I'm going on my third year of CCW instructing in the state of Arkansas.
In Arkansas, permit holders must "renew" their permits every four years. Part of the renewal process is going to a state-police-certified CCW instructor for a little bit of range time and some official paperwork.
When folks come for a renewal at my range, they shoot quite a bit.
They shoot two-handed, aimed fire at seven yards.
They shoot one-handed "point shooting" at three yards.
They shoot one-handed "retention position" at contact distance.
They shoot the Tueller drill.
And then, they shoot a two-target situation wherein they have the option to take cover. The two targets are at varying ranges....one about two yards from the shooter, and the other about seven yards away.
I know it might be hard for folks to "visualize" two cardboard targets being actual threats to themselves. I even have made one of the targets a masked man with a gun to add a little more realism.
But still, some of the reactions I see are very interesting.
The very first option I always show them is running away.
They've just shot the Tueller drill and now know how far away somebody can get before a person with a gun in hand can get a shot off.
So the first time, if the shooter is physically able, I have him or her cut and run from the threat. And I have them put their gun down on the range table during the time that their response is to run away so they aren't running with a loaded gun in hand.
The second option is to shoot their way out of the situation.
I tell the shooter that the two targets are Billybob and Otis, the Meth-head brothers, who've been stalking the shooter down at the Wal-Mart, and that the shooter has tried and tried to evade them, but has been followed out into the parking lot.
Even though cover is right there in front of them, only a very few actually take cover (which is a chunk of drywall about three feet tall and five feet wide propped up between log chunks). And yes, my "cover" has a lot of bullet holes in it along the top edge where folks have taken cover so well that they've shot through it. I point out the bullet holes and ask the shooters what they think would have happened to those bullets if the drywall had been the hood or a pickup truck or something like that.
Most don't take cover their first time shooting the drill. I have them put their gun down, and ask them to walk downrange and stand near the farthest target, and then I walk through (with no gun, of course) twice....first without taking cover, and then with taking cover.
Then, they usually see the light and take cover the next couple of times they shoot the drill.
Here's another observation. In the two-target stage, I stand behind the shooter, and ask him or her to talk the two assailants down.
Most of the time, the shooter isn't into it and is rather meekly saying something like "I don't want no trouble."
I usually suggest that they shout, in a deep, authoritative voice, "GO AWAY! I'VE CALLED THE POLICE!!!!" I have them practice a couple of times before we actually do it live.
The signal for the student to do something to solve the situation is when I shout a direct threat, as spoken by one of the assailants, after the student has tried to talk the assailants down.
The shooter yells, "GO AWAY, I"VE CALLED THE POLICE and then I usually holler, very loudly, something like "Police, Hell! Let's KILL HIM, BILLYBOB!"
Some folks hear that direct and unmistakable threat and actually take action...either turning to run away or taking cover and opening fire on the targets.
But a significant number of them stay rooted in place, sometimes still meekly saying "Now boys, I don't want no trouble," or just saying "I really mean it now, I've called the police." Some just stand there silently.
Sometimes they even reinforce their comments with gentle, open-handed gestures. "I mean it boys. Just go away please."
Usually I have to get right in the ears of these nonaction folks screaming "THEY'RE GONNA KILL YOU! KILL YOU! KILL YOU! HERE THEY COME, THEY'RE COMING TO KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"
And then, they finally decide to do something.
But a significant number of folks don't act, even when I'm behind them screaming in their ears.
The other thing that almost always happens is that the shooter makes a comment that the Tueller Drill and shooting at two "assailants" while having to take cover is nothing at all like target shooting.
I really hope that someday I can have a moving target set up with 3-D realistic targets.
But I do find it interesting how many folks react to the little stress I add to the situation by merely not reacting at all.
hillbilly
In Arkansas, permit holders must "renew" their permits every four years. Part of the renewal process is going to a state-police-certified CCW instructor for a little bit of range time and some official paperwork.
When folks come for a renewal at my range, they shoot quite a bit.
They shoot two-handed, aimed fire at seven yards.
They shoot one-handed "point shooting" at three yards.
They shoot one-handed "retention position" at contact distance.
They shoot the Tueller drill.
And then, they shoot a two-target situation wherein they have the option to take cover. The two targets are at varying ranges....one about two yards from the shooter, and the other about seven yards away.
I know it might be hard for folks to "visualize" two cardboard targets being actual threats to themselves. I even have made one of the targets a masked man with a gun to add a little more realism.
But still, some of the reactions I see are very interesting.
The very first option I always show them is running away.
They've just shot the Tueller drill and now know how far away somebody can get before a person with a gun in hand can get a shot off.
So the first time, if the shooter is physically able, I have him or her cut and run from the threat. And I have them put their gun down on the range table during the time that their response is to run away so they aren't running with a loaded gun in hand.
The second option is to shoot their way out of the situation.
I tell the shooter that the two targets are Billybob and Otis, the Meth-head brothers, who've been stalking the shooter down at the Wal-Mart, and that the shooter has tried and tried to evade them, but has been followed out into the parking lot.
Even though cover is right there in front of them, only a very few actually take cover (which is a chunk of drywall about three feet tall and five feet wide propped up between log chunks). And yes, my "cover" has a lot of bullet holes in it along the top edge where folks have taken cover so well that they've shot through it. I point out the bullet holes and ask the shooters what they think would have happened to those bullets if the drywall had been the hood or a pickup truck or something like that.
Most don't take cover their first time shooting the drill. I have them put their gun down, and ask them to walk downrange and stand near the farthest target, and then I walk through (with no gun, of course) twice....first without taking cover, and then with taking cover.
Then, they usually see the light and take cover the next couple of times they shoot the drill.
Here's another observation. In the two-target stage, I stand behind the shooter, and ask him or her to talk the two assailants down.
Most of the time, the shooter isn't into it and is rather meekly saying something like "I don't want no trouble."
I usually suggest that they shout, in a deep, authoritative voice, "GO AWAY! I'VE CALLED THE POLICE!!!!" I have them practice a couple of times before we actually do it live.
The signal for the student to do something to solve the situation is when I shout a direct threat, as spoken by one of the assailants, after the student has tried to talk the assailants down.
The shooter yells, "GO AWAY, I"VE CALLED THE POLICE and then I usually holler, very loudly, something like "Police, Hell! Let's KILL HIM, BILLYBOB!"
Some folks hear that direct and unmistakable threat and actually take action...either turning to run away or taking cover and opening fire on the targets.
But a significant number of them stay rooted in place, sometimes still meekly saying "Now boys, I don't want no trouble," or just saying "I really mean it now, I've called the police." Some just stand there silently.
Sometimes they even reinforce their comments with gentle, open-handed gestures. "I mean it boys. Just go away please."
Usually I have to get right in the ears of these nonaction folks screaming "THEY'RE GONNA KILL YOU! KILL YOU! KILL YOU! HERE THEY COME, THEY'RE COMING TO KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"
And then, they finally decide to do something.
But a significant number of folks don't act, even when I'm behind them screaming in their ears.
The other thing that almost always happens is that the shooter makes a comment that the Tueller Drill and shooting at two "assailants" while having to take cover is nothing at all like target shooting.
I really hope that someday I can have a moving target set up with 3-D realistic targets.
But I do find it interesting how many folks react to the little stress I add to the situation by merely not reacting at all.
hillbilly
Stress does funny things to you and untill you train to over come it it will freeze you up.
