Defensive Handgun Training

Your handgun can only protect you if you know when and how to use it.

Whether you are male or female, a handgun brings a sense of security and safety against criminals--whether attackers strike in a parking lot or your own home. However, a pistol all by itself does not guarantee your personal safety. You have to know when and how to use it. Defensive handgun training teaches you essential skills to save your life and prevent you from running afoul of self-defense law.

Function

Defensive handgun training prepares you to use your weapon wisely and safely even during intense encounters with predators or attackers. Unlike the tidy, predictable and supervised conditions at the local pistol range, real-world situations can knock you off your guard--and present legal conundrums. You might find yourself under attack in a poorly lit parking lot or in your own darkened house. Circumstances might force you to draw your pistol while injured. You might have to make a snap decision about whether to flee or use force. With defensive training, you can shoot better under stress and make the right choices about use of force.

Types

Different types of defensive training lessons address basic gun safety, a proper mindset to mitigate extreme stress and accurate marksmanship. For example, basic safety lessons teach crucial rules, including to never point a pistol at anything you don't want to destroy, according to "Shooting Times" magazine. You might also learn threat assessment and awareness techniques, such as Cooper's "Color Code of Self Awareness," according to "Shooting Times" magazine. The color code uses a spectrum of white, yellow, orange, red and black for heightened levels of awareness and engagement with threats, according to the 2006 book "Surviving Armed Assaults: A Martial Artist's Guides to Weapons, Street Violence, and Countervailing Force."

Other training exercises teach tactical approaches to handgun self-defense, such as speed reloading, engaging multiple shooters and handling malfunctions, according to "Shooting Times" magazine. You might also learn how to draw your gun out of concealment and shoot from multiple positions, as in the National Rifle Association's "Personal Protection Outside the Home" course.

Significance

Carrying a handgun brings grave responsibilities and obligations. Poor decisions and bad technique risk people's lives; imagine shooting an innocent bystander because you fail to assess your surroundings. Additionally, if you fail to assess threats or lack confidence in your shooting abilities, your handgun will do little to protect you, advises "Shooting Times" magazine.

Misconceptions

Just because you possess a concealed carry permit and a loaded pistol does not mean you can ignore other kinds of defense training. An attacker could potentially steal your weapon from your hands, or it might lie out of reach at the crucial moment. Martial arts or other training can round out your self-defense strategy.

Some people perceive women as less capable shooters, but in fact, they perform equally well, according to "Shooting Times" magazine.

Warning

Even with a concealed handgun permit, you cannot carry your gun everywhere.

Despite soap operas and crime dramas that portray lethal force as 100 percent forgivable in the case of self-defense, people can get into serious hot water for shooting an intruder or attacker. Even in a case of legitimate self-defense, you might face serious criminal charges if you use deadly force where non-deadly force would have done the trick. Many states also have laws on the books obligating you to retreat in certain situations. For example, South Carolina law requires you to retreat if the attack occurs in a public store or on a public road, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division website. Additionally, some places restrict handguns, even with concealed carry permits.

References

• "Shooting Times": Defensive Handgun Training
• "Surviving Armed Assaults: A Martial Artist's Guides to Weapons, Street Violence, and Countervailing Force"; Lawrence A. Kane; 2006
• National Rifle Association: NRA Education & Training: Personal Protection Outside the Home
• South Carolina Law Enforcement Division: Use of Deadly Force

Resources

• International Defensive Pistol Association