While shooting to the pelvis may or may not stop the threat quickly as I mentioned above there is no guarantee that the threat won’t be killed with a shot to the pelvis. There are some very important arteries running through that area that can bleed out very quickly and it would be hard to stop that bleeding in the field. Shooting someone pretty much anywhere risks killing them. That is why we only do it when left with no other choices to stop the threat.
And even a head shot isn’t a guaranteed kill shot. Lots of stories out there of people surviving shots to the head even when the brain has been hit.
I do think the pelvis is a very good target and should be practiced regularly. It makes a lot of sense to target that area when forced to shoot from the hip. Or when the target isn’t being stopped by center mass shots. It is a much larger target than the head and less likely to move in random directions.
I don’t know why everyone is focusing on femoral artery…
Shooting pelvic area is not about hitting any of arteries. It’s about destroying skeleton structure, adding more pain and immobilization the attacker.
Good luck if you can still walk after receiving two or three bullets in that area…
I don’t care if the threat is hit in the artery and dies, or artery has been missed and threat just stopped. My defense act is successfully finished.
If I hit the threat in the head - it’s in 99% cases death.
Additionally… Randomly moving head is not a great target comparing to big stable pelvis.
Is the headshot a murder or not?
We can debate about this, but it’s not a point. This is the same as warning shots… you want to get rid of the threat, but don’t want to actually shoot him… Mentally good goal but criminally bad outcome.
The thing is the femoral artery runs right through the pelvic area so it can be hit when targeting that area. The bladder and colon are there as well and when either is ruptured it often leads to serious infection and the potential for a slow painful death.
As I mentioned above hits to the pelvis might or might not immobilize the threat. But even if they do the threat could keep attacking if they have a firearm or are still within arms reach.
I do agree that the pelvis is a much easier target to hit than the head and more people should practice targeting that area. I do. But when faced with an imminent threat to ourselves and others we have to hit the best target available that is most likely to stop the threat quickly. If my shots to center mass weren’t stopping the threat from trying to seriously harm myself or other I wouldn’t be concerning myself with whether or not the next target I tried was more or less likely to result in the threat’s death. We need to stop the threat ASAP before they can seriously harm or kill anyone else.
Murder is murder. A head shot can only be murder if it is murder. Any shot that is murder is murder. If a head shot is taken in self defense it is self defense. How can this be debatable. I think the point is take the shot if life is in danger of murder. If not someone could be murdered.
I think what you are trying to say is it feels light murder. Given a situation where innocent lives are in danger I don’t think you will feel like it is murder.
Check all the criminal cases for last 10 years and you will find out.
These days you must think what to do and how to act in self defense if you want still have your own and your Family’s life back at the same level.
Stopping the threat, even ended with death by shooting in pelvis is more justifiable these days than headshot with same outcome.
I prefer simple and quick trial,
not years of stress for me and my Family.
All these above are only my thoughts, something I have been considering each day of my training. It may not be so clear for someone who doesn’t care about aftermath. Shooting is a simple task, stopping the threat is also not complicated. You need good thinking, tactics and solution that works at the moment, but you must always think about the future - yours and your Family.
I am not saying don’t take whatever shot you have to save your life. If there is a debate it would be, would you rather be charged with murder for defending yourself or take a chance of being dead? I am not saying innocent people haven’t been charged with murder. By definition one cannot be a murderer and an innocent person at the same time.
To my knowledge there is no such thing as a simple quick trial.
Shooting the pelvic area can stop the other person without killing him/her but that opens the door for a counter suit because you put said person in a wheelchair or bed for life. Unless your state has a stand your ground law where defending yourself lawfully he isn’t allowed to sue you, you’re still open to be in court for years.
I would rather make the argument that it was either me or him was coming out of it alive and I chose me.
The solution to this riddle is not complicated. train for BOTH head shots AND pelvic girdle shots.
First, a shot that breaks the pelvis is an immediate down, period, if executed with “enough” gun and I’ll all let you debate what enough means. In any case the pelvis is the foundation of your body and the only reason you can stand erect. If it’s broken you are going down.
So you shoot to HCC to stop a threat and if its still coming you have options.
1- BG is armed with lethal weapon that can reach out and touch you, gun comes to mind, and/or has a potential alternate target within his reach (like a hostage or bystander) and you need a total disconnect NOW?
Head shot, but you have to make sure you hit that tiny little triangular mass at the brain stem or all bets are off. And, it’s a really small percentage shot especially in a moving target. So you better get real good or be really close to your target.
2- BG is still moving towards you but is armed with a weapon that requires proximity like a bat or similar and all you need to do is stop motion?
Pelvic girdle. He’s going down… Also a much larger target and MUCH easier to hit when the target is moving in any direction.
In the video above a pelvic girdle shot would have been the correct decision after the first shot or two.
Death of the attacker is incidental to me stopping him, and NOT my concern. It is only an unfortunate effect of his actions in forcing me to stop HIS use of force against me.
The example in the video where the bad guy keeps coming after shots to the chest like a robot is rare but it’s a textbook example of when to go with 2 and 1. That’s not how I envision most encounters take place. In a common crime like car high jacking, with moving targets, shoot at the mass.
“Slow is smooth and smooth is fast” and deadly. That’s why getting good grouping when shooting at still paper targets doesn’t begin to train an individual for a street encounter. Now that I’m retired, I miss that kind of kinetic training.
I agree and add, train for all lethal shot areas equally. With more and more BG’s buying/obtaining and wearing body armor on a daily basis, the percentage of chest shots likely to cause a full stop is diminishing. JM2CW.
I hear of cases from time to time where a criminal was wearing armor but the vast majority of the time they seem to not be wearing armor from the reports and videos I see.
I know there have been increasing efforts by the anti self defense crowd to make body armor illegal because criminals might use it. They may be spreading rumors of increased body armor use by criminals to further their goal of rendering us all defenseless. Banning armor makes no sense to me. It’s like saying we should ban seat belts because criminals might use them to protect themselves during car jacking get aways. But nothing the anti self defense crowd does makes much if any sense so it is not surprising.
Body armour use by street criminals does seem to continue to be rare
Extremely motivated individuals, or drugged up terminators, still seem from my perspective to far out weigh vests and may call for the same kind of measures in defense of life/limb
Last 2 gunshows I went to individuals that were non-English speakers were buying out EVERY piece of tactical gear they could get their hands on, cash… Yep, I’ve brought my training schedule up a notch and my wife can squeeze off two HCC followed by a pelvic girdle shot as fast as you can sneeze.
Useful skill even if never needed, kind’a like being able to change a tire. Haven’t had to do it in over 20 years but I know how to.
