From: gt4458c@prism.gatech.edu (John Stephens Cronin)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: Bad tactical position ( was Psychology in Defense)
Date: 9 Nov 92 18:52:01 GMT
Article-I.D.: hydra.74182
Organization: Common Container Liberation Front


In article <lairdb.721277485@crash.cts.com> lairdb@crash.cts.com writes:
#In <01GQV8AW7S5W0046A8@VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.EDU> anthrax@vax1.mankato.msus.edu writes:
##In article <viking.721119254@vincent1.iastate.edu>, viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:
##The current position that is being taught to law enforcement as the safest
##way to position suspects is the "prone position".  We have the subject lay on
##the ground with his head turned away from the officer.  The subjects arms are
##to be extended all the way out from the body with the palms facing up.  The
##legs are to be spread as wide out as possible.  (Another school of thought has
##the suspect crossing his/her ankles).
#
#No disagreement, but I think the more interesting question is the one Dan
#brings up next: what if the subject refuses?  Assume he makes no otherwise 
#"threatening" moves for the moment, just stands there.  Could Joe Civilian
#(remember, we're focussing on the civilian response) interpret refusal-to-
#obey as a threatening response in-and-of-itself?  If the answer is "no", 
#formulate and defend an appropriate response.  If the answer is "yes", 
#discuss the civilian's liability exposure, and appropriate "story".

I think the one thing that is being overlooked here is that every situation`
is different.  If there was one "best" response for each "type" of situation
then training and preparation would be easy.  If you get set in your ways and
decide that you are going to respond to situation X with action Y in every
case, you could be headed for disaster.  I do believe that it is desirable to
make decisions and act quickly, and to have visualized and trained for certain
scenarios.  However, flexibility is also a plus.  For example, I am a firm
proponent of not firing warning shots or shooting to wound, but I admit that
in some situations I would be tempted to do so.  An example is the recent
shooting of a Japanese high school exchange student in Japan.  Here, a well
dressed young Japanese kid goes up to the wrong house looking for a party.
A woman answers the door, and for some reason (does anybody out there know
why?) starts screaming.  The youth is with an American friend, and they
decide "Oops, wrong house, better leave".  As they are leaving a man comes
out of the house (garage I believe).  The Japanese youth goes back towards
the house, probably to explain the misunderstanding (in my opinion).  The
man says freeze and the youth continues toward him, perhaps because of a
problem with the language, perhaps because of a cultural lack of under-
standing of the seriousness of the word freeze in combination with a gun.
Perhaps it was just a lack of understanding of Halloween (it was a Hallo-
ween party they were looking for); after all people do dress up (gun as
part of costume) and sometimes try to scare each other, right?  In any event
the boy is shot dead, the Japanese are outreached, and some American family
has to explain to a Japanese family why the boy in their care was killed.
Here, admittedly in hindsight, a warning shot, or even shot to the leg,
might have been appropriate, as the boy was apparently unarmed, although
the shooter had no way of knowing this for sure.  However, now the shooter
has the wrath and pressure of the Japanese government pushing for some
sort of criminal punishment.  Food for thought.  Too much thinking can
get you killed.  It is not an easy problem, and I am not saying I have
the answer but I am saying that if you are going to shoot somebody you
probably ought to have a real reason.  For example, if someone broke into
your house, and when you confronted him, he immediately bolted out the
door/window and made a break for the nearest national border, you are
certainly better off not shooting (assuming he is out the door and headed
off your property at high speed), as a favor to your neighbors and your-
self.

r
-- 
John Cronin	Internet: gt4458c@prism.gatech.edu	Phone: (404) 876-1419
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Live each day as if it's your last.  One day you'll be right.  -- me
Lighten up, you're gonna die whether you have fun or not.      -- me again