How to Defend Yourself Against a Handgun Threat

If you read the Patch even remotely regularly you will notice the increase of violent acts in Baltimore County.

It is a nationwide trend that has not escaped us. Without dwelling too much into the socio-economic realities of present day, and how the proximity of the more affluent county businesses and residences to the deprived inner city criminal element makes for a volatile crime environment, suffice to say that Baltimore County residents are at a daily risk from violent acts.

Today’s headlines alone are of a shooting near the SSA in Woodlawn, suspicious packages, and an escaped prisoner.

I have discussed before the importance of personal awareness, vigilance, and preparedness. Today however, I will concentrate on the principles of defending a threat with a handgun.

Since I do not want anyone to get the wrong impression that merely by reading this article he/she can defend against any suspect with a handgun, I will concentrate on principles only, and not the actual step-by-step skills.

That said, if this is the only training you will ever have on defending against a handgun, following these principles will keep you safe!

• If you can’t touch it, you can’t do a thing about it! There is no magic formula. In order to defend against the handgun I must be able to physically reach it. If the suspect is beyond reach, two options exist: take cover or close the gap.
• Concealment and cover are not the same. Concealment hides you, but doesn't necessarily protect you. Think of a vehicle’s door. You can hide behind it, but at the end of the day that door is made of tin, and most handgun rounds will penetrate through it. Make sure that what you are using for a hiding place is of substantial structure that could stop a round.
• Primary and secondary crime scenes: We discussed this in a previous post, but just to remind our readers: A primary crime scene is the initial point of contact. Compliance at this point will most likely keep you safe. If the suspect tries to move you to a secondary location (secondary crime scene) you must fight against that with all your might, since most of those crimes end in some sort of an aggravated assault.
• Get out of the line of fire. A handgun, as menacing as it may appear, can only cause damage in one direction: straight out of the muzzle. If you can move the handgun or the hand holding the gun, off of you, the gun can go off and you will be safe.
• Stay out of the line of fire. No matter what method you used to redirect the muzzle, make sure you can control that arm/handgun so you do not get back into the line of fire.
• No matter how hard it gets and how bad your “technique” goes, KEEP FIGHTING. At the end of the day, it is the will to survive that will keep you alive. In a real fight situation, with adrenaline pumping, stress high, and fine motor skills deprived, things are sure to go wrong. As long as you keep fighting you will survive the encounter.

A few years back we had a member of Masada Tactical who, shortly after learning handgun defenses in our , found himself being mugged at gunpoint in New York City. The mugger asked our member to walk into an alley.

Knowing that moving to a secondary location is not advised, our member chose to fight the suspect. Performing the skills he learned, he was able to defend himself and disarm the suspect.

Note that the handgun did indeed go off, and the defender’s coat even caught on fire from the muzzle flash, resulting in minor burns, but at the end of the day he went home alive!

As I often tell our members: I know these skills work and I hope you never have to prove me right. However, if and when you find yourself having to defend your life, I hope you do so with absolute resolution and go home safe at the end of the day.

Stay safe!

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein

To contact BK directly you can call him at Masada Tactical: 410-415-6015, or email: bk@masadatactical.com