Firearm defenses
If someone pulls a gun on you and does not shoot, he or she wants something. It is possible that he or she may still shoot you, but, not before achieving the desired ends. When possible, compliance with the gunman’s demands is the best solution. Compliance, however, is not always possible; especially, if your instinct tells you the gunman intends you bodily harm no matter what. Of course, carefully consider your options and course of action. Again, there may be situations in which attempting a disarm is impossible and you must comply with the gunman’s wishes. Firearms are often referred to in krav maga parlance as “hot weapons.”
Similar to our previous edged weapon defenses, to defend a firearm threat you must deflect-redirect the weapon using a body defense (as with edged weapons defenses) move off the line of fire combined with simultaneous combatives to facilitate the disarm. Most important, Krav Maga’s philosophy is to give you any and every advantage. You might have to wait until the assailant closes the distance or lowers his guard in response to your feigned acquiescence, when, in fact, you are simply waiting for the best opportunity to disarm him. Be aware of your surroundings and how they might affect your disarm including walls, curbs, parked vehicles, the confines of a small space such as an elevator or a vehicle. With all firearms disarms, carefully gauge the distance and your reach capability to deflect-redirect and secure the weapon.
If the assailant has a handgun and you decide to run, the greater the distance between you and the gunman, the more likely you will not be hit. To be sure, a bullet moves faster than any human reaction. Handguns are difficult to fire with accuracy, especially at longer ranges and only skilled shooters can fire with decent accuracy at distance. Fortunately, criminals tend not to be the best shots, but the high-capacity pistol magazines give them up to seventeen chances or more to hit you.
| Shooting accuracy at close range notably, trained law enforcement professionals when under the stress of a violent encounter often achieve less than a twenty percent hit rate according to the FBI. It is the author’s opinion that such statistics should not be interpreted as criticism of these departments’ professionalism. Rather these facts, underscore the realities of a violent, often surprise encounter. You can therefore extrapolate that if you must run, it is a fair assumption that you may reach safety unscathed about fifty percent of the time. |
It is helpful to envision several scenarios in which an assailant could deploy a firearm against you – and avoid them in real life. To be sure, the best defense against a firearm or any time of weapon is to avoid a situation that exposes you to danger. Common sense should always prevail. Going to an ATM at night alone does not meet good common sense. Venturing into the parking lot without scanning your environment or not parking near lights or in a heavily trafficked area is also not a good strategy. You must envision as many “negative five” scenarios as possible. Do your best to plan or envision what you might do if faced with these extreme life-threatening circumstances. This could include a gunman surfacing from behind a neighboring parked car as you begin to enter your vehicle or confronting you from behind as you insert the key into your front door. Most criminals seek the element of surprise and plan accordingly.