We spend a lot of training time repeatedly drilling the smallest technical aspects of individual defenses against gun threats. Below is a quick punch list of notes for considerations surrounding the attack and the defense, which are every bit as important as the physical techniques.
- Get some basic experience with firearms.
Guns are scary, but that doesn’t mean they should be treated with fear. Even if you are morally opposed to gun ownership, being familiar with the basic operations of common models of firearms can keep you and bystanders safe if you ever have to disarm an armed assailant. - Exercise good judgement and situational awareness.
While targeted attacks can’t be avoided, don’t put yourself in a place to become a convenient victim. See also “The Five Stages of Violent Crime and the AOI Triangle”. - If you think all the attacker wants is your wallet, give it up.
However, as soon as you feel the attacker is going to shoot you despite your compliance, or he wants to take you somewhere, or your child is in the car he’s trying to jack, it’s time to engage Beast Mode. - Gun defenses are not invincible techniques to prevent someone from shooting you.
Perhaps you’ve experienced this: You mention to someone that you train in Krav Maga or that you just went to a gun defense seminar, and that person scoffs and makes some remark about Remo Williams or some kind of bullet-catching chop-saki. This person is A) awesome for making a Remo Williams reference, B) an ass for deriding something you’re passionate about, and C) correct to a degree. If someone walks up behind you with the intent of shooting you or draws down on you from more than a few feet away… I’ll never say there’s nothing you can do, but it’s certainly good luck or bad shooting that are more likely to save you. Our Krav Maga gun threat defenses must be used in the correct context, and even then there is an inherent risk in taking action. You make a gun defense when it is your only option. See also “All’s You Have to Do Is ____”. - If it is a gun threat, you get to go first.
Unlike with a punch or a choke, with a weapon threat there isn’t an attack to which we must reflexively respond. The attacker has not shot you yet because he wants something: your car, your money, a show of power, to divulge the entirety of his evil plot to take over the world, etc. This means you have time (granted, maybe only a few seconds) to assess options and make a defense. - You must be able to touch the gun in order to make the defense.
If you can’t reach it, you can’t redirect the line of fire, and then we’re back to Remo Williams techniques… - Almost every gun defense follows the same RCAT template.
Redirect the line of fire, Control the weapon, Attack the gunman, Takeaway (disarm). - Whenever possible, turn the threat into Gun from the Front.
If you feel you can safely do so, turn to face the attacker while negotiating. This is the optimal position for redirecting and counterattacking. If you can’t turn, you’ll need to use one of our other techniques if the situation dictates. - Treat the line of fire like Goldfinger’s laser: Don’t cross that line with anything you’re not willing to lose.
Once the fight is on after the initial redirection, you must remain hyper-aware of where the muzzle of the gun is pointing to keep yourself and others in the environment safe. - The gun will probably go off while you’re holding it.
What happens? Watch this video. - Once the weapon is in your possession, clear it and make ready.
If the gun is a semi-automatic and it fired while you were holding it, chances are good that the slide did not clear the empty casing and chamber the next live round (see the video above). It’s also possible that the magazine release was bumped and the magazine is not fully seated. If you intend to use the gun to defend yourself or keep the attacker at bay, slap the magazine and rack the slide. Otherwise, see the next point. - Use the gun as a “cold weapon” if the attacker lunges back at you and the gun does not fire, or you make the legal or moral decision not to shoot.
A gun is a heavy hunk of mostly metal. Hit with it! Always strike with the muzzle straight into the target. Striking with any other part of the gun could place you or bystanders back in the line of fire. - You know nothing about the gun; assume the attacker knows everything about it.
The gun might have a quirky safety defect, the gun might not be loaded, the gun might not even be real. You have no idea until it’s in your hands, but the attacker knows, and it may mean he feels confident enough to charge back at you after your initial defense and disarm. Make a lot of space between you and the attacker and be ready. - Know and obey the law.
The specifics of local laws in situations like this vary widely. What is considered justified self-defense in one jurisdiction may get you charged with aggravated assault or manslaughter in another. There are a couple guidelines that should keep you from running afoul no matter your locale: Once you have the gun in your possession and the attacker is no longer fighting, you are not legally justified to shoot. If the attacker runs away, you are not legally justified to chase him down and shoot him. See also “Use of Force: The Rules of Self-Defense”. - Contact the police.
Do not delay; call 9-1-1. Follow the instructions of the operator. If you or the attacker have fled, make the gun safe (if you know how) and put it in a secure place such as your locked car trunk if possible. When the police arrive on the scene, identify yourself with your hands in sight, and follow all of their commands. Do not wave the gun around or try to hand it to them.If you are holding the attacker at the point of his own gun (and there could possibly be legal implications with this), it is even more important that you follow police commands. Always try to see from the police perspective: They received a call about a gun attack, and now they’ve arrived to see someone holding a gun. You probably look like the bad guy. Make sure when you call 9-1-1 to describe both yourself and the attacker to help alleviate as much doubt as possible.
Answer police questions as directly and accurately as possible, emphasizing that you believed that your life was in danger. If you get the sense that the police aren’t believing you or that their questions are implying you’re the bad guy, shut up and get a lawyer.
To this day I still have trouble believing Fred Ward as badass mystical martial artist. But man do I love that movie!