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Go to :31 in this video. Notice something? The slide’s locked back. The gun is empty. This information might have been useful for the employee forced to fork over the contents of the cash drawer and his wallet, and drink soap. (A potentially fatal torture.) Although maybe not. The victim’s body language indicates he had no intention of mounting a counter-attack at any point in the proceedings. Still . . .

Anyone who may face a gun someday (i.e. everyone) should have a clear idea what a gun can and can not do.

They should know the difference between a semi-automatic handgun and a revolver. A modern home defense sporting rifle and a bolt action gun. A shotgun and a rifle. The range and accuracy differences between a short barreled weapon and a long barreled firearm. The differences between calibers.

The should know when a gun’s empty. They should know that it takes a small, hard shove on a gun’s barrel to push the muzzle clear of their body—providing a potentially life-saving opportunity to launch a disabling attack. Or creating the possibility of a quick getaway.

They should know how many cartridges the gun might hold. They should be able to recognize a jam.

They should know—and fully accept—the fact that there are worse things than getting shot. That it’s entirely possible, indeed probably, that they will survive a gunshot.

They don’t need to actually fire a gun, but there’s nothing like hands-on education.

This tactical information could mean the difference between life and death. Know it. AND teach it to your loved ones—especially children. Their lives could depend on it.

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Maybe another good reason to have firearms safety classes in schools. So you know when a gun is oviously unloaded.

    • I have fully, and vocally, supported this idea for years.
      There should also be a shooting sports team, along with the track and field, football, basketball, hockey etc.

      • At my school in order to start a new team it had to be a “club sport” for two years, and be self-funded, and after that the school board would approve funding for a fully competitive team, or force them to continue as a club. Skiing and I think eventually lacrosse were added like that. So if you find some responsible kids in a friendly district I don’t see why you couldn’t.
        You would think the military would support youth teams like that as well…

        • When I was young, we had optional hunter training courses offered in the junior and senior high-schools. Of course, I lived in the Canadian wilderness and it was the 80s. I was one of the lucky ones, I think. There is no way this would fly now.

          • Mouldy, I lived in New York City and we had the same courses, which I took. My HS also had a rifle club, and I joined that. I learned a lot about marksmanship, but mostly I learned to respect guns and use them safely. If anybody suggested such courses in New York today, they’d be fired on the spot by the fuhrer of MAIG.

  2. “They should know that it only takes a small shove to push the barrel clear, and thus save themselves from getting hit by a bullet leaving the gun.”

    You might want to try that advise against an airsoft before passing it on. Soon as you touch them, the normal reflex will be to tense up, causing a trigger pull while the muzzle is still pointed at you. Unless they have trigger discipline, which probably means they’re trained and may know a thing or two about retention.

    Anyway, step off line from the muzzle as you’re reaching in and have an idea what to do next. Personally, I prefer “hit them and keep hitting until they aren’t a threat.”

    • I have tried it. As you know, the trick is to push the barrel AND THEN DO SOMETHING. I think we understand each other here. I’ll re-write the text to clarify. Let me know if you think it’s OK.

      • Yeah, that’s clearer. First version seemed very ‘wishful thinking’. And it’s good to know you’ve tested it.

  3. At many corporations they’re told to comply with an armed robbers demands (though I would think “common sense” would exclude complying with torture), so if he tried to fight back he probably would’ve been fired anyway.

    I mean, I get it, bullets are…hard to come by? So you have an empty gun…close the slide?

    Or maybe he’s the “nice” criminal who robs people with an unloaded gun…and then tortures them.

  4. I can’t help but notice how cooperative the victim seems-of course he could be scared-but the top of the soap bottle, is that white I see the cap still on it? My resolution doesn’t fully make it clear. I am just wondering…my lady runs several chain restaurants and many robberies are inside jobs. I know I would have had that guy for lunch-played along until I had an opening, but I don’t plan to work a restaurant or a convenience store any time soon.

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