NRA Personal Protection in The Home Defensive Shooting Concepts

Transcription

1 NRA Personal Protection in The Home Defensive Shooting Concepts Please review before the written test Questions

2 Course Goal To develop in the students the basic knowledge, skills and attitude essential to the safe and efficient use of a firearm for protection of self and family, and to provide information on the law-abiding citizen s right to self defense. 2

3 NRA Rule of Safe Gun Handling ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use 3

4 When using a firearm for self defense It is considered a tool of last resort Mental preparation is important Are you capable of using deadly force? 4

5 When using a firearm for self defense Your willingness to use force in self-defense. Your determination to never give up. 5

6 The four levels of mental awareness are Unaware Aware Alert Alarm 6

7 The NRA fundamentals of marksmanship are Aiming breath control hold control trigger control and follow-through 7

8 Defensive accuracy is: Keeping your shots in approximately an 8.5 inch by 11 inch sheet of paper at room-length distances 8

9 Defensive shooting In defensive shooting, "shooting at the center of mass means shooting at the center of exposed mass of the target The NRA's elements of a good shooting position are Consistency, balance, support, natural aiming area and comfort. 9

10 Ethical Responsibility Using a firearm for personal protection is a right that must be exercised responsibly. Gun owners owe it to themselves, their families, and the community to act in a safe and prudent manner. 10

11 Tool of Last Resort A firearm is a tool of last resort. It is used only when deadly force is absolutely unavoidable. "The best way to win a confrontation is to avoid a confrontation." Imminent danger: To legally resort to deadly force, in most cases the defender must be the innocent victim of an attack and the threat of severe bodily harm must be immediate.. 11

12 Are you capable of using deadly force (1of 3)? This course teaches how to use a pistol for personal protection when threatened with deadly force. Anyone who has moral, religious or personal objections to using deadly force and possibly taking a life should not incorporate a firearm into their personal protection strategy. When deciding whether to incorporate a firearm into your personal protection strategy, you must ask yourself the following questions: 12

13 Are you capable of using deadly force (2 of 3)? Am I prepared to take the life of another human being to save my own life or the life of a member of my family? Does my religion permit taking a life in selfdefense? Do my personal moral standards permit taking a life in self-defense? Am I prepared to tolerate the judgment of my family, friends, and neighbors if I must defend myself with lethal force? 13

14 Are you capable of using deadly force (3 of 3)? Even when justified and forced to do so, shooting a predatory criminal is not a pleasant experience. This fact should be understood and planned for in your mental preparation. 14

15 Mental Preparation Mental preparation and training are just as important as marksmanship training. Visualization is a crucial training technique. You should visualize possible life-threatening scenarios, as well as your response to them. Your visualization should include the entire encounter from realization of the threat, attempting to avoid the threat, dealing with the threat if necessary, greeting the police, and the aftermath. 15

16 Mind Set You must establish a mindset, during this course and from this point forward, that promotes a positive attitude toward your personal safety. 16

17 Never Give Up First and foremost, if there is absolutely no way to avoid a confrontation, you must take the attitude that you will continue with a determined defense until you prevail. You may be seriously injured in the encounter, but you will not give up. 17

18 Never Give Up Emphasize that the single most crucial aspect to surviving a life-threatening encounter is the determination to persevere, prevail, and never give up. The mindset to merely "survive" is not enough. You must develop the mindset and determination that you will not only survive, but that you will control and prevail in a lifethreatening encounter. 18

19 Training Take your training seriously. Training goes beyond merely learning how to shoot. 19

20 Develop a Plan Develop an individual personal protection plan to suit your particular needs. This plan must include steps to avoid a confrontation. A strategy of escalating responses appropriate to the situation must be developed. Strategies for Home Safety and Responding to a Violent Confrontation. 20

21 Practice Visualization Visualize scenarios you may encounter in your home and devise plans to respond to them. This will aid in developing a personalized selfdefense strategy. 21

22 Practice The Plan Just like home fire drills, practice your contingency plans for a potential break-in or assault in the home. 22

23 Continue Training After this course, you must continue to train, both mentally and physically. Monthly practice of your gun-handling and marksmanship skills is a goal you should strive for. You owe this to yourself, your family, and the safety of your community. 23

24 Visualize the Target When on the range, visualize your target as a predatory criminal who is intent on harming you and your loved ones. This will help you prepare to deal with a live adversary rather than only training against an inanimate target. 24

25 Control The Encounter You will gain the self-confidence to control a life-threatening encounter through mental training and preparation, combined with physical training and developing your gunhandling and marksmanship skills. Through training and preparation, you not your assailant will control the outcome of a home invasion. 25

26 Mental Awareness One of the most important keys to staying safe, whether at home or on the street, is to remain alert to your environment. 26

27 Levels of Awareness There is a method you can use to evaluate your level of awareness. (If you have prior military or tactical training, you may have learned a four- or five-level "color code" of tactical awareness.) The NRA uses four levels of awareness: unaware, aware, alert, alarm. These levels indicate what actions are appropriate, based on the perceived degree of urgency. 27

28 Unaware During what activities are we unaware of our surroundings? When asleep While watching TV When occupied with a specific task that requires concentration (reading, doing housework, preparing a meal, etc.) While "daydreaming" What awareness level are you in when you spend time in and around your home? 28

29 Aware Briefly discuss what the aware condition means. You are in an aware condition when you: Are conscious of your surroundings Are cognizant of those around you Have mentally identified where potential threats may emanate from 29

30 Alert In the alert level, a specific potential threat or threats have been identified. This is a heightened state of awareness.. 30

31 What are some things that may be considered a potential threat around the home? A phone number not recognized on caller ID A stranger approaching An unidentified noise A person, or persons, asking for assistance or to use the telephone A door-to-door solicitor or survey taker not in proper attire. Anyone you do not know, regardless of what or who he or she claims to be. 31

32 Alert Emphasize that you are identifying specific potential threats. These may or may not be real threats. During this stage, it is crucial to take two steps immediately after identifying a potential threat: Set a limit that will initiate action. A mental boundary must be set. Once the threat crosses this boundary, action must be taken. Some limits may include: The threat closes within a certain distance. The threat does not flee after being told the police are on the way. An overt expression to do harm. 32

33 The adversary brandishes a weapon It is absolutely crucial that you set some sort of limit as a signal to take action. There may be several escalating limits that result in corresponding escalating responses. Implement or modify the plan formulated ahead of time. This action may be to evade or defend. It is absolutely essential to have a plan. Action is much faster than reaction. The best plan is one that keeps you out of harm's way and removes you from the situation. However, this is not always possible, particularly when the threat has come into your own home. It is important to have more than one plan of action. Plans rarely unfold as anticipated. Having a second, third, or fourth contingency may be the difference between life and death. Always keep thinking and always be alert to opportunities as they present themselves. 33

34 Alarm The potential threat is now real threat to the intended victim's physical safety. Whatever action was planned in the alert level is now implemented. Again "taking action" does not necessarily mean using force. The senses are now operating at a superintense level, far beyond their normal capabilities. 34

35 Maintaining Awareness It is difficult to maintain a heightened level of awareness for great lengths of time, particularly in your own home, which is considered a sanctuary from the outside world. Make a conscious effort to remain alert to your environment, whatever it is. 35

36 Confronting an Intruder or Assailant If you are forced to defend yourself, act decisively, confidently, and with the will to win. 36

37 Defensive Confrontations If you are forced to defend yourself, it will most likely happen very quickly, be extremely violent, occur at arm's length, and be over within a matter of seconds. Be prepared through training, prior visualization, and mentally playing out scenarios to be in control of the situation and act decisively. 37

38 Controlling the encounter If you find yourself face-to-face with an intruder, stay as far away from him as possible. If you have surprised an intruder and are able to hold him at gunpoint for the police, do not approach or attempt to frisk the intruder. Make him lie face-down, facing away from you, chin on the floor, legs spread, hands held palms up and stretched straight out from his shoulders. Shout your commands at the intruder as loud as you can. Do not converse or reason with the intruder, or allow him to challenge your authority. 38

39 The intruder has three choices 1.Comply with your commands. 2.Run away. 3.Challenge you, a prepared homeowner. (Practice looking mean and shouting commands in front of a mirror.) An intruder often attempts to appeal to his victim's good nature to let him go. Or the intruder may talk softly and reasonably while approaching his victim. If the intruder attempts to approach, defend yourself appropriately. If the intruder flees, let him go! If you have apprehended an intruder and are holding him for the police, stay alert to other intruders you may not have detected. If possible, back up against a wall or otherwise position yourself so you can watch the captured intruder. 39

40 Psychological Reactions The body responds in a number of ways to being threatened with bodily harm. One is that the portions of the brain that control higher thought processes begin to shut down. The brain reverts to a more primitive role in an attempt to protect the body from harm. In addition to the tendency to initially deny that an attack is occurring, there is also an innate resistance to inflicting force on another person when face-to-face. Every encounter is different. There is no way to determine ahead of time how you will react to a particular situation even if you have been in a similar situation before. The following represents just a few of the major possible psychological reactions to a defensive encounter. 40

41 Five possible responses In any threatening encounter, there are five possible responses: 1. fight 2. flight 3. freeze 4. posture 5. submit 41

42 Fight The fight response means using whatever force is reasonable to prevent harm. Deadly force may only be used when there is an imminent threat of severe harm or death. In some jurisdictions, force may be used only after retreating as far as safely possible. You must understand the local laws regarding when, and to what extent, force may be used for personal protection. 42

43 Flight Also known as retreat. If the brain is overwhelmed by a situation it perceives as threatening, there is an innate urge to flee in order to protect the body. Fleeing or retreating without incurring injury is not always possible. 43

44 Freeze You may be so overwhelmed at being threatened or taken by surprise that you freeze and are incapable of any action. This freeze may last only a fraction of a second, or it may last throughout the encounter. A momentary freeze due to confusion, shock, initial panic, or denial of what is occurring is normal and expected. Be aware of freeze so that you can remain in control and use these precious seconds to save yourself. 44

45 Posture Posturing is combat without contact. This is frequently seen in the animal world when animals of the same species challenge each other by growling, pawing the ground, baring teeth, and puffing themselves up but not actually fighting until one backs down or retreats. Humans frequently engage in similar behavior. Depending on the nature of the threat, adversaries may simply try to out bluster one another until one backs down or retreats. 45

46 Submit This is totally giving in to an adversary. There is evidence in the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Reports to support the contention that submitting to an assailant is more dangerous for the victim than fighting back. 46

47 Cannot predict response Again, there is no way you can predict your response to a given situation, regardless of your prior experience. An encounter may also include an escalation of responses from freeze to posture to fight. 47

48 Assailant responses These reactions apply to an assailant as well. An assailant may go through a progressive thought process, and it is almost certain he will have made contingency plans for a confrontation before entering the home. 48

49 Physiological reactions In a stressful, life-threatening encounter, you may experience some of the following reactions. 49

50 Loss of fine motor skills Loss of fine motor skills Stress regardless of the source results in a loss of fine motor skills (i.e., the ability to perform skills requiring a high degree of coordination). Because of this, all gunhandling techniques should use gross motor skills only. Gross motor skills are movements that use the major muscle groups and minimize the use of fine motor skills and precise manipulations. 50

51 The way you train is the way you will react The way you train is the way you will react under stress. This is why you practice to get into the habit of dropping empty cartridge cases, letting magazines fall to the ground, and seeking cover when attacked 51

52 Tunnel vision Your focus will be on the threat. All or most of the surrounding environment will disappear from conscious perception. Learning to lower the firearm and assess the area after firing is to search for additional threats. 52

53 Auditory exclusion Extraneous sounds may be inaudible. Sounds emanating from outside visual perception and even those from within it may go unheard This is why it is important to shout commands when confronting assailants. The assailants are also under stress and may not hear commands unless they are shouted. Others such as family members or police officers responding to the scene may also be suffering from this reaction. Shouting commands not only intimidates assailants, it also helps to break through the veil of auditory exclusion. 53

54 Time dilation Time may seem to slow down. Your senses may become so alert that things will appear to move in slow motion. This is why people wait much longer than necessary before taking action, letting down their guard, or emerging from hiding. 54

55 Adrenaline rush In addition to heightening senses and strength, an adrenaline rush may also cause muscles to tremble. This trembling can make it difficult to hold the firearm steady or to stand still. Sometimes both the assailant and the victim perceive this shaking as fear. While fear is a part of it, trembling is a physical reaction to the overload of adrenaline the body has dumped into the system in preparation for a fight. An adrenaline rush is also what causes the uncontrollable shaking sometimes experienced when the confrontation is over. The body is no longer using all the adrenaline flowing through it. 55

56 Psychological reactions The body responds in a number of ways to being threatened with bodily harm. One is that the portions of the brain that control higher thought processes begin to shut down. The brain reverts to a more primitive role in an attempt to protect the body from harm. In addition to the tendency to initially deny that an attack is occurring, there is also an innate resistance to inflicting force on another person when face-to-face. Every encounter is different. There is no way to determine ahead of time how you will react to a particular situation even if you have been in a similar situation before. 56

57 Psychological reactions The following represents just a few of the major possible psychological reactions to a defensive encounter. 57

58 Training for stress Note the importance of incorporating stress into training. Learning to perform under stress is crucial to prevailing in a defensive encounter. Assailants count on putting their victims under stress and expect them to fold under the pressure. In the range exercises, you will be put under a moderate amount of stress in order to manifest some of these reactions and to acclimate yourself to your reactions 58

59 Visualization while training There is an important difference between target practice and defensive marksmanship training. In defensive marksmanship training, you visualize the target as an assailant. You should not view the target as just a piece of paper. Visualize the target as a predatory criminal who is trying to hurt you or your family. Take an aggressive, defensive stance and defend yourself. 59

60 Shoot to Stop the Threat If forced to shoot an assailant, what is your intent in shooting? In other words, at what point do you stop shooting? Briefly discuss responses. Note that the purpose in shooting assailants is to stop the threat of severe bodily harm or death to yourself or your family. You should continue to fire until the threat ceases. Assailants who have fallen to the ground may still be capable of delivering deadly force. Even if assailants are incapacitated, it is always possible they may revive. You should stay alert. "No longer a deadly threat" may mean that the assailant is fleeing or has surrendered. 60

61 If You Must Shoot It can take multiple shots to stop a threat. You should continue to fire until there is no longer any imminent deadly threat. As soon as the imminent deadly threat ceases, the defender must stop shooting. 61

62 No immediate effect or apparent injury It is possible for assailants to receive a mortal injury yet continue to fight for some time. Reactions to being shot are unpredictable and vary greatly with circumstances, physical conditioning, and mindset. Instant incapacitation as a result of being shot with a bullet from a pistol is extremely rare. For example, it is possible for highly motivated assailants who have been hit with a mortal shot to continue to fight for 30 seconds or more, particularly if they are under the influence of drugs. If shooting becomes necessary, you may have to fire multiple shots. Instant incapacitation should not be expected. 62

63 Spotting Hits Unlike in Hollywood movies, or when shooting paper targets, you probably will not be able to see where your shots have struck. 63

64 Incoming fire Realize the possibility that you will be injured in an encounter, regardless of the outcome. Prepare yourself for this possibility and set your mind to prevail. Even if injured, you must continue to defend yourself. 64

65 Summarize Prevention Be Aware Be prepared Train The way you train is the way you will react 65