necessarytoengagefromtheground.
Practicefiringfromyoursideorback
atanattackeratcloserangelooming
overyou.RussianSpetsnazdoalot
oftrainingshootingfromtheground
basedontheassumptionthatan
attackermightputthemthere.Thisis
usefultraining.Ihavealsotrainedtoshootatan
attackercomingfromthebackwhile
movingaway.Thistacticcanbeeffec-
tiveifanattackerisactuallysoclose
thatheisattemptingtograbyoufrom
therear.Shotswouldnormallybe
firedintothelowertorso,upperthigh
orcrotch.PREVENTANATTACKWITH
CANINEASSISTANCE
I’venoticedthatagood-sizeddogthatlooksasifheorshewill
protecttheirownerisamovingbarrier.I’vebeenwalkingmyAire-
daleatnightandacoupleoftimesnoticedmultiplesuspicious
lookingurbancharactersdecidetocrossthestreetsavingmea
decisionabouthowtoproceed.Incaseswheresuspiciousindividualshavenotcrossedthe
street,I have.Iftheyshouldchoosetocrosstoo,I wouldgointo
heightenedConditionOrange.Sofarthathasn’thappened.If
homealone,mywifeusesthedogifshehearsanythingsuspicious
ontheassumptionhewillgivehertimetodeployherweapon.She
usesapistolwithalaserbecauseshecanuseitfastandalsomake
surethedogwouldnotbetargetedifhewere“on”theintruder.Oneofthebestcounterstoanattack-
erwithinthe21-footrangeistoput
somethingbetweentheattackerand
you.Stepbehindavehicle,retaining
wall,corner,etc.—anythingthatwill
slowhimdownandgiveyoumore
timetoreact.AWARENESS,
AVOIDANCE
Aswithmuchofself-defense,mindset
andawarenessareimportantinkeep-
ingyoufrombecomingavictimofthe
21-footrule.Awarenessofpotential
threatsallowsyoutopreparementally
andphysicallytodealwiththem.
Unlikealawenforcementofficer,the civilian with a concealed carry
license must carefully evaluate before
presenting his or her weapon.However, clearing the coat or grasping
the weapon in the pocket can save
critical time. Moving to put something
between you and the threat can give
you more time to evaluate and react.
It may also give you time to retreat.A problem avoided is often better
than a problem solved. If you see
people who look dangerous try to go
somewhere else. If there is no retreat,
then you may have to be prepared to
react. That’s where training to draw
and present your weapon quickly and
achieve hits quickly at close range can
save your life. CCTOP LEFT: While at-
tempting to retreat
you may end up on
the ground. Train
to engage from the
down position.
TOP RIGHT: A back-
up blade can come
into action if the
attacker attempts
to disable your gun
hand.BOTTOM LEFT: A
protective dog can
make a close-range
attack more difficult
as an attacker will
face both the dog
and an armed
“victim.” In this
case, the pistol is
equipped with a
laser, which gives
the woman another
edge.BOTTOM RIGHT:
With a lot of dry fire
practice, someone
may be trained to
engage an attacker
who attempts to
choke from behind.
Knowing the basics
of countering the
choke (i.e. pushing
the chin down hard
against the chest)
and reacting quickly
are necessary.74 CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS • FALL 2019