From: jca@crash.cts.com (John C. Archambeau)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: When You Need to go BANG BANG
Date: 14 Apr 92 14:31:28 GMT
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA

In article <53064@mimsy.umd.edu> kdlin@laplace.ee.ucla.edu (K. David Lin) writes:
#This is a request for advices regarding additional training on handgun
#for personal defense. Let me state the story first.
#
#Last night, about 10 minutes after I went to bed, I heard some noises
#at my front door as if someone was forcing into my apartment. I jumped
#out of bed, opened my Canon gun safe, pulled out my Beretta and waited
#in my bedroom. The noise stopped and no one came in. That was the end
#of the story.
#
#However, when I pulled out my Beretta, I was *NOT* thinking "OK, this moment
#is what I have been waiting for after all these training and practice. 
#I am going to practice 16-taps in real life! Hee-How!" Instead, I was scared 
#to death and lost my fine body movement, just like in the articles I have
#read. 
#
#I bought my first gun started shooting earlier this year. At the range I go,
#I can put a 50 ft slow fire pistol target at the very end of the range 
#( about 50 feet ) and squeeze all my shots at the black on a good day.
#( At this moment, I need to thank all you good guys' help and advices again.)
#However, I don't think I could do that last night even at 15 feet. If 
#someone was shooting back, I wouldn't know what to do.
#
#So where should I go next? Joining the Army or law enforcement agency
#is *NOT* an option for me, although they are good places to gain real
#life experiences. I am aware of some personal defense training classes.
#But how far do I have to go? Note that one can go crazy and spends lots
#of time/money on this thing. Another point is how useful these classes
#are? Are they equivalent to read a book on this subject? How can they
#create a life threatening situation for training?
#
#When I started shooting, my trigger finger flinched. After 3 months
#of practices and thousands of rounds, it went away. But how can I gain
#experiences on this life threatening situation? Is there anything I can
#do to make me more calm in a situation like this? Thanks.

Try practicing in competition combat shooting.  That's the only thing I
can think of short of going into law enforcement or the military.  Also,
practice reflex or point shooting.  Make the action an automatic reflex.
The stress of being in potential situation where you may need to use
lethal force makes everyone resort to very automatic reflex actions, if
using your pistol or revolver is NOT a reflex action then you are going
to get killed.  And there are some situations where using the handgun
just isn't going to work, be aware of that.

I'm paying $90 for my CA guard card (open carry) firearm permit and the
instructor adds a little bit of law enforcement survival as well such as
handgun retention and some basic tactical skills.  Very basic and just
enough to get your mind thinking about surviving out there.  I find this
more valuable than sitting in a classroom and being quoted laws from the
book which she also does as well to comply with state law.

It makes me just a little bit better than the armed security officer who
just took the class on the regulations and handling a firearm who may
just end up getting him or herself killed by not being aware.

I consider myself to be a good driver and tactically aware of how to
drive defensively by avoiding accidents and being aware of traffic
conditions in the areas of town that I'm familiar with both on and off
rush hour.  Anyone who is serious about self-defense, either armed or
unarmed needs to achieve a level of awareness where you can make an
instant decision of whether or not to go for the handgun or not.

You may want to see about taking LFI.  I am considering that after about
six months experience or so with handguns.  Since I am entertaining the
prospect of going into law enforcement, I am thinking about crashing
some law enforcement officer survival seminars that are opened to
licensed security guards.

The problem with my situation is that not only will I be using a firearm
to protect my home, but also on the job so I am in sort of the same boat
as law enforcement officers, but with stricter regulations.
--

     // JCA

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