 the gun this radio 227 I got a robbery just occurred at the liquor store at 14th and L suspect is a white male about 20 when a red planned jacket and he is armed he ran into an alley in the 1400 block of L Street and request assistance take cover a basic rule for survival against hostile fire this officer advances warily selecting possible cover as he moves now he is in position to return fire or pin down the suspect until help arrives with minimum exposure to himself defensive firearms training shooting for survival normally follows basic instruction in single and double action revolver shooting it stresses proper use of cover and the firing positions from behind it one on one is a good method of defensive firearms instruction the coach or instructor can correct stance or grip before the pupil continues improved scores from the kneeling weak hand position are immediate the result of correcting the pupils bent wrist and forearm are obvious and satisfying even good shooters may acquire bad habits when firing from behind barricades ready to fire from strong right hand side the pupil benefits from another correction keeping elbow and knee safely behind cover thus removing two targets from hostile fire he fires a good pattern the minimum of bodily exposure each firing range may set up its own course but defensive firearms training objectives remain teaching the application of basic shooting techniques to confrontation situations failure to provide a firm base when shooting from cover makes for inaccurate shooting legs spread too wide provide a tempting target for an assailant now the shooter can fire safely from a steady rest putting all his shots in the kill zone and using the barricade for maximum cover this is shooting for survival this game warden owes his survival to knowing how ricochet shots may behave the bouncing bullets that can kill a man even when he believes himself safe undercover behind this car or this one in this demonstration the instructor aims at a clay pigeon well in front of the car the rifle shotgun slug does not leave the roadway like a rubber ball at the same angle that it hit it has ricocheted almost parallel to the ground to pierce the target under and behind the car safety lies only in putting a solid object like the wheel or engine of the car between you and your assailant let's review this surprising effect again while a rubber ball thrown to the ground would bounce upward at the same angle a bullet ricochets almost parallel to the hard surface struck with targets at ground level the instructor aims at the silver tape a good deal closer than the balloons think of one of these balloons as your head and you may change your evaluation of safe cover from ricochets the same principle maintains when a bullet ricochets from a hard vertical surface the instructor has placed aiming points some distance from the balloon targets think of yourself taking cover around the corner exposing yourself only minimally and momentarily would you be safe your assailant may even aim wide at the corner as we see here but the ricocheting bullets almost parallel to the wall could kill you as easily as they burst these balloons the lessons taught by these demonstrations might someday save your life and units 54 and 55 we have a 1090 at the Alexandria National Bank 800 South Washington first unit on the scene do not enter the bank until the backup unit arrives 10-4 54 responding many police departments now authorize shotguns to be carried in patrol cars as a safety precaution they usually have no shell in the chamber officers not yet fully trained in shotgun handling may forget to release the action so that they may charge the weapon sometimes this fumbling causes only a momentary delay but in an unexpected confrontation these seconds could be vital shotgun instruction especially with newly issued weapons must begin with thorough training in gun handling and loading releasing the action must become a reflex move even under stress firing ranges and courses for shotgun training may vary all how to qualify the shooter in two basic positions offhand aimed fire is best suited to longer ranges hip firing is used at close range where most confrontations do occur the shooter must know the shot pattern of his weapon to be aware of the safety limits of various shotgun load each year the FBI uniform crime reports tells the grim story of policemen killed some die from a rifleman's bullet fired from ambush some died at a closer range often while performing routine duties the largest number are killed by handguns at extremely close range often before they could draw their own weapon close combat pistol courses meet this challenge by training shooters to fire at targets as close as three feet they will however include firing positions used for fast accurate shooting at slightly longer ranges from seven to 15 yards the point shoulder position fired from a crouch uses the arm as a pointer with the front side as the tip it should form a straight line from shoulder to front sight without bending elbow or wrist which would deflect the shot at somewhat closer ranges the shooter may take the natural point this does not use the front side but points the weapon like a finger also fired from a crouch is the hip position here to the weapon should be pointed at the target like your finger but the bent arm at hip level makes this position more suitable to shorter range where aim is not as much of a factor as speed it is however on extremely short range training that the close combat pistol range should concentrate two ready gun positions should be taught the first has the elbow resting on the hip the weapon extended for fast pivot if necessary this position could be used to search a room or to cover a partner at very close range another ready gun position is fired from the hip this protects the shooter from the danger of being disarmed at close quarters after close combat training you should fire groups like this without it the records show many instances of clean misses in close combat situations and all too often you get no second chance to provide a practical and competitive exercise in close combat the FBI firing ranges in Quantico, Virginia have constructed a prototype dueling course a gentleman on the line start walk a man on the left two seconds left on the line start walk walk the final firing position is 21 feet from the bladed targets the dueling course is a useful training tool to simulate the fast reactions and proper shooting techniques you will need in a close combat situation effective use of cover may someday save your life on the street defensive firearms training can make such reaction automatic cover may not always protect you against ricochets which have their own rules of behavior demonstrations like this convince you of the rules and how best to guard yourself against bouncing bullets many law enforcement agencies have authorized the use of shotguns defensive firearms training should start with thorough shotgun familiarization and range shooting statistics show a frightening increase in the number of law enforcement officers killed by handguns at extremely close range to meet this challenge defensive firearms training must stress the technical skills which can defend against this threat close combat courses which teach shooting for survival