Handgun Retention Tactics

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

HAND-3b

Forget The Ridiculous, Focus On The Practical.

According to the latest FBI Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted report, during the period of 2001 to 2010, 47 of the 541 officers killed in the US were shot with their own guns. That number represents 9 percent of the total number of officers killed during that time and highlights the need for a closer look at handgun retention tactics, and the logic defining a sound gun retention method.

My approach to handgun retention began as an outgrowth of my Martial Blade Concepts (MBC) edged-weapon training courses. Although my MBC courses have attracted mostly non-sworn people interested in personal-defense options, they’ve also drawn a significant number of law enforcement officers. In addition to learning how to use a knife as a stand-alone or backup weapon, many of them asked about its use as a handgun-retention tool. In the process of researching and exploring that option, I asked the officers to share their training and tactics with regard to unarmed handgun retention.

To be blunt, the techniques I saw ranged from reasonably practical to ridiculous. In some cases, the tactics required the officer analyze the assailant’s grip and respond with different techniques for grabs with the left hand, right hand or both hands. Many techniques completely ignored the fact the grab would probably be punctuated by strikes and a fair number of them required a lot of footwork and space to perform.

After working with a number of officers from different agencies around the country and not seeing any highly practical handgun-retention techniques, I decided to take a fresh look at the problem with my private students and instructors. The first step in the process was to define criteria for a practical set of tactics.

Few Techniques

Focus on a minimum number of techniques. Let’s face it, the more you have to learn and remember, the harder it is to become good at it. In my research on this topic, I was amazed to see how complicated some widely practiced retention systems were. They required analysis and identification of the specific type of grab before selecting and applying a specific technique. A better approach is to focus on a few techniques and concepts versatile enough for broad application.
By Michael Janich

>> Click Here << To View Full Article With Photo