This article, as written, hopefully will help bring us a sense of order and understanding on how to better prepare ourselves for handling, or even responding to a shooting event and its aftermath.
Here are the 15 steps that are designed to get you on the other side of a defensive shooting event:
(1) How Did We Get Here – Preparing To Survive A Defensive Shooting Event
“The only way to survive a potential threat is to prepare ourselves to survive that threat.”
Mind, Body, Training, Tactics, Preparation
Mind: Begin by preparing your defensive and survival mindset. Prepare mentally.
Body: Get and keep yourself into physical shape. You must be physically fit to survive a fight or an altercation with your attacker.
Training: Train with firearms, edged weapons and in self-defense. You can never train enough. Practice often with your firearms, knives and hands/feet for close range encounters.
Tactics: There is no such thing as a fair fight. Use every method and every tactic available to you to survive the threat.
Preparation: Combine the four previous methods, mix generously, and overcome your attackers with determined effort.
(2) Defensive Gun Usage – How To Survive The Threat
“Stand your ground, shooting only when there is an imminent threat against you, or that of others.”
While At Home: Engaging the Threat – Surviving The Encounter
- Harden your home defense with alarm systems, locks and lights. Use them if you have them and get them if you don’t.
- Create a home defense plan. Know the plan. Drill the plan.
- Have a go-to zone / safe room in your residence. Engage your “stand your ground” tactics accordingly.
- Have a safe and loaded firearm ready. Take it with you to the go-to zone / safe room.
- Keep a charged cell phone nearby. Take it with you into the go-to zone / safe room.
- If someone enters your residence, take charge. Think, react and control the situation.
- Work the home defense plan. Rush or retreat to the go-to zone/safe room. Dial 911.
- If threatened or attacked, you must engage your threat. Shoot center mass and continue to shoot until the threat has been stopped. Reload and re-engage your threat again if necessary.
- Stay in your go-to zone / safe room as long as it is safe to remain there.
While In Public: Engaging The Threat – Winning The Encounter
- Know and plan your course of travel.
- Harden your soft target defenses.
- Travel with a friend.
- Everyone should be alert and responsive to threats.
- Wear clothing that creates easy access to your firearm or other carried weapons.
- If possible, disengage from the threat, seek cover and monitor the threat.
- If your attacker is an imminent threat to you or others, if you are armed – engage your attacker by shooting center mass.
- Continue to shoot your attacker until the threat has been stopped.
- Reload and re-engage your threat again if necessary.
- Remain in a safe (cover) area if it is feasible to do so.
(3) Beyond The Shooting – The Immediate Aftermath
“Just beyond the threshold of danger lies the realization of what has just taken place”
- Stay put, unless it is more dangerous to remain in-place. Do not approach the threat.
- Keep a visual of your suspect, in case they are only wounded.
- If your suspect is wounded, keep your firearm aimed at the intruder. Only engage them again if they threaten to harm you or others, or continue their attack.
- Ensure that you have an adequate amount of ammunition loaded into your firearm; reload as necessary, however do not traverse to another area to gather more ammo if doing so will place you into further danger.
