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Originally Posted by mrray13
...one should be able to clear their case, load their mag and be ready for work in 7 seconds.
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On the other hand, an assailant with a contact weapon can cover 7 yards in about 1.5 seconds.
At Gunsite, the standard at 7 yards we are expected to meet is two shots center of mass, from the holster, with movement (a step right or left) in 1.5 seconds.
In a violent encounter 7 seconds can literally be more than a lifetime.
Remember that this is not about speed for its own sake. It's simply that if you do need your gun, you have no way to know in advance how much time you'll have in which to put it to use. It's about how long it can take us to perceive the threat, determine the need to fire, deploy our gun and engage the threat with accurate fire, having made the decision that shooting is warranted.
So how much time will we have in which to do all of that? I have no idea and neither do you. It's going to all depend on what happens and how it happens. We might have lots of time, or we might have very little. We simply can't know in advance.
If we can't get done what we need to do in the time circumstances allow us, we will not be happy with the outcome. Good training and diligent practice can help reduce the time we need to be able to effectively do what we need to be able to do. And since I can't know how much time I'll have, I'd rather not give up time if I can avoid it.