Be serious if you carry

[danblackstone]

Twice now in the last 3 weeks I’ve heard someone say, “They want to carry a gun, but only to scare away a bad guy, or to just shoot them a little bit.”

Really, shoot them a little bit? I train a lot and practice with that situation in mind but I never practice to shoot them just a little bit.

If you are going to carry a gun for self defense, you must be totally and unequivocally committed to shoot someone center mass until the threat is eliminated. If you are not, please, don’t carry a gun. You are going to be a shooting victim and it’s embarrassing when it‘s your own gun.

Carrying a gun is a terrific responsibility and you need to think it through, including the possible consequences of being involved in a fatal shooting.

The other commitment you need to make is to practice with your gun. Practice different situations, not just standing in one spot shooting at paper targets. Can you draw and shoot? Ladies, have you ever practiced getting that gun out of your purse? If you haven’t, you’re going to be in real trouble when you start fumbling around. It’s not easy, don’t take it for granted.
If you are going to carry, give it serious thought, and make the commitment to practice. Be smart. Be safe.

 

[Nightmare45]

I am willing to go all in, but be safe by minding your surroundings and being aware, avoid dangerous situations if possible if it comes down to it, I am going home.

 

[BlackieChan]

Absolutely agree.

One of the things I like to practice at home is drawing and dry firing. The next time I am at the range I will take the next step and load the pistol.

One of the first things I practiced was drawing and checking that I was on target.

My fiancee wants to train to shoot to wound. I don't think that is a good idea. I agree that if you are in a stress situation you need to train to hit your target.

 

[danblackstone]

Never shoot to wound. Using deadly force is exactly that. A gun is deadly force. Always shot to center mass and shoot until the threat is stopped. If it's not that much of a threat in the first place then that gun better stay in it's holster.

 

[Treo]

My fiancee wants to train to shoot to wound. I don't think that is a good idea. I agree that if you are in a stress situation you need to train to hit your target.

I'm cool w/ shooting to wound. I mean if I hit you you are going to be wounded. It just happens that I intend to keep wounding you until you are no longer a threat to me.

In all seriousness I would never deliberately try to kill another human being, all I want you to do is stop doing what ever your doing that threatens me.

As for the practice drawing I make it my habit to never try to practice "quick draws" I practice going through the steps slowly until it's muscle memory after doing that for a while speed seems to take care of itself

 

[Nightmare45]

Shooting to wound is shooting to get youself killed by a wounded armed criminal, two center mass, third tap if necessary to nose.

 

[JSDinTexas]

My primary bedroom gun is a 12 ga with LE load 00 buckshot - that ought to "wound" them pretty good.

 

[Treo]

My primary bedroom gun is a 12 ga with LE load 00 buckshot - that ought to "wound" them pretty good.

John Wesley Hardin was shot shot in the gut w/ 9 balls of double ought buck and managed to ride out of town. He was laid up for months afterword though

 

[JSDinTexas]

John Wesley Hardin was shot shot in the gut w/ 9 balls of double ought buck and managed to ride out of town. He was laid up for months afterword though

The mistake with Hardin was the shooter stopped with one. That's why I have 9 and 5 more in the side-saddle. :biggrin:

 

[jtg452]

John Wesley Hardin was shot shot in the gut w/ 9 balls of double ought buck and managed to ride out of town. He was laid up for months afterword though

Yup. And Wild Bill Longley was shot 13 or 14 times on one occasion but lived to be hung years later, too.

The problem with shooting to wound is you are just as likely to just piss him off as you are stop his threat to your safety. Not everybody reacts the same way to an injury. Some folks have to be pretty much filled with lead to make them stop.

 

[Deanimator]

Twice now in the last 3 weeks I’ve heard someone say, “They want to carry a gun, but only to scare away a bad guy, or to just shoot them a little bit.”

I periodically hear people say such foolish things.

They're the product of a lack of serious, coherent thought, coupled with excessive and credulous TV watching.

 

[Treo]

The mistake with Hardin was the shooter stopped with one. That's why I have 9 and 5 more in the side-saddle. :biggrin:

It occurred in Trinity City Texas. Hardin got into an argument over a bowling game w/ a man named Phil Sublet. The two exchanged words and Sublet left the bar to return w/ a shotgun as Hardin stepped to the door a drunk grabbed him from behind and Pushed him out the door and Sublet let him have it .

Hardin managed to draw his pistol and get off one shot hitting sublet in the shoulder. When Sublet saw that Hardin wasn't dead he (literally) screamed like a little girl and ran.

 

[JSDinTexas]

Treo - Interesting story and amusing. Guess I need to look it up and become familiar with it since I'm down here in TX. thanks.
And hate to admit it, but if I hit em with 6 and they are still coming, I might start screaming too :biggrin:

 

[BlackieChan]

I'm cool w/ shooting to wound. I mean if I hit you you are going to be wounded. It just happens that I intend to keep wounding you until you are no longer a threat to me.

In all seriousness I would never deliberately try to kill another human being, all I want you to do is stop doing what ever your doing that threatens me.

As for the practice drawing I make it my habit to never try to practice "quick draws" I practice going through the steps slowly until it's muscle memory after doing that for a while speed seems to take care of itself

Thanks for the tips. I will practice drawing slowly and precisely from now on, that seems like a good idea. I definitely don't do live fire drawing drills yet, but I am sure that I would be fine.

I should clarify what she and I mean by shooting to wound. I mean shooting someone in an extremity, she is thinking leg. Not a good idea to aim there. Hit the target is the bottom line I would say, in a SD situation.

Also, the lacerating the femoral artery is a quick way to die also.

If she is going to carry she needs to understand, just what Dan was saying, that using deadly force is just that.

Don't construe this as me voicing disagreement with anyone on this thread.

Thanks again on the tips for draw practice!

 

[BlackieChan]

I'm cool w/ shooting to wound. I mean if I hit you you are going to be wounded. It just happens that I intend to keep wounding you until you are no longer a threat to me.

I thought of something else though.

Most of the stories I have heard about people having to draw haven't resulted in shooting. The threat of force has been enough, anecdotally, to defuse the situation. I think that is great, one less person dead who hopefully learned their lesson.

I have heard a lot of people say that when you draw your gun, it is because you are going to shoot it. It makes sense but extreme ideologies rarely cover all situations in life.

 

[Axeanda45]

Never shoot to wound. Using deadly force is exactly that. A gun is deadly force. Always shot to center mass and shoot until the threat is stopped. If it's not that much of a threat in the first place then that gun better stay in it's holster.

Sounds to me like you are saying NEVER unholster unless you absolutely are going to pull the trigger. If so, I very much disagree..... Sometimes just clearing leather ends the situation......

 

[mappow]

I thought of something else though.

Most of the stories I have heard about people having to draw haven't resulted in shooting. The threat of force has been enough, anecdotally, to defuse the situation. I think that is great, one less person dead who hopefully learned their lesson.

I have heard a lot of people say that when you draw your gun, it is because you are going to shoot it. It makes sense but extreme ideologies rarely cover all situations in life.

Not being belligerent but the use of DEADLY Force is not an "Extreme Ideology" it's a extreme end to the threat that presents itself to you. IF you are left with no other course of action, then draw and shoot to kill. AIM DEAD CENTER MASS until the threat level is no longer a threat. This ain't the Wild Bill days of TV lore. With adrenaline pumping, you gasping for oxygen, and mind racing you'll be lucky to hit DCM unless you practice, practice, practice. Better yet, go to an out door range. Run as hard as you can for a mile or so. Come up to a standing stationary target, draw and fire two rounds. Bet you don't hit DCM the first time. Repeat as necessary until you can.
As for the OP, I don't remember seeing anyone posting frivolous BS of recent, but then again I don't patrol all the threads.

 

[XJ_MAC]

Mid seventies USAF Security Police training quote: "Shoot to wound, center mass"! It was an ongoing joke among the troops.

 

[BlackieChan]

Not being belligerent but the use of DEADLY Force is not an "Extreme Ideology" it's a extreme end to the threat that presents itself to you. IF you are left with no other course of action, then draw and shoot to kill. AIM DEAD CENTER MASS until the threat level is no longer a threat. This ain't the Wild Bill days of TV lore. With adrenaline pumping, you gasping for oxygen, and mind racing you'll be lucky to hit DCM unless you practice, practice, practice. Better yet, go to an out door range. Run as hard as you can for a mile or so. Come up to a standing stationary target, draw and fire two rounds. Bet you don't hit DCM the first time. Repeat as necessary until you can.
As for the OP, I don't remember seeing anyone posting frivolous BS of recent, but then again I don't patrol all the threads.

Yes I agree. I have already decided that if the situation faces me, I am prepared to do whatever it takes to defend my family and myself.

My mom told me a story about her friend's daughter. She carries. Her car broke down on the side of the road. An obviously ill intentioned person pulled up beside her, she basically pulled out her gun and waved it around and they got out of there quick. She didn't have to shoot at them. This is a picture perfect situation but we are only human.

Similar situtation, I heard someone tell their story about how when they were driving down an empty country road, the driver in front of them was acting erratically. The driver in front slammed on the brakes, this person pulled up slowly thinking there was an animal in the road or something. The driver in front pulls out a baseball bat and starts walking towards this guy. But this guy was on his way to the shooting range and puts his glock out the window aiming at this erratic driver. This guy turned around so fast and sped off. Situation defused, no one was shot.

These examples didn't come out of a SD training manual but they illustrate the point that the mere sight of a gun can defuse a bad situation and it is only up to the person holding the gun whether or not they should fire or if the target is no longer a threat.

But you can't shoot someone in the back and call it self defense in my state.

I do practice 'run and gun' actually, but not as often as I practice 'run'.

 

[B2Tall]

My fiancee wants to train to shoot to wound. I don't think that is a good idea. I agree that if you are in a stress situation you need to train to hit your target.

Shooting to wound usually = shooting to miss. Unless you're a trained sniper shooting a long gun at relatively short range, it's a bad idea.