Understanding combat
Most of the people who stand in judgement of police officers or licensed firearm holders have never engaged in combat. This is a fact. Whether it is members of the public, the press, or the judiciary in the many roles they play, ranging from prosecutors to the defence attorneys who will find fault with everything that you do.
This is not to say they can’t access information to assist them in their research and to make themselves more informed. However, many times, even when I talk to the greatest minds in training internationally, I realise there are shortfalls there too.
The harsh reality is that it’s almost impossible to understand all aspects of combat if you have never engaged in combat. Then, combat is also so wide. Close quarter combat is different from battlefield warfare.
Then, there is law and culture. A police clearing a house in Spanish Town is experiencing a different reality from a soldier clearing a house in Afghanistan. Why? Because rules in a war zone are different from those that exist in civil society.
So let’s look on some stuff that nobody tells you. Firstly, close quarter combat is a sub second activity. It’s not Hollywood, there is no cool music before the threat presents itself. This, therefore, impacts your ability to assess the threat before taking action. Hence so many police are shot because they hesitate. This is even worse with licensed firearm holders.
Then, the little known fact that reflex has a third of a second minimum lag. Therefore it takes you one-third of a second minimum to respond to a person pointing a gun at you. This is before you even make a move. The reason is, your brain has to record the information, process it, and send the instructions to your finger to pull that trigger.
So look at this scenario. A man has a gun in his hand pointing down and the officer on duty or the man protecting his home who is a licensed firearm holder is pointing his weapon and giving instructions to the man with the gun in his hand. The man can lift that gun and fire in less than one-third of a second. Likely outcome, they both shoot each other. Possible option, the officer/licensed firearm holder is hit in head or spine and can’t respond. So a seasoned combatant who knows this will fire before the gun is pointed at him.
However, in law you have to prove to a tribunal that you were in extreme danger. Most people don’t realise that the one-third limitation in reflex means that the decision to wait on that gun to point in your direction is a decision to give away any advantage you had.
Then, there is the accuracy dilemma as it relates to the use of front and back sights. Professional target shooters who fire millions of rounds to perfect their craft can respond sub second in a close quarter shootout using both front and back sights, but it’s still slower than using just front sights.
So all that practice using both sets of sights is great for targets or long range shootouts, but close quarter you better go front sights alone because speed is the essence of close quarter combat and front sight shooting is faster.
Then, there is the volume misconception. A man can drop, hit his head and die a day later without him losing consciousness before he dies. Being shot is not much different. The pulling of a trigger is not like climbing a hill. It’s in fact very easy. To prevent someone from doing this you need a head shot, a shot to the spine or a major nerve zone. If not, he will keep pulling the trigger as long as he is not unconscious or unless his hands are experiencing some induced paralysis.
An average, not exceptional, shooter, can empty a 17-round Glock magazine in under three seconds. With that speed your hope of a specific head or spine connect is far less than a slower aimed shot. But while you are searching for that perfectly aimed shot the killer will be emptying his Glock into you. So the decision to slow your response is a decision to absorb his rounds to your body. When you are being hit it is difficult to achieve a perfectly aimed round.
Then, there is that other issue of the problems associated with the 9mm round. It is the most popular round for police force, licensed firearm holders and gunmen, but it’s the worst possible round for close quarter combat. It’s too fast so it exits the body without the receiver feeling any immediate stimulation, this doing very little to stop the attacker from squeezing the trigger (unless he hits the aforementioned zones). The .38, .40 or .45 calibre are far more effective.
Also, the over-penetration of the 9mm makes it more likely to hit innocent people or to injure the officer who is firing the weapon. Why? Because the fact that volume is required in close quarter combat, which is often in enclosed concrete spaces, it creates a hell fire of ricochets that can do serious damage.
Not to be forgotten is muzzle flash. More night, but also in the day the flash is very likely to impede your vision and block your sights, impeding any accuracy you previously had. These are just a few things that you are likely not taught.
What of the issue of defending yourself without drawing your weapon? Not every attacker is armed. Well, if you are carrying a concealed weapon without a holster that is equipped with retention (a holster that you have to press a button or a lever to release the firearm) then forget about fighting with your weapon remaining in your waist. It’s going to drop out or he is going to take it and use it on you.
Can you imagine trying to justify to a jury of individuals who range from selling bonds to sky juice that you had to draw your gun to fight a man 40 pounds lighter, six inches shorter and unarmed? You’re going to jail. But it’s better than going in the ground.
How can you fix this?
Well, firstly, take time to train. It is highly unlikely that you can get a higher level of training anywhere in the world than you can get at the Jamaica Rifle Association. Why? Because you have grandmasters like Tony Johnson, Andrew Yap, and others who are available to train you.
In the United States you cannot afford to pay a grandmaster to train you. So most people who do train you are not at the level of the Jamaican trainer.
Then, there are seasoned combatants like Howard Brown who train at Woodleigh Gun Range in Clarendon. There is also Captain Hibbert, who is unique in his approach to training and is really next level.
You don’t have to go overseas. The best talent is right here.
As it relates to the misinformation in the court system, or Indecom, there needs to be combat consultants who have experienced combat assisting them in coming to judgment on matters to be ruled or adjudicated on.
It is necessary because what the average person thinks they know they don’t, and after all, they are the ones standing in judgment of police officers and licensed firearm holders at the end of the day.
Feedback: drjasonamckay@gmail.com