12 Elements of Firearms Training

[smince]

Although geared for LE, there are quite few lessons for the rest of us in this article:

It can easily be argued that the job of a law enforcement firearms instructor is more difficult today than ever before. With everything now required from our already strained training resources, it has become increasingly difficult to even establish what the right questions are, let alone find the right answers. To help build a solid foundation and establish some basic criteria for what a law enforcement training program should include International Training, Inc. has adopted the 12 critical elements outlined below.

The information gathered for this analysis was obtained from several surveys conducted by the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) and the FBI. The FBI has collected data on officers killed and assaulted since 1945, and California POST started collecting such data in 1980. The surveys cited in this study encompass those conducted by the FBI from 1995 through 2004. After summarizing these studies, the following guidelines were drawn for police firearms training.

FBI Analysis of Officers Feloniously Killed from 1995-200

545 total officers feloniously killed with firearms

Broken down into two category distances: under seven yards and over seven yards.

Under Seven Yards:

0-5 feet, 268 officers killed, 49% of total
6-10 feet, 107 officers killed, 20% of total
11-20 feet, 65 officers killed, 12% of total
Note that the percentage totals indicate that 440 officers killed (81%) with firearms in the time frame specified were killed at distances under seven yards.

Over Seven Yards:

21-50 feet, 47 officers killed, 8% of total
over 50 feet, 41 officers killed, 7% of total
distance not reported, 17 officers killed, 3% of total
Totals for officers killed at distances over seven yards (or not reported) was 105 officers or 19%

1. Prepare officers for immediate, spontaneous, lethal attacks
2. Prepare officers for assaults by multiple threats and uninvolved subjects
3. Integrate the sudden transition to firearms from arrest and control techniques, including searching and handcuffing
4. Base training on the fact that most officers are killed at short distances (I believe 'people' can be substituted for 'officers')
5. Base training on the fact that officers will have limited fine and complex motor control
6. Integrate two-person contact and cover teams involved in realistic scenarios
7. Emphasize the survival mindset and the will to win in all skills training
8. Integrate one-handed firing of a handgun. Include dominant and support hand, plus drawing, reloading, and stoppage clearing
9. Integrate close-quarter structure searching and clearing plus indoor combat tactics
10. Emphasize dim or no light situations as much as daylight training
11. Integrate moving then shooting and moving while shooting techniques
12. Integrate engagement techniques for moving targets, both laterally and charging

Read the article here:

http://www.officer.com/web/online/Operations-and-Tactics/12-Elements-of-Firearms-Training/3$49345

[Coltman 77]

Great read. Thanks for posting.

[CCGS]

I have another twist to this... for those of us that wear prescription glasses. Practice some with out the glasses... it goes a long way toward being ready if things go bump in the night while your asleep. Just a thought.

[raimius]

for those of us that wear prescription glasses. Practice some with out the glasses

That is a GREAT point!
If you train for SD, you should train in some realistic conditions. How many of us think we could keep our glasses on in the middle of a struggle?

...I feel dumb for never thinking about this before...

[45Gunner]

for those of us that wear prescription glasses. Practice some with out the glasses

This is truly an outstanding idea. Very few of us are lucky enough not to need some sort of eye correction past the age of 35.

I had an eye injury when I was a youngster. I was fortunate that I didn't need to wear corrective lenses after the recovery but my injured eye became ultra sensitive to light. I always had to wear sun glasses when in bright daylight. I must have lost/broken not less than 25 pairs of Rayban sunglasses during my tour in Vietnam due to them flying off my head during firefights. I always kept at least one backup pair with me. I survived it but now in my older age and wearing corrective lenses, never thought to practice without them.

Thanks for the great suggestion.

[Sriracha]

Great article.

I might point out, however, that we non-LEOs may be more likely to encounter longer range (15-30 ft) scenarios. Criminals may use different tactics for shooting cops. They may rely more on the surprise since they know the officers are armed. For example, when pulled over to the side of the road, the criminals might wait until the police officer approaches within five feet before suddenly attacking. On the other hand, a homeowner investigating a bump in the night might encounter an intruder/attacker from longer distances--across a living room or down a hallway, for example.

- Sriracha

[CCGS]

The way I view the distance criteria.

I start by lying in bed, 2 steps to my protection. 9 ft to the bedroom door from there. At the door, 18 ft to the end of the hallway, past that another 20 ft to anypoint in the living room / kitchen and front door. That should be it, but if I opened the door and there were zombies there, my front porch is 25 ft in either direction.

SO, for me, 20 ft (the standard 7 yrs) is the extent of my firezone. I dont see a need to practice a 50 yrd shot freehand with my 9.

[smince]

I might point out, however, that we non-LEOs may be more likely to encounter longer range (15-30 ft) scenarios...a homeowner investigating a bump in the night might encounter an intruder/attacker from longer distances--across a living room or down a hallway, for example.

Perhaps. If you CCW then I think you face the same distance as LE. Ever notice how close people get in your space as you go about your daily routine?

[Glenn Dee]

I wonder was one most glaring statistic left out. One that should be important to civilian shooters as well. Usually included in the UCS on police shootings is what percentage was shot with their own weapon.

[dinsmore83]

Good point Glenn Dee, it would be pertinent to know how many officers were shot with their won weapon. If it was their own gun firing, it means that they were in a situation where physical contact became inevitable, and that could change things quite a bit, at least from a HD/SD point of view.

However, it still means that the perpetrator was in extremely close proximity, and I would guess, most shootings involving the officer's own firearm would be in the 0-5 feet range, but that is only a guess.

In the end though, I still practice at ranges from 15-45 feet, and, according to the data, that would cover nearly all the distances given in the reports. not that I knew that before I read that, I just always shoot at those distances

[smince]

I took this course in Apr 2009. It covers a lot of what you need in these distances:
http://www.suarezinternationalstore....ROD&ProdID=680