Positve Identification

Its 3 AM, you didn't go to bed until midnight. You hear rustling downstairs, so you grab your gun and go investigate what you heard. About this time your adrenaline is pumping, heart is racing, hands maybe shaking. This is the point where people will make mistakes, they don't think clearly about what is happening around them.

Lets say for this situation you have attended a Defensive course, does not matter who but hopefully ours, and you have a realistic understanding on how to approach this situation. I want to discuss with you about positive identification and how a split second can change everything in your life.

Grab your weapon, attain a good defensive stance, which is weapon at the ready and head in the direction of the noise you heard. Keeping your weapon postured is important because it means the difference between having an advantage on your target or becoming the target. All ways assume someone is armed. When you come at the ready, move some sort of obstacle between you and your target. You never know when you will need it.

As you see your target, you must discern first who it is. Is it one of the kids? Is it your spouse? Or is it an armed robber. You must do this without thinking to hard, remember you only have a split second before you loose the advantage you have. So how do you positively ID someone?

First, check to see if they have a weapon and or are in a defensive posture as well. You maintain your weapons posture no matter what, shout commands that instruct the intruder to get down. If they become non compliant, your spouse or kids or yourself should have already called the cops and you wont need to wait long.

Alternately if you come down the stairs or come around the corner and have already positively identified the intruder, you are clear to engage. Be mindful of where you shoot, what kind of gun and ammunition you have as well. You want to make sure your impact is on target, not out a window and into the neighbors house.

Look up your states Stand your Ground laws (Castle Doctrine), while most states have them, they do not all perceive property and domicile the same, or if you have to retreat first before using deadly force. Do not let yourself become the victim, instead dominate the situation with confidence and a thorough understanding of your rights.

I was deployed in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq. Now during that time I saw my fair share of what happens when you do not properly ID your target. I've seen years worth of work go to shit real quick, because a soldier did not ID their target, instead killing a local civilian. There were countless shoot don't shoot situations that arose, through proper training however, I knew that I always engaged the right target and kept collateral damage as minimal as possible.

Its not about being aggressive, or about being a gun nut looking to shoot something. We are developing tactical thinkers. Individuals who know when they need to pull the trigger, and only do so as last resort. Its time we as an industry, community and family make a positive impact in our nation.

Our marksmanship programs are designed with practical application in mind. What does that mean? Shooting fundamentals expand much further than the range. The biggest applications are hunting, home defense, discipline, attention to detail and confidence.

Stay tuned to our blog for the rest of the series. Head on over to Facebook and Instagram and give us a like and follow. Message us today to find out when our next event is and how to schedule your training in the West Valley of Phoenix!