Truth be told, I have never been in a gunfight. The closest I came occurred when I was about 8 years old at my family land in South Texas. My Dad, nicknamed “Grizz”, and I were out walking when we came upon a truck that should not have been there. The man in the truck jumped out wielding a .22 rifle and pointing it in our direction. My Dad, quickly shouldered his shotgun, and quite convincingly informed the man, he needed to put his “peashooter” AWAY and LEAVE. The man, realizing he was outgunned and in the wrong place, packed up and left in a hurry (Que the Benny Hill Theme Music). Even as a young boy, it was easy for me to realize, 1) events like this happen very quickly, and 2) you must take quick and decisive action. It also helps if your Dad is an imposing “Grizzly Adams” looking fellow that yells really LOUD!
Fast forward 40 years. As a Firearms Instructor, I have been very fortunate to train with multiple industry experts that know a thing or two about gunfights. And why they all have different experiences, the information gained from them in the classroom and on the range sound eerily familiar and confirm the actions I saw that day in South Texas.
• 40% of violent criminals have formal firearms training
• 80% are training or practicing every other week
• 40% have been in at least 1 gun fight
• 25% have been in 5 or more gun fights.
Same thing goes for knife and fistfights. Decent people are disadvantaged when faced with a criminal that had nothing else to do with their time than hone their fighting skills. The idea you should be on some kind of even ground with a home invader or armed robber before you defend yourself will get you killed.
My dad was a preacher and he would go to the Federal Prison and preach. I went with on accessions. One thing I learned from some of the prisoners is some guys that are or have been in prison do not care about anything and will hurt or take advantage of you at any chance they can get without remorse. There are a few who have turned their ways as one has become a preacher himself but, he will never leave the prison system. His name is John and they call him John the Baptist. Preaching Gods word like Paul did when he was prisoned.
Tom Givens regularly says that violent criminals are not like you and I. They don’t think you us, they don’t act like us and one of the most dangerous things we can do when facing one is to superimpose our moral and ethical beliefs on them.
I’ve been in a few gunfights, although not in the USA. I did 2 1/2 years in Iraq as a private security contractor and got shot at and occasionally targeted with IEDs. The secret was superior firepower. If you have to fight, fight with everything you have. Period.
In the USA, I haven’t had to ever draw a gun on another human being. This is because I do my very best to avoid situations that might result in a confrontation.
