“I am merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary!”
Billy Joel
“The Threes”
The “Armed Attorneys” recently pointed-out that the long-proclaimed axiom that the “average” lethal-force encounter takes place within three feet, involves three shots fired, and is over within three seconds, may not apply as broadly as once thought
That tenet is still largely accurate, but it was gleaned almost exclusively from lethal-force encounters by LEOs. There is far more precise data (much of it compiled by the FBI) on LEO lethal-force encounters than on non-LEO/citizen-defenders, although the later category involves many more individual incidents every year than the former.
LEOs are paid to seek-out, pursue, contact, confront, and sometimes arrest dangerous/unstable people. They do this, so the rest of us don’t have to! LEOs are thus equipped with powerful, high-capacity pistols (9mm and up), and these days LEO pistols are mostly equipped with optics.
By contrast, non-LEO citizens (who know what’s good for them), whether armed or not, should do their best to avoid contact with dangerous/unstable people, and of necessity non-LEO citizen/defenders often equip themselves with less powerful, less capable, less sophisticated equipment.
Accordingly, non-LEO citizens are well-advised to mind their own business, politely disengaging and rapidly separating from unknown/uninvited/unwanted contacts, leaving the task of directly confronting dangerous suspects to police, when possible.
Non-LEO citizens, armed or not, will not be making arrests, nor taking suspects into custody. In most cases, when (for good cause) a gun is produced by a non-LEO citizen-defender, whether it is actually discharged or not, the best thing the defender can do is persuade suspect(s) to run away.
So when worse comes to worse, and non-LEO citizen-defenders are forced to discharge pistols in legitimate self-defense, typically:
>More shots are fired than just three. Because distances are often further than contact range, and the less powerful the ammunition, the more shots are usually required to end the attack.
>Distance between citizen-defenders and felon(s) is often significantly more than three feet. Again, non-LEO citizens are well-advised to avoid placing themselves within confrontational/contact distances of dangerous/unstable people. With LEOs, such close confrontation is unavoidable.
>The encounter will typically last longer than three seconds. Burglars/home-invaders usually work in groups, and protracted gun-battles are likely.
In view of the forgoing, we Instructors should be advising our students:
1) Don’t panic! Rely on your training. Use your sights. Aim your shots. Press the trigger carefully. The threat you’re trying to incapacitate may be (probably is) further away from you than you think. “Tunnel vision” makes threats appear much closer than they actually are. Unerring, precision shooting will win the day!
2) When defending yourself with gunfire, “instant results” are extremely unlikely! With pistols, we sacrifice power for convenience. Lower your expectations of your gunshots, even when extremely accurate. When suspects (wounded or not) decide to run away, let them!
3) Practice reloading! Be prepared to move, use cover, and keep fighting. Help is not on the way, and you’ll be “on your own” for a good deal longer than you may expect.
I dislike even using the terms “typical” and “average,” as it suggests that we can count on certain things happening, or not happening.
As capable gunfighters, we need to be flexible in our expectations, competent in our actions.
‘Personal competence gives one a secure sense of identity”
Mary Louise Kelly
/John
