At the RBTA we have questioned the “wisdom” in the Four Basic Safety Rules for many years. I won’t get into the politics or parsing of words … what we teach is what we teach, and it is more about deliberateness of intention than anything else. Our senior staff instructor Rick Furr brings up countless examples of police officers who show up to a call, often times after the danger has passed, with their guns out. “Well, how do you know the danger is passed” I can hear some begin to trumpet. You may or may not be sucker punched by danger at any moment. But this is not a great reason to wander around with a pistol in your hand in a mindless fashion.
MINDLESS fashion … what would be a mindful fashion? Well, why is your gun out? If you don’t need to point it at a threat or a threat area put it back in your holster. If you want to maintain a firing grip, fine. But our First Rule starts with having a firearm out in a mindful way. Why is it out? The Second Rule is sort of like one of the original Four and it deals with your muzzle. Where is it pointed? Point it deliberately at a threat or in the direction of a threat area.
There is no such thing as a “safe” direction, although some directions are safer than others. And pointing it at a threat or threat area when legally authorized to do so when it is not in the holster seems to make the best sense to us.
The Third Rule deals with your trigger finger. Put it on the trigger to make the gun go bang. Take it off the trigger when you don’t want the gun to go bang. Above or below the trigger guard for positioning will be helpful in avoiding unintended discharges to startling, tripping or the interlimb interaction that can occur when you grab onto something or someone.
There was much ado lately when a well known and highly respected firearms instructor had a negligent discharge when he borrowed a student’s nickel plated revolver to demonstrate trigger pull. He mindlessly checked to see if the gun was unloaded. Because he was mindless, that it, not LOOKING FOR THE PURPOSE OF SEEING, a nickel
plated cartridge was still in the the revolver cylinder and he got a bang when he expected a click. Mindfulness would have helped to prevent this. Fortunately no one was injured.
MINDFULNESS.
Which brings us to a great video today from John Lovell of Warrior Poet Society
In the accompanying video, John talks about the misunderstood concept of “getting off the X”. Like some of the other well-intentioned but mindless range cattle calls like “Scan and Breathe”, rarely if ever is any of this taught so that it can be used in a mindful and effective fashion. Too many trainers have too many students shoulder to shoulder, and teach the “get off the X” idea as a dance step to the left or the right. This might be well intentioned, but all of my mind-science readers out there understand that this might just be programming the wrong mindless behavior with no connection to it’s original intention, which is don’t get shot or be where the guy that is trying to shoot you can easily do so. This is one of the reasons I maintain that 80%-90% of gunfight training can, and should, be done in non-conventional settings with non-conventional munitions. But that is a fight for another day.
Meanwhile sit back and enjoy John’s masterful discussion of this topic. Great work John!