RetiredUSNChief brought up some great questions at the demise of the "Why People Don't Go to Gun School Thread” and they were a drift to that topic anyway, but I think great questions to think about.
Assuming someone wants to get defensive firearms training, how much would be the minimum? Do you have to go to Gunsite for a week and $1200 tuition plus travel and ammo?
At what point do you get to diminishing returns?
There is no right answer to this, my personal opinion (assuming a person has no formal firearms training beyond basic or safety training) is that 2 full days is a reasonable minimum.
That will be about 16 hours and enough time to cover the basics of self defense law, review safety and basic loading/unloading, then really get into grip, stance, sight picture, trigger control, mag changes, basic movement, draw, multiple targets, low light, malfunctions.
You should get enough trigger time to learn the tasks and be able to perform them well while thinking about it. You'll have to practice at home (mostly dry-fire) to get them into unconscious competence.
I also would apply this to whatever firearm is your primary defensive one. If you don't have a CCW and a shotgun or carbine is you HD gun, then a 2 day course on that.
Costs should be about $100-$200/day tuition, 4-600 rds. ammo and perhaps a hotel and some gas. Almost everyone should have something w/in reasonable driving range. Total cost in the $600 to $1000 range.
I'm far from gun-centric, I also think a minimum amount of empty hand training is in order, but the average person or average defense-oriented gun owner is realistically not going to do that.
Diminishing returns?
I had a realization a few years ago that I was well past that point. Anymore training I do is just because I like it. Sure, more training is good, but once you can get good hits at combat speed and manipulate your weapon to unconscious competence while moving under stress...you are pretty well prepared. More training will make you better and better, but the main hurdle is all the stuff I just mentioned.
It took me a long time to also come to the realization that nobody is immune to violence no matter how highly trained you are. All human bodies break the same. It isn't Hollywood where the Tier 1, Deltasealcommando, takes it easy on all the minor henchmen for 80 minutes, then only goes all out at the end against the final villain that is a real challenge.
Sadly, we have lost many Tier 1 operators overseas in the war on terror to 2-bit insurgents who were not even in the same galaxy as them in terms of training, combat experience, and ability. The truth is, no matter how well trained and experienced we are, we can all be shot, struck, or blown up. We can all have lapses in attention/awareness and judgment. Anyone who thinks they are alert and "switched on" all the time is deceiving themselves and creating a dangerous blinder. I couldn't maintain perfect awareness in Baghdad as a contractor, I came pretty close when outside the wire, but we're all human.
If/when you find yourself in a life or death violent situation; you go all out until it is over. I don't care if you are the UFC heavyweight champ. You don't hold back because it is only 1; try to just "control" them, or some other silliness. If you go all out and drop them in 3 seconds, great. If you hit-stab-cut them once or just pull a gun out and they run...bonus!
If you hold back or play games, that can get you killed. It only takes an opening for an instant for them to injure you (could even be by mistake, ever seen how helpless a professional fighter is after an accidental finger in the eye?) Or, you are messing around trying to control someone or put them in a pain compliance hold and the partner you didn't see ends you.
Once you know you are in a violent situation, go all out, with everything you've got, until there is no longer a threat. That means, the threats have either physically ran away, are cowering on the ground in fear and submission and you have good distance on them, or their bodies are too broken for them to physically harm you.
Practice good awareness and avoidance skills to reduce the odds of the above happening to you in the first place.
Assuming someone wants to get defensive firearms training, how much would be the minimum? Do you have to go to Gunsite for a week and $1200 tuition plus travel and ammo?
At what point do you get to diminishing returns?
There is no right answer to this, my personal opinion (assuming a person has no formal firearms training beyond basic or safety training) is that 2 full days is a reasonable minimum.
That will be about 16 hours and enough time to cover the basics of self defense law, review safety and basic loading/unloading, then really get into grip, stance, sight picture, trigger control, mag changes, basic movement, draw, multiple targets, low light, malfunctions.
You should get enough trigger time to learn the tasks and be able to perform them well while thinking about it. You'll have to practice at home (mostly dry-fire) to get them into unconscious competence.
I also would apply this to whatever firearm is your primary defensive one. If you don't have a CCW and a shotgun or carbine is you HD gun, then a 2 day course on that.
Costs should be about $100-$200/day tuition, 4-600 rds. ammo and perhaps a hotel and some gas. Almost everyone should have something w/in reasonable driving range. Total cost in the $600 to $1000 range.
I'm far from gun-centric, I also think a minimum amount of empty hand training is in order, but the average person or average defense-oriented gun owner is realistically not going to do that.
Diminishing returns?
I had a realization a few years ago that I was well past that point. Anymore training I do is just because I like it. Sure, more training is good, but once you can get good hits at combat speed and manipulate your weapon to unconscious competence while moving under stress...you are pretty well prepared. More training will make you better and better, but the main hurdle is all the stuff I just mentioned.
It took me a long time to also come to the realization that nobody is immune to violence no matter how highly trained you are. All human bodies break the same. It isn't Hollywood where the Tier 1, Deltasealcommando, takes it easy on all the minor henchmen for 80 minutes, then only goes all out at the end against the final villain that is a real challenge.
Sadly, we have lost many Tier 1 operators overseas in the war on terror to 2-bit insurgents who were not even in the same galaxy as them in terms of training, combat experience, and ability. The truth is, no matter how well trained and experienced we are, we can all be shot, struck, or blown up. We can all have lapses in attention/awareness and judgment. Anyone who thinks they are alert and "switched on" all the time is deceiving themselves and creating a dangerous blinder. I couldn't maintain perfect awareness in Baghdad as a contractor, I came pretty close when outside the wire, but we're all human.
If/when you find yourself in a life or death violent situation; you go all out until it is over. I don't care if you are the UFC heavyweight champ. You don't hold back because it is only 1; try to just "control" them, or some other silliness. If you go all out and drop them in 3 seconds, great. If you hit-stab-cut them once or just pull a gun out and they run...bonus!
If you hold back or play games, that can get you killed. It only takes an opening for an instant for them to injure you (could even be by mistake, ever seen how helpless a professional fighter is after an accidental finger in the eye?) Or, you are messing around trying to control someone or put them in a pain compliance hold and the partner you didn't see ends you.
Once you know you are in a violent situation, go all out, with everything you've got, until there is no longer a threat. That means, the threats have either physically ran away, are cowering on the ground in fear and submission and you have good distance on them, or their bodies are too broken for them to physically harm you.
Practice good awareness and avoidance skills to reduce the odds of the above happening to you in the first place.