Essential Tactical wisdom for Texas CHLs... from 350 B.C.

[Paladin]

Sun Tzu wrote a master treatise on military tactics called "The Art of War" around 350 B.C.

In The Art of War there are several key tactical points for any Texas CHL who finds themselves in a conflict:

#1. "The supreme art of war is to [win] without fighting"

If you can avoid a fight or talk through a situation you have won.

However, if a fight is unavoidable, Sun Tzu has this advice for winning the fight:

#2. "Attack when they are unprepared, make your move when they do not expect it"

Surprise is a huge advantage. As CHLs we should have the advantage of surprise that we are armed. But striking at the proper moment (say like when the bad guy holding you at gunpoint looks away) is an additional surprise that should be exploited. Without the advantage of surprise, there exists the definite possibility that both you and the bad guy will be shot.

#3. "Speedy victory is the main object in [conflict]"

Train to make sure you can use draw and use your chosen weapon(s) in a timely manner. If you are in an unavoidable fight and you have drawn your weapon, hesitation and delay can get you killed. I've seen this in force-on-force training as well as in write ups of real life criminal encounters. You may feel invulnerable with a gun, but you are not. In one force-on-force class I saw a trainee stand there while an unarmed mock criminal casually walked up to him and took the trainee's gun away. The trainee would have been dead due to his hesitation in a real fight.

#4. "When the speed of rushing water reaches the point where it can move boulders, this is the force of momentum"

If you're in a fight for your life, there is no halfway effort. Train to overcome your own weak points. Act within the limits of the law, but commit to winning the fight once you're in the fight. Don't let up.

[boomerang]

Thanks! The classics never go out of style.

[dac1842]

Good info. As well I would add this and some may disagree. But I have 15 years of LEO experience some that on SWAT.
Do not threaten or warn your advesary. If your life is endanger draw, aim, breathe, pull. Dont be fancy, center mass works just fine.
Create distance, reassess, dial 911. If threat is repeated, repeat your response. Remember this when the boys in blue arrive, someone will ask did you intend to kill the suspect. Response should be something along the lines of, " I intended to defend myself", or "I intended to stop a threat to my life"

Amazing how time honored techinques never go away.

[Crossfire]

Do not threaten or warn your advesary. If your life is endanger draw, aim, breathe, pull. Dont be fancy, center mass works just fine.
Create distance, reassess, dial 911. If threat is repeated, repeat your response. Remember this when the boys in blue arrive, someone will ask did you intend to kill the suspect. Response should be something along the lines of, " I intended to defend myself", or "I intended to stop a threat to my life".

Very good. I may have to borrow that for future CHl classes.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

"Do not threaten or warn your adversary."

This lesson was not employed by the good guy in the Florida Burger King
incident, covered on another thread on this forum.
http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... urger+King" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The GG pulled his Glock 9MM on the BG and said something to the effect of
"Put down your gun." The BG opened up with a .380 on the GG.
The GG THEN commenced firing and ended up killing the
BG. But the GG was hit 3 times and spent a lot of hospital time.

Since the BG was committing robbery with a weapon and threatening the
BK staff, the GG would have been justified in just gunning the BG down without
giving him a warning of any kind.

The GG's human decency to give the BG a chance almost cost the GG his
life.
*****************************************************************************************
"Don't draw on a drawn gun." This is something to think about.
1. If you are being held at gunpoint, your fastest draw won't be fast enough.
If the aim of your defensive action plan is to keep from getting shot, it might
seem crazy, but pushing the BG's handgun toward him may result in the BG
shooting himself. Since many BG's have a bad gun habit of keeping their
finger on the trigger. If you give a vicious head butt to his face, it will
disorient him.

2. After having viewed numerous holdup films, it seems like the BG's always
get focused in on the money drawer, and take their eyes off the clerks and/or
customers. That might be the time to draw and start putting your JHP's his
way.

I'm not an actual crime victim. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

SIA

[srothstein]

"Don't draw on a drawn gun." This is something to think about.
1. If you are being held at gunpoint, your fastest draw won't be fast enough.

This is a debatable point. There is always the element of surprise and the old rule of action beats reaction. If your action in drawing is fast enough, you can beat his reaction.

A much better move is to combine your move with a defensive move also. Knock his gun sideways away from you whil eyou are drawing with your other hand. By the time he can get back on target, you will probably have a chance. He might get one round off, either missing or grazing you because, as was pointed out, his finger will probably be on the trigger when you hit his hand. This is still better than his center of mass shot if you don't do anything.

2. After having viewed numerous holdup films, it seems like the BG's always
get focused in on the money drawer, and take their eyes off the clerks and/or
customers. That might be the time to draw and start putting your JHP's his
way.

This is a very good point, even though it slightly contradicts his first point. If the BG is distracted in any way, either by looking at the cash drawer, by your defensive move, by the front door opening as another customer walks into the middle of the robbery, or anything that gets him not looking at your hands, you do stand a good chance of beating his already drawn gun. It is rarely a bad idea to wait and see what happens if the BG is not shooting yet. Even if you let him walk away without your drawing, it is better than what could happen when the bullets start flying.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

srothstein:
Thank you for your comments.

I don't believe that my points 1 and 2 contradict one another.

In #1, my reasoning was that the bad guy is holding you at gunpoint
and FOCUSED on you intently.

In #2, the scenario has changed. He may still have his gun in his hand,
but the element of distraction has now started to work in a GG's favor,
which then facilitates the GG's draw.