I do agree on one point, that just firing a gun at a target has little to do with self defense, except to allow the shooter to become familiar with the gun.
I remember once when someone asked me what I would do if I were fired at in a drive-by situation. I replied that if possible, I would dive behind any cover I could find or just go flat. He looked at me like I was from Mars and started babbling about Weaver stances and Code Red and Condition One and IWB carry. What nonsense have we made of so-called training? Do "instructors" really tell people to stand erect, face the enemy, and choose the proper stance when bullets are flying around? Sadly, it seems they do.
It also seems that in today's training, instructors are excessively safety conscious. The shooter must draw, line up the sights carefully, and take a perfect sight picture before even touching the trigger, and that is what he will do even if it kills him. I am from a time when getting that shot off as fast as possible was the goal, and I have a film somewhere of my draw. My finger was not only on the trigger of the Combat Magnum while it was still in the holster, but the hammer was halfway back when the gun was at a 45 degree angle. The hammer fell just as the gun came on target. But in our lawyer society, instructors teach gun safety, not speed. Safety first is fine, but safety is NOT first when you are already in a very UNsafe situation.
Jim
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