fired. In order to be justified in using deadly force you have to believe you're going to suffer serious bodily injury or death. Real world encounters are usually a surprise and involve a high degree of stress and adrenaline dump. In all of my classes I help you develop a tactical mindset, tactics and proven defensive shooting skills. Skills that work when you are under a high level of stress. Your Mindset, Preparedness, Skills, Tactics, and Gear are all ingredients needed to survive an active threat. I have listed a number of considerations below that can help you prepare your response to an active threat. I will be updating the list on a regular basis. Stay Safe and Be Your Own Hero.
1. Normalcy Bias is a state of mind for everyday you live your live not touched by violence it takes you longer to identify and react to violence being used against you. You may be in denial that you are being targeted by an attacker. To defeat normalcy bias you must to be aware of your surroundings and know what to look for.
2. Situational Awareness allows you to identify normal behavior vs. behaviors of concern by noticing personal behaviors, mannerisms, clothing, sound and objects that could be threatening. Knowing and understanding what is happening around you and having a plan is crucial to surviving a high risk encounter.
3. Observation of exits, points of cover, people, what could be used as improvised weapons and potential threats provides you with a course of action, if a threat is confirmed. The ability to conduct a risk assessment in your home, workplace or in a public area gives you a plan response to a threat.
4. Your Threat Assessment looks for facial expressions, nervousness, overdressed for conditions, someone dressed to conceal their identity or carrying a concealed weapon. Position yourself to observe in restaurants and public public areas.
5. Top 20% We train for the top 20% of criminals that will take your life in the act of a crime. If you wake to sounds of an intruder don't yell you have a gun or shine your laser downstairs. Once you yell police are on the way 80% of intruders will flee. The top 20% will try to take what they want and don't mind taking your life. If you yell you have a gun you're giving your position away and that you are armed. They could use the information to defeat you. Do not search out your intruder, shelter in place and call 911.
6. Place your key fob next to your bed. Make a plan with neighbors to call police if your car horn does not reset in a reasonable time. If an intruder enters your home or if you have a medical emergency activate your panic alarm on your key fob. Neighbors will not hesitate to call 911 if you make a plan with them. Most intruders will flee once the horn sounds drawing attention to your house.
7. Right Handed Intruder The majority of people in our society are right handed. Plan your response to an active threat in your home, workplace or public area by using tactical angles. If you're facing an armed right handed intruder entering through a center fed door to a room, the gunman usually enters looking or moving to the left first. Pick your counter assault position or shelter in place position off to the right. Modify this response if there is a short wall/long wall floor plan. This tactic is highlighted in the New Zealand Mosque Shooting video posted on my homepage on this site. The gunman enters the worship room 3 times, each time looking to the left first.
8. Action is Quicker Than Reaction If you find yourself in an active shooter situation and you're not armed with a concealed handgun run, hide, or fight. If the gunman enters a room where you have sheltered set up an ambush position on the left side of the door. As the gunman enters the room cause a distraction by having another person throw an item against a far wall. As the gunman comes into view grab his firearm. For a handgun grab & squeeze the frame and barrel together, for a rifle grab the rail with your right hand and use your left hand to cover the ejection port. In both cases attempt to pin the weapon against the wall. The handgun will fire one round and cycle of operation will be interrupted, the rifle will jam after one round. Other people with you can attack the attacker and stop the threat.
9. Cell Phones can be used to look around corners or view WiFi camera views of areas of your home through a downloaded app.
Instead of sticking your head around a corner activate your phone camera and use your phone to look around corners. If needed hold your home defense handgun in your gun hand and phone in your left hand. WiFi cameras are placed to view the area around the bottom of stairs to ensure no one is waiting to attack you as you walk downstairs to investigate a noise.
10. Unconventional Firing Positions Assuming a firing position under a vehicle, table or desk removes you from a gunman's line of sight. Target feet or legs of your attacker, if you shoot the attacker's lower extremities he'll fall to ground. Once he's down target the chest or head to end the killing.
11. Use of Cover Stay off your cover if the gunman is targeting you, rest on your cover if the gunman is targeting others. The rested shot will be more accurate.
12. Room Softening Techniques Before entering a room turn lights off in the room your leaving. It's better to go from a dark room to a lighted room. Make sure your shadow does not show on the threshold. Use of your cell phone camera, slicing the pie techniques and quick peaks enable you see what's in the room before you enter. Make sure you light up dark areas you can't see into. If you spot an intruder move to cover and give voice commands to have the intruder come to you, don't enter the room there could be a second intruder.
13. Support Side Transitions When looking around a left corner or slicing the pie to the left transition your firearm to your left hand, if your right handed. A right handed shooter exposed more body surface to sight if the firearm is kept in the right hand.
14. Prone Shooting Firing in a prone position by raising your grip off the ground can be uncomfortable and less stable. To elevate your gun making it easier to sight and have a stable position try this grip.
2. Situational Awareness allows you to identify normal behavior vs. behaviors of concern by noticing personal behaviors, mannerisms, clothing, sound and objects that could be threatening. Knowing and understanding what is happening around you and having a plan is crucial to surviving a high risk encounter.
3. Observation of exits, points of cover, people, what could be used as improvised weapons and potential threats provides you with a course of action, if a threat is confirmed. The ability to conduct a risk assessment in your home, workplace or in a public area gives you a plan response to a threat.
4. Your Threat Assessment looks for facial expressions, nervousness, overdressed for conditions, someone dressed to conceal their identity or carrying a concealed weapon. Position yourself to observe in restaurants and public public areas.
5. Top 20% We train for the top 20% of criminals that will take your life in the act of a crime. If you wake to sounds of an intruder don't yell you have a gun or shine your laser downstairs. Once you yell police are on the way 80% of intruders will flee. The top 20% will try to take what they want and don't mind taking your life. If you yell you have a gun you're giving your position away and that you are armed. They could use the information to defeat you. Do not search out your intruder, shelter in place and call 911.
6. Place your key fob next to your bed. Make a plan with neighbors to call police if your car horn does not reset in a reasonable time. If an intruder enters your home or if you have a medical emergency activate your panic alarm on your key fob. Neighbors will not hesitate to call 911 if you make a plan with them. Most intruders will flee once the horn sounds drawing attention to your house.
7. Right Handed Intruder The majority of people in our society are right handed. Plan your response to an active threat in your home, workplace or public area by using tactical angles. If you're facing an armed right handed intruder entering through a center fed door to a room, the gunman usually enters looking or moving to the left first. Pick your counter assault position or shelter in place position off to the right. Modify this response if there is a short wall/long wall floor plan. This tactic is highlighted in the New Zealand Mosque Shooting video posted on my homepage on this site. The gunman enters the worship room 3 times, each time looking to the left first.
8. Action is Quicker Than Reaction If you find yourself in an active shooter situation and you're not armed with a concealed handgun run, hide, or fight. If the gunman enters a room where you have sheltered set up an ambush position on the left side of the door. As the gunman enters the room cause a distraction by having another person throw an item against a far wall. As the gunman comes into view grab his firearm. For a handgun grab & squeeze the frame and barrel together, for a rifle grab the rail with your right hand and use your left hand to cover the ejection port. In both cases attempt to pin the weapon against the wall. The handgun will fire one round and cycle of operation will be interrupted, the rifle will jam after one round. Other people with you can attack the attacker and stop the threat.
9. Cell Phones can be used to look around corners or view WiFi camera views of areas of your home through a downloaded app.
Instead of sticking your head around a corner activate your phone camera and use your phone to look around corners. If needed hold your home defense handgun in your gun hand and phone in your left hand. WiFi cameras are placed to view the area around the bottom of stairs to ensure no one is waiting to attack you as you walk downstairs to investigate a noise.
10. Unconventional Firing Positions Assuming a firing position under a vehicle, table or desk removes you from a gunman's line of sight. Target feet or legs of your attacker, if you shoot the attacker's lower extremities he'll fall to ground. Once he's down target the chest or head to end the killing.
11. Use of Cover Stay off your cover if the gunman is targeting you, rest on your cover if the gunman is targeting others. The rested shot will be more accurate.
12. Room Softening Techniques Before entering a room turn lights off in the room your leaving. It's better to go from a dark room to a lighted room. Make sure your shadow does not show on the threshold. Use of your cell phone camera, slicing the pie techniques and quick peaks enable you see what's in the room before you enter. Make sure you light up dark areas you can't see into. If you spot an intruder move to cover and give voice commands to have the intruder come to you, don't enter the room there could be a second intruder.
13. Support Side Transitions When looking around a left corner or slicing the pie to the left transition your firearm to your left hand, if your right handed. A right handed shooter exposed more body surface to sight if the firearm is kept in the right hand.
14. Prone Shooting Firing in a prone position by raising your grip off the ground can be uncomfortable and less stable. To elevate your gun making it easier to sight and have a stable position try this grip.
- create a space between your gun hand little and ring ringer.
- place your support hand index finger between gun hand little and ring finger.
- Place support hand thumb pointed up on grip
- Make a fist with your support hand
- Wrap shooting hand thumb around support hand thumb
- Rest support hand on ground
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16. Responding to an active threat while seated. If the opporrtunity presents itself drop down under the table and target lower extremities of your attacker. If you stay up above the table you can be targeted and you're a static target. If the attacker can't see you its harder for him to shoot you.
17. Firing from ground. Engaging while prone or supine has become an intermediate level range exercise for most instructors. The problem is instructors have students shoot without cover. Students need the cover to practice their positions, search for threat, sight, lean and trigger press. Also why engage a threat with your head and vital areas closer to the incoming bullets. Lay with your head away from your attacker and place your legs between your attacker and your vital areas.
Bring your legs up to give some protection to your vital areas
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Train these positions using cover. Consider laying with lower etremities between attacker and your vital areas
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Train to use cover
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18. Someone staring at you? When you're in a public area be aware of what's going on around you. Next time you're in a public environment stop and look around. Eveyone is either talking with someone, talking on their phone, texting or going about their business. They are not looking at you. If you indentify someone staring at you or giving you special attention you should question why. Conduct a threat assessment; are they trying to conceal their indenity, look angry, concealing a weapon, don't want to make eye contact or displaying other red flags? Play the "What If" game, what are you going to do if they approach you? draw a weapon? What's your plan of action?