“American gun owners tend to live in the fantasy world of my gunfight.” So said one of my firearms trainers. He further went on to explain that, “Men make choices based upon some concocted version of what they have decided their gunfight will be if and when it happens. As often as not, this has more to do with what they’ve watched in the movies or read in books than actually historical reality.”
My mentor went on to say, “In their gunfight, only the bad guy ever gets hurt, not themselves or any innocent family members. That’s why they don’t take medical training or carry medical gear.” Additionally, he related, “During their fantasy gunfight they see everything in 20/20 vision, and they see the bad guy coming. There’s no confusion or indecision. They have plenty of time to get their gun out and chamber a round. Their fantasy gunfight never begins with them getting sucker-punched from out of nowhere or not knowing there is danger until there is a gun in their face.”
The moral of the lesson was, instead of preparing for our imagined gunfight or the ideal self-defense situation, we should rather be preparing for any eventuality from a verbal altercation to an attempted murder. We students were encouraged to master the physical aspects of our craft so that the skill would be there when we needed it, regardless of the specific details of the encounter.
The Fantasy Gunfight
The aforementioned training class, in which I was a participant, took place over two decades ago. In the time that has passed, when I hear people say things such as, “Don’t worry about how much ammo the gun holds. If you can’t get it done with a couple of shots, then it can’t get done.” Yes, I heard that from a man behind a gun shop counter trying to sell someone a J-Frame.
Another great one is, “How hard can it be? You just point it and pull the trigger.” Then there’s the famous, “I’m not paranoid. I only carry if I think I might need it.” And let’s not forget, “Carrying with a round chambered is dangerous. Besides, you can use the extra time it takes to chamber a round to be sure that you really need to shoot.”
Some people like to quote statistics to support their choice not to attend training or practice. “The average gunfight is three shots fired from three yards in three seconds. I don’t need training to do that.”
Other than a complete lack of training and education regarding how actual deadly force encounters go down, the only other logical explanation would seem to be that those in question have already formulated in their minds how their defensive gun use scenario will happen. Honestly, the vast majority of fantasy gunfights aren’t spoken aloud. They’re internal monologues or even just subconscious thoughts based on any number of stimuli taken in by the person in question.
Thinking Instead of Acting
One of my martial arts instructors offered some advice to me some forty years ago. “When the time comes to act, that’s what you need to do…act. You can’t allow your mind to be clouded with thoughts like, ‘If he does this, I’ll do that.’ If you are thinking about what to do, then you are not acting.”
In the martial arts world, when your mind is clouded with thoughts of if/then, you end up getting punched or kicked. You get frustrated, “Why did I let him do that? If he does it again I will…” BAM! You just got punched again.
I would venture to say that anyone reading this who has experience in any of the martial arts, collegiate wrestling or competitive boxing had to face that issue early on. You were thinking about what to do instead of doing it and found yourself pinned on the mat, being kicked in the stomach or punched in the face.
“Paul, certainly you aren’t advising people to shoot their guns without thinking, are you?” No, I am not, but there’s a difference between the lag time it takes to try and figure out what to do and doing what needs to be done. In a deadly force scenario, attempting to spend precious time figuring out what to do is a recipe for disaster.
Many years ago, when I attended a street survival seminar, we witnessed some police officers via their dash cameras who, when faced with an immediate deadly force threat, instead of acting got caught up in a mental loop. Some just kept talking instead of acting. A few seemed to be frozen in the moment, unable to do what needed to be done to save their own. lives. Sadly, many otherwise good officers died as a result.
Scenario-Based Training
All of the previous got me thinking. Let’s say we accept the aforementioned advice to avoid concocting a fantasy gunfight in our subconscious. Also, we acknowledge that we need to train our brains and bodies to act when the time comes instead of running though an if/then mental loop or trying to figure out what to do in the moment. How does scenario-based training factor in?
If a trainer devises a scenario and then requires the student to work through that outline, aren’t they guilty of creating a fantasy gunfight? Or, if the trainer requires the student works through a scenario that actually happened such as the Greenwood Park Mall shooting, is that realistic since that exact scenario may never play out again?
Scenario-based training is indeed a time honored technique and it falls into two basic subcategories: live fire and simulations using some type of non-lethal “simulated” firearms with marking ammunition of some sort. Both have proven to be extremely valuable. Let’s consider each separately.
Live-Fire Scenarios
Live-fire shooting scenarios are largely dependent only on the creativity of the trainer and facility and material available. A resourceful trainer can create practical scenarios on a square range using standard cardboard targets, plastic barrels and a folding chair or two. Facilities with dedicated, multi-room “shoot houses” are Small Arms and Tactics Instructors dream.
The primary purpose of the live-fire scenario is to require the student to use the actual guns and gear with which they are training to successfully engage in what we call Ballistic Problem Solving. Scenarios might include only a single “bad guy” target, multiple attackers and/or have “no shoot” or “innocent bystanders” mixed in. The most important aspect of this scenario training is the fact that the student is forced to make correct decisions and to process the information they are given so as to learn how to think with a gun in their hands.
Simulation Scenarios
Simulation scenarios, also called “force-on-force” have proven to be extremely valuable in preparing the student for what they might have to do in the real world. However, these are also the most labor intensive as you need to secure dedicated non-lethal firearms simulators, protective gear (we must protect the eyes/face and the throat) and we need real human roleplayers to be bad guys, good guys or innocent persons.
Additionally, these simulation scenarios require absolute and rigid safety protocols to ensure the participants safety. This is particularly true when the simulated firearms mimic the look, function and feel of genuine guns. There have been many tragic events where people were shot because a person thought they had a simulator not a real gun.
These force-on-force training scenarios are effective because the role players are acting and reacting. The student cannot predict what will happen for certain and they must make correct decisions in seconds based upon the stimuli that is presented. The best simulation training will involve “no shoot” scenarios as well as “shoot” versions. The bad guy might drop their gun and run away when confronted or they might run for cover to give themselves a tactical advantage. Mixing in innocent bystanders is another aspect that not only increases the anxiety of the good guy student, it mirrors reality. Gunfights that take place in the real world as often as not have innocent people around.
Lessons Learned
There are numerous ways to learn from scenario based training. These scenarios help the student to learn how to rapidly process information and make correct decisions. This must be practiced and learned, it does not just happen because you want it to.
Whether with live fire or non-lethal marking guns, the students will often make mistakes. During a deliberate and thoughtful after-action debriefing, these mistakes are examined and this is one of best opportunities for the student to genuinely learn. One of the first things that they learn is that the scenario did not play out as they had previously imagined that it would. During force-on-force, the roleplayers may not have behaved the way that the student anticipated that they would.
One of the biggest takeaways from scenario training is the realisation by the student that they either had or lacked the physical skills to make the hits that needed to be made. It is a humbling experience to be walked through the post live fire scenario by the instructor and discover that your bullets did not hit the targets where they should have. During the scenario, your mind is so focused on Ballistic Problem Solving that you do not have time to shift to thoughts of marksmanship. Hit or miss, the targets don’t lie. That is genuine learning.
Dispelling the Fantasy
Whether live fire or simulation, first time students rarely come through with a 100 percent score and that is exactly as it should be. One of the great benefits of professional training is that it affords the students the opportunity to make mistakes in an environment that won’t cost them their life. Getting “shot” during a simulation or force-on-force scenario is a tremendous eye-opener. Some folks have said that we go to training to make mistakes so we don’t make them when it really counts and I fully endorse that way of thinking.
The more often you are run through scenario-based training by professional instructors, the more successful you’ll become. After some time, the only casualty will be the fantasy gunfight. I have never known a student to come out on the other side of a scenario-based training exercise and still cling to their previously imagined thoughts as to how ‘their gunfight’ would be.
Paul G. Markel is a combat decorated United States Marine veteran, police officer and Executive Protection Agent. He is also the founder of Student the Gun University and has been teaching Small Arms & Tactics to military personnel, police officers, and citizens for over three decades.
I recommend everyone save their money. So they can attend this type of training. And using paintball guns which is cheaper. Is a great substitute. The stings from direct hits will give you a real painful understanding, of what it means to be in that, fantasy gun fight some people dream of.
Laser ammo has a video scenario trainer add on for their smokeless range system using SIRT pistols. While not force on force,it is excellent for teaching situational awareness, decision making and mindset. It allows you to play back shot by shot to see timing and placement, and allows the instructor to change the outcome depending on how the student reacts. Very effective for helping them understand the difference between having your carry permit and having the necessary skills and tools to carry in the real world.