Understand Target Acquisition When Using a Gun

Video Transcript

"We've talked about grip, we've talked about not lasing people, how to draw, earlier segments we spoke about the stance and stuff we're going to take. Target acquisition, which basically means, can I look at where a threat is or where I'm supposed to be shooting and effectively engage it. So target acquisition can be a paper target, a beer bottle, unfortunately God forbid, it could be a bad guy, whatever. Target acquisition is when I draw my weapon can I acquire the target I need to and draw it out on it and be ready to fire it if need be. In this case for all intents and purposes, I'm going to use that bench over there or that red house over there. Again, just for safety reasons, the weapon is clear, safe, I do physical and visible check, there are no live ammunition. I holster my weapon, I'm at my position here. A threat appears, I need to, I'm right on point here, I just acquired my target. If I'm standing this way and for some reason we're doing training, when we get a command, you need to turn, draw you weapon, and engage your target. Well, I know where the general area of where he's going to be, so when I do so, I'm not going to draw, as I'm turning my weapon is being drawn, I don't want to draw my weapon, laze everybody as I come around. It's all one motion, I'm standing here, engaged a target, as I'm turning the weapon is out, I'm punching it out and I'm right on target right there. Boom. Same thing, threat is over, do an assessment, it's clear, reholster the weapon. So target acquisition just means looking, finding what you need to find, your target, the threat, when you need to find it. As soon as you draw your weapon, acquire your target, do you know where it's at, yep, it's the car over here, or it's the cardboard second bottle on the right. Know where your target is before you draw down and never point at anything you're not willing to destroy or kill."