The magazine is RECOIL presents CONCEALMENT from CMGWEST recoilweb.com | Issue 31. The article is “Safe in the City” by Dave Merrill. I don’t know Dave, but the advice he gives is absolutely sound! Read it and absorb it!
There is another good article by Jared Wihongi called “Close-Quarters Firearms Integration Tactics.” For law enforcement, this article is fantastic. For civilians, it is also good, but with caveats. Let’s discuss why.
As I try to point out in my book, law enforcement threats are different from the ones faced by civilians. Looking at officer’s killed or assaulted statistics, the offender was often previously arrested for a violent crime and, almost 75 percent of the time, is on an active justice status – such as parole, probation, or bail. This high rate is likely indicative of the mindset of the offender. As a result, there are a few options for the offender.
- Hope the officer doesn’t find firearms or drugs during the stop. Otherwise, back to prison.
- Run. Which means the officer will be on the radio and you’ll likely get caught and go back to prison.
- Fight. If the officer’s hurt, they can’t give chase and their radio communication may be compromised. You may get lucky and not go back to prison
Another point is that law enforcement officers have a duty to protect the public, so they often go to areas or situations that an ordinary civilian wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.
When we look at violent crime statistics, we see strangers, public places, and no weapons being the most common for injurious robbery. These circumstances seem to imply multiple offenders and/or the victim being jumped. For aggravated assault, “Other Weapons” besides a firearm and knife are quite popular, along with a small portion of “No Weapon” when the victim was severely injured. In short, violent crime statistics show a different type of threat for civilians than what law enforcement officers face.
As I discuss in my book, avoidance of robbery circumstances are key as those are the cases where a civilian is likely up against a violent criminal. When that is not enough, I do discuss physical defense prior to weapon defense. Jared does the same. As I stress in my book, close-quarters combat training is more essential than advanced firearm training and it is a training that many people do not go through. You can learn these techniques regardless of whether you are unarmed or armed with a baton, pepper spray, or taser. Unfortunately, most of the training in close-quarters combat requires firearm classes. For civilians, I would like to see that change so that other protection weapons are covered too (unfortunately, these weapons are not covered). In addition, I would like to see “Other Weapons” the offender may be using, such as a beer bottle, covered too.