Weapon Retention or WTFO?

[Paul Gomez]

I know everyone likes to talk about maintaining 'Condition Yellow' and maintaining a 'reactionary gap', but how many people have rigorously worked weapon retention for when those options fail?

Over the last 10 months or so, I have been in the position to attempt disarms on 60 or so students in fairly open and aggressive [fist helmets & sims guns] scenarios. Now, I'm not particularly skilled or aggressive , but, initially, a whole lot of students lose their guns. In fact, a lot of people are left with a blank look on their face and a 'WTFO?' glaze in their eyes.

This brings up the question, how many people train weapon retention [both standing & grounded]? How many pressure test the skills, as opposed to 'by rote' repetition of material?

I know that working this material as hard as we have, I've changed my carry gear and my appreciation for both weapon retention and weapon recovery.

 

[Preacherman]

Mas Ayoob teaches weapon retention in LFI-2 and -3. Useful stuff to know.

 

[No_Brakes23]

The Marine Corps has adjusted its Martial Arts program, (Formerly boxing and LINE trainging, now MCMA,) to include weapon retention drills. We were told this was for suppression of civil disturbances.

But rifle rentention is different than pistol retention.

 

[iamhistory]

As a FAST Marine, we were doing weapon retention training 15 years ago......it's not new, just being more expanded instead of given to specialized units alone.

It is a good thing to know....not only if someone surprises you, but also if you end up in a situation that doesn't warrant drawing your weapon but does warrant some other form of defense. If you get into a physical situation that you don't know how to handle, you run the risk of you weapon being used offensively against you instead of defensively for you.

 

[yorec]

If you carry CCW (or openly) and things get to fight level, you must realize that there is always a gun available to your opponent. If he doesn't have his own, yours will do if he can get it...

Then retention ability and knowledge suddenly becomes paramount, does it not?