My EDC is a 1911. But always tucked in a front pocket is a tiny Seecamp .32. I also carry a Kershaw SpecBump folder in my off-hand back pocket, and have trained with a knife since I was 13 when I lived in the Philippines. But I'm old now, and if I'm faced with a hand-to-hand struggle with two young bucks over my 1911, I'd rather shoot 'em than cut 'em.Bitter Clinger wrote:Right. Cause his guns never malfunction.Skiprr wrote:Seriously?thetexan wrote:If you need more than one gun for self defense you are either...
1. not very good with one gun at putting rounds on your target under pressure...or
2. getting yourself into situations that requires an arsenal to handle.
tex
I've been on this Forum for a decade, and my soapbox subject has always been--partly because of my background--that defensive use of a handgun is almost certainly to be about fighting, not about marksmanship.
One of the biggest studies of its kind regarding deadly-force encounters and distance was the NYC DDO SOP 9 that analyzed over 6,000 individual cases. In shootings that resulted in the death of the officer involved, 34% were at contact to 3 feet; 47% were 3 to 6 feet; 9% were 6 feet to 15 feet.John Perkins, Al Ridenhour, and Matt Kovsky wrote:Over 90 percent of gunfights occur within 21 feet. More than half of these occur within 5 feet. Most people, when put to the test, can’t even get their guns out in time to defend against a person rushing them from across a large room.
Outside of your home, that's where most bad stuff happens. You can't draw on the homeless guy simply because he starts walking up to you. Just because two dudes who look like bangers seem to be closing on you in a Kroger's parking lot at 45-degree angles, you can't draw and do a tactical roll and go Rambo on them.
If you train only at 7, 15, or 25 yards--particularly if you're static at a lane-controlled range--you may be prepared for a home invasion or a zombie attack, but you will be sorely equipped for what is most likely to happen in an urban armed robbery or assault situation.
My little Seecamp isn't there in case my 1911 fails. It's there because, if you or your buddy attacks me and has my arm pinned, you'll get a surprise zinger coming out of my offhand pocket. Just a .32; won't kill you. But a couple of rounds just may persuade you to release me and back off enough for me to clear distance and go to to my primary handgun.