I recently attended a day-long firearms training on basic tactics for gunfighting from within — and around — a vehicle. The class was presented by my friend (and Police1 Contributor) Ken Hardesty, who runs Spartan Concepts and Consulting in addition to his full-time job at a major police agency in the San Francisco Bay Area.
About a dozen of us — including active-duty and retired police officers, an EMT, a parole officer, and a handful of civilians — worked on a variety of fundamental skills, some of which did not involve pressing the triggers on our pistols (rest assured, we also pushed plenty of rounds downrange!).
Check Your Head
Most importantly, we discussed mindset.
An officer, whether on or off duty, must be mentally, physically, and professionally prepared to take immediate and definitive action — including delivering deadly force — as dictated by the behavior of the suspect he or she is confronting.
Enough said on that, agreed?
Pedal Versus Trigger
We talked about the various scenarios when you would want to stay in the car, pressing the pedal instead of the trigger.
A.) You can get out of dodge, putting distance between you and your assailant
B.) You can stomp on the gas, turning the vehicle into a two-ton projectile
Either way, you’ve solved the problem without firing a shot.
Cover Versus Concealment
Since we were working on the issue of gunfighting in and around a car, we talked about the difference between cover and concealment — an engine block may be cover, but a car door is concealment at best, and pretty [bleeping] poor concealment at that!
In fact, we conducted a battery of ballistics tests on a car door and discovered just how many types of bullets not only penetrate a door, but maintain a pretty true trajectory upon exit.
Back the [Bleep!] Off!
We talked about the human tendency to “hug” perceived cover/concealment — to snuggle up real close to a car, for example.
Well, we also did a series of ballistics tests to determine how a variety of caliber rounds ricochet off of a hood, a roof, or a trunk.
The findings were clear: if the situation permits it, you may be well advised to move back of the car to allow that round to rise up well over your head. Perhaps one day down the line I can do a follow-up tip with some of the pictures we took of that test...
That [Bleeping] Seatbelt...
Finally — and herein lies the the crux of today’s tactical tip — we worked on rapidly unassing the vehicle. Yes, cops do this every single day, and yes, it is as fundamental as an activity can be. But in both doing this, and watching my classmates do it, I was awestruck by how much time it can take if you’re unfamiliar with the vehicle.
We had a Crown Vic handy on the line, and for the most part, that car was not an issue. However, the seatbelt mechanism in the little Honda Civic we had on the range was a totally different matter.
Contemplate the possibility of having to rapidly unass the passenger seat in your wife’s or husband’s vehicle. What about if you’re in a friend’s car?
A Major Take-Away
I made a promise to myself that day to add another series of drills to the vast number of drills I regularly do.
I will, from here on out, gear up with my trusty Blue Gun, as I normally might carry my S&W M&P, and work the problem from my personal vehicle in the garage. I will invite my buddy over to work the problem from his car. I will do as many repetitions as I can to be sure that once the fight is on “real world” I’ve done everything I can to ensure that the seatbelt will not get me killed or injured.
