By Mark “Six” James

An active shooter is an armed person who has used deadly physical force on other persons and continues to do so while having unrestricted access to additional victims.  Active shooters often look for soft targets like malls, churches or schools due to their low presence of security and high access to potential victims.

The active shootings at Columbine High School, Omaha Mall, Virginia Tech, and Fort Hood left a trail of victims because the shooters were far more prepared than those who suffered in those ordeals.  Financial or emotional stressors, forced separation from a lover or a job, bullying or an overly aggressive manager or insensitive instructor may create the flashpoint which triggers workplace or school violence.

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By Mark “Six” James

 The stress and adrenaline dump of a deadly force encounter are challenging enough in and of themselves; however post deadly force encounter the steps you take next are as important as the preparation which allowed to survive the encounter.  

In most states you cannot use any more force than the force being used against you and when that force stops so must yours.  If you have made the decision to use deadly force you must have felt your life, or that of your client or team member was in serious danger.  That decision will be sorted out by the judge not me but until then here are some important considerations:

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By Mark “Six” James
First and foremost, I’d like to say Hucky set me up by asking me to write this article; as I expect a lot of feedback on the topic from my fellow professionals.

When it comes to selecting a firearm; selecting a firearm is like selecting wine, taste is a matter of preference, within reason; as the mission should dictate the tools.  However here are a few variables that I feel one should consider.

The major considerations for most people when it comes to selecting a firearm, whether for self-defense or executive protection should be:
• Reliability
• Simplicity
• Accuracy
• Caliber

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Here’s another solid video from our friend Mark James from Panther Protection services. As with all the contributors to our website, we are very grateful to be associated with such professionals.

 Hucky

By Mark James

Rule #1 in gun fighting: It is more important not to get shot than it is to shoot; shooting is extra credit.  A gun fight is nothing more than a fight that involves a gun.  In a hand-to-hand encounter (fist fight), whether you have combative skills are not, moving to not get hit is typically instinctive.  Then you look until you hit your adversary as hard as you can as often as you can until you neutralize the threat.  The strategy in a gun fight is the same, whether moving to 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 o’clock to avoid getting hit.  These encounters are dynamic and rarely predictable. Effective fighters learn to go with the flow and let the situation dictate their response.  Very rarely, if at all, do you stand in place, you move to get off the line of attack as you simultaneously or nearly simultaneously launch your counterattack.  Remember many of these encounters happen inside of 10 feet and most at bad breath distance.

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