Issue link: https://let.epubxp.com/i/320907
53 www.officer.com June 2014 Law Enforcement Technology F I R E A R M S tended to land low and to the right of center mass. I wasn't exactly the Annie Oakley I'd hoped to become. In the county police academy, one of my range instructors suggested a smaller handgun, but when I inquired I was informed that all of the officers on my department carried the same handgun (so that "we could all exchange maga- zines in a fire fight" I was told) and if I wanted to be one of them, I would carry the Model 59 I'd been issued and qualify with it like everyone else. I shut up after that, afraid of getting fired. I learned to aim high and to the left so that my shots hit somewhat in the center of the target, and I "qualified" to carry my gun. Not once was I ever trained to win a gunfight in the early years of my career. Most of you reading this are prob- ably thinking "that was over three decades ago…thank heavens our pro- fession has evolved." But has it? Have we? I meet women and men every week who are carrying an ill-fitting handgun (often in a poorly designed holster) who dread their quarterly firearms training because it's not so much "train- ing," as it is a test to see if they can mud- dle through and "qualify" one more time to keep the Training Sergeant off their butts. I hear from many more cops who are still being taught to "shoot two and assess" at 7, 15 and 25 yards, who never practice behind cover, while mov- ing, under duress, or from any other position other than standing out in the open facing their paper target. A sur- prising number of police departments have not progressed past these training "artifacts," so it may be up to the indi- vidual officers to do it on their own. The right pistol, the right gear, and above all, the right mentality are going to help you win gunfights. Here are three things to add to your "winning mindset" tool box: ■ Stopping the threat. Get past the "I need to hit the paper target" mental- ity and start thinking "I need to win this gunfight!" In a gunfight, are you shooting to try and kill someone? You're shooting to stop potential great bodily harm or death to you, other Circle 17 on Reader Service Card Circle 16 on Reader Service Card I meet women and men every week who are carrying an ill-ftting handgun (often in a poorly designed holster) who dread their quarterly frearms training. LET_52-54_GunFighter0614.indd 53 5/21/14 9:38 AM