At Ammoland.com Rick Ector writes:
As a Firearm Safety and Personal Protection Instructor in Detroit, I often find it useful to read and analyze published defensive gun use (DGU) stories and to share my findings with students enrolled in my Concealed Pistol License (CPL) Class. As such, yesterday I saw the posted video of the Chicago off-duty law enforcement officer, who defended himself against three assailants, to be full of “teachable moments” for my students . . .
I always stress to my students to always be prepared. At any time or place, they can suddenly be under attack from a violent predator without a moment’s notice. It is precisely for this possibility, that they chose to be lawfully armed – to protect themselves. Accordingly, it is imperative that they be ready for an attack during their every conscious moment.
Awareness Of Your Environment Is Critical
It is imperative that you always be aware of your immediate and surrounding environment. Doing so can potentially buy you extra precious moments to identify potential threats and to quickly dispatch a response. In the video, it appeared that the officer was caught “off-guard” by the sudden appearance of the three predators. If he had noticed them sooner, it is possible that he could have had enough additional time – one to two seconds – to immediately draw and discharge his firearm. Instead, his lack of awareness forced him to delay his defense until he could find another opportunity.
Distance Is Always Your Friend
Once the victim noticed that he was being attacked, as evidenced by the young thug holding a gun, he immediately dropped the gas dispenser and started retreating backwards away from the threat. He moved somewhere between 10 and 15 feet away from the pump before stopping. Had he been aware of the impending attack, he could have had an opportunity to retreat even further. Each additional step away decreases the amount of space his body occupies in the firing radius of the assailant’s gun. Additionally, the dropping of the gas dispenser allowed the victim to free his shooting hand while moving along the side of his vehicle to produce a partial ballistic backstop should he be able to find an opportune moment to fire his gun.
Victim’s Attire Selection Allowed A Fast Draw
Chicago has a historical reputation for having a cold climate during the winter. As such, people who live there dress appropriately: long coats, mufflers, hoods, and etc. However, the victim in this story did not elect to wear bulky outer garments that would have restricted access to his firearm. As such, he did not need to consume valuable split-seconds of response time to move his clothing out of the path to his gun. Apparently, the victim had the forethought to carry his firearm in an accessible location while being dressed for cold weather.
Victim’s Firearm Was Ready For Firing
The victim’s firearm did not need to be chambered before he used it. It was immediately “ready for use.” If he needed to make his gun ready before using it, he may not have had enough time to mount an effective defensive of his life. Proponents of carrying a firearm without a round already chambered grossly under-estimate the time required to do so. Many of these folks mistakenly believe that carrying a firearm in that manner provides a needed and necessary extra layer of firearm safety. In fact, doing so may reduce the chances that a victim can defend himself. Obeying the fundamental firearm safety rules is more than sufficient.
Compliance Is Not A Guarantee of Safety
The victim correctly assessed that having a gun pointed at him by robbers placed his life in danger. As such, he made the conscious decision to defend himself. It is not uncommon for robbery victims to be shot and killed, even after complying with the criminal demands of their attackers. As such, he feigned compliance by turning or “blading” his “weak side” towards the bad guys to ostensibly show that he was retrieving the requested wallet from his back pocket. This strategy allowed the victim to both reduce the amount of space that his body occupied in the assailant’s gun radius and to hide his “strong side” hand while reaching for his own firearm.
Fortunately, the victim was able to quickly draw and discharge his gun before the bad guy could get off a shot and evade injury. The accomplices of the dead assailant evaded capture and are still at-large in the community.
This graphic video provides an excellent case study for persons who regularly carry a firearm for personal protection. It demonstrated the need to always be aware of your surroundings, always carry your firearm in a quickly accessible manner, always keep a round chambered, and to have the mindset that you are willing to defend your life. Be prepared to defend your life every time you leave your home.
Carrying a firearm is a grave responsibility. It is your responsibility to know all applicable laws related to lawful firearm usage for your respective area. Infractions carry stiff penalties. Be responsible BUT also be ready.
About The Author
Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school – Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit.
Typical cop, leaving his car running while he pumps gas.
I really can’t fault his situational awareness. The bad guy came up quick, almost running. That was his mistake since he didn’t have strength of numbers.
Isn’t the Coast Guard part of DHS too?
I wouldn’t be panicking about the Coast Guard having ammo to practice and secure our shores with.
Do ya think that Ice-T drinks Pepsi?
Face on shot between middle of nose and lower lip, no twitching. That’s movie nonsense. I’ve seen haji with their finger on the trigger of shoulder rpg take one in lower chest. Dropped rocket and fell over. Bled out.
Send some to my old department!
They would allot us all of 3 mags worth of ammo per Quarterly Qualifying.
33 rounds x 4 = 132
That’s what they gave us to shoot. Blue Book and the Range Masters frequently brought up that it was against policy to use our own ammo and train with our department issued weapons on our own time.
SWAT got the lion’s share of the ammo. Patrol lived off of scraps. A succession of Independent Auditors kept on telling the City to cough up more money for training ammo, but they didn’t want to listen.
1,200 rounds should be the norm.
Where’s the belt fed? Dude should have been putting lead downrange when they were 100 meters out. Could have called in air support…oh…wait…its Chicago not Fallujah…. Then on second thought….
1200 rounds per employee…no biggie.
I supposed that since he was never caught and convicted for his crimes, that Ice-T can still own firearms?
Drug dealing, bank robbery, jewel heists, pimping, gang connections, rapping about killing cops…….years later plays a cop on TV.
They had the original video put up, slightly blurry and showing the ‘moment of truth” before. Excellent headshot, 1 shot stop of the threat. The only thing this guy could have done a little better is Situational awareness but I imagine he can’t be drawing his gun every time 3 youths approach.
Another option he had available hose them with gasoline. If perp fired the blast would have set off the gas = screaming alpha fires. I have used this once, perp left wet and afraid to smoke.
Really? You know how hard it is to get gas to light up. Now the perps probably wouldn’t have known that, but don’t bet your life on it.
I thought about both of these things when I watched the vid, and you’re right, the teen perp probably would not have guessed at the difficulty of going Human Torch, but a quart of gas in the face can definitely mess with your ability to get a good sight picture.
One thing to note, however, is that only one of the three was in line for a dose of gas and the cop could not tell if the other tow were armed and might open fire. By the time he pulled the trigger on the one in front of him he was shielded from the other two.
it could have been a “defensive gas lighter use” if he had a cigarette lighter with him. Could have torched the whole area and cooked them all.
Don’t forget that the Obama WH has a Dept. of Propaganda (Thanks to Congress)
Since I have worked with celebrities, lived near a few, and probably will in the future, I like knowing where they stand.
The .gov et al has hundreds of millions, perhaps a few billion rounds on hand at any given time. The Unorganized Militia has countless Billions of rounds on hand at any given time. We’re good. We could always be better and we should strive to do so. If you’re a gun owner and you don’t have at least 10,000 rounds on hand to feed you’re collection, you really need to get with the program and up to speed. It’s you’re patriotic and self preservation duty to do so. BTW, do you have a few firearms to pass out to your most trusted neighbors? No? Get busy then.
Unfortunately, people who know nothing about guns and care nothing about the Second Amendment are precisely the people who listen to what “celebrities” have to say about all things guns.
I can’t imagine anyone, no matter how fast, racking the slide before making that shot. Good clip to present in support of one in the chamber. Not that many around here need convincing.
How long will it take to personally interview 1/2 a million people. Is somebody looking for more staff or futher attempting to deprive people of their rights?
Kind of silly, kind of cool, but that video was extremely well done as far as an instructional video. I wish more videos were as well shot and narrated as cleanly and specifically as this guy did his.
Good job.Soon there will be 400,000 MORE CCW carriers to dispatch thugs.TAKE THAT Stupid Chicago Government!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGj8xMDRSQ0
this guy has some good ideas.
“Connecticut gun owners have, to a large extent, lifted a collective middle finger at the state’s post-Newtown firearms registration scheme.”
Connecticut gun owners need to raise the other middle finger and present both of them to the esteemed governor. What arrogance! This idiot will “deem” registrations to be on time if they meet certain date stamps. How did this state let crap like that happen?
Hartford. New Haven.
“I’m pro Second Amendment but….” BUT you are NOT pro Second Amendment.
You either adhere to the government not infringing upon the right of the people to keep and bear arms or you do not. There is no “but.”
Meanwhile courtesy of the Hartford Currant Editorial staff:
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-ed-gun-registration-20140214,0,4908372.story
I know its a bit old, but if anybody is still looking to do a shoot-off/comparison on the .22 LR takedowns, I don’t see how they could leave out the good ol’ model 62. Has to be one of the oldest take-down designs out there. Fit one with a synthetic stock for additional ammo storage and weight savings, shorten the barrel a bit to cut weight as well, and I think you’ve got a pretty good little backpacking gun. Would be even better if it was done in a .17 HMR.
I never worked for DHS,but when I was with INS for over 20 years we had to qualify on each handgun we carried four times a year -I was authorized to carry two different handguns for a good portion of my career-the course was 50 rds-that was 400 rds/year and we got 50 rds/month of practice ammo per firearm,so that was 1,200 rds/year right there.1,600 rds total.Nowadays I don’t think agents can carry optional privately owned guns so I don’t see why they need 1,200 rds/year unless the qualification course is longer or more frequent.
“I think Police Chiefs like myself are idiots! Thank you there will be no further questions”!!
Should we reference all the accidental shooting that cops do.
Tired of these fools thinking they are some expert in shooting a firearm.
For those interested in adding to their personal Reference-base of historical Knowledge: Zecharia Sitchin.
MA really needs safe storage laws to prevent those accidental shootings from happening! Oh wait, they already do…
This is my surprised face.
This had overwhelming support last year when I lived there and they still killed it. The government is no longer the will of the people.
just bought me my first 357 magnum its a 66-5 and I love it although I don’t know how to date
the gun but I am pretty happy to own it!