• Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Subscription
  • The Magazine
  • Podcast
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Circuit Magazine

For Security & Protection Specialists

Breaking the Paradigm – The 21-Foot Rule

The 21-foot rule has long been an established firearm training standard.  Simply put, it means an average man can close 21feet in 1.5 seconds, as we look at the below data of attacks on law enforcement officers the previous standard far from reflects the reality of the dynamic encounters in both distance and timing in enhancing your ability to prevail in a violent close quarter firearm encounter.

Many gun fights or attacks on principals occur at or near bad breath distance. Thus, your combatives training whether empty hand or with a firearm should more closely reflect the environment in which you may have to fight. Remember weapons don’t make you a better warrior they just extend your reach.

When I look at a survey that was done involving 500 law enforcement officers killed, they found:

  • 65% were killed within 10 feet.
  • 39% were killed within 6 – 10 feet.
  • 47% were killed within 5 feet.

Based on the above data from the moment of recognition to the moment of reaction you have from .5 to .75 second to launch your respective countermeasures. Remember firearms are not contact weapons so closing the gap for a perpetrator is often not required.

You may ask what the relevance is to a civilian of the distance that law enforcement officers were killed? When it comes to armed violence most civilian attacks are ambushes and take place at close range, that often start from a dispute or a professional predator disguising the attack to reduce your ability to defend, by shortening your time of recognition thus reducing your ability to respond.

While I applaud those who have been trained in covert surveillance and have the benefit of large protection details where they have agents working at various stand-off distances which provide a wider field of view, the reality the vast majority of Protection details are solo practitioner models. And under a hostile attack you can only do one of two things either move the client or impact the threat. From a standoff position no matter how good or fast you are you cannot effectively impact a threat at contact distance when you are outside of contact distance.

Also, when it comes to threats whether human or canine, while we know the engagements will typically come at close quarters the officer’s accuracy indicates there is a lot of room for improvement.

  • 38% Hit rate NYC Police Officers involving Shootings vs. Perpetrators and Dogs at distances between zero to two yards.
  • 17% Hit rate from three to seven yards.
  • 15% Metro-Dade Police officer hit rate.

When we look at the firearm performance from two of the largest police forces in the United States who all have ongoing required firearm qualification compared too little to no firearm ongoing required qualification or proof of performance, I have little optimism that most civilians or security professionals who don’t train regularly or shoot competitively would fare much better.

So, ask yourself, where do you want to concentrate your training?”  Throughout the book, we look to provide you some tips, techniques and procedures to help you increase your ability to prevail in the event of a deadly force encounter.

Inside of three yards it is not about being perfect it is about being effective.  Strive to become a student of combatives in general not merely a firearm’s student.  Learn to develop one fight system that works empty hand, with or against an edged weapon or firearm.  Understand movement can often compensate for lack of marksmanship, but a fast draw and great marksmanship often cannot compensate for lack of movement.

In extreme CQB rarely is a perfect sight picture required.  Often a flash sight picture or natural body indexing will allow you to have a positive ballistic impact on the perpetrator.  You don’t need perfect, you need to be effective and able to get your tools into the battle when required.  Carry your tools in a way that allows you to balance your attack, engage from any position or maintain their stealth.  The situation should always dictate the tactics, tools or carry position.”

 


Training for When Time is Life
An excerpt from Defensive Handgun II
By Mark “Six” James CPO, EPS, CAS

Mark “Six” James is Founder and Executive Director of Panther Protection Services, LLC.  He is an internationally published author, keynote speaker, security consultant to educational institutions and frequent contributor to a number of print, broadcast and online media.  Panther Protection Services is a full service protection agency focusing on Risk and Crisis Mitigation, Protective Services, Self-Defense Training, and Firearm Instruction.   www.pantherprotectionservices.com.

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Buy The Latest Issue

Sign Up For News and Updates

We respect your privacy and will not share your information with anyone.
We will only message you when we have something relevant and of value to share with you.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Latest Issue

Circuit Magazine - Issue 66 - AI Armageddon

Issue 66

Buy Now

Latest Newsletter

Newsletter Sign Up

What you don't know CAN hurt you!

SUBSCRIBE

Latest Industry News

Ugandan Minister Killed by Bodyguard in Apparent Wage Dispute

A Ugandan government minister, Charles Engola, was shot and killed by his bodyguard early Tuesday in an apparent private dispute over wages, according to the army and local media. Engola, a retired army colonel, served as the junior minister in charge of labor in President Yoweri Museveni’s government.

Event

News - Circuit Magazine

Zelenskiy Denies Ukraine’s Involvement in Alleged Kremlin Drone Attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has refuted Russia’s claims that Ukraine was involved in a drone attack on the Kremlin, which was allegedly aimed at killing Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine fights and defends its territory, not attacking Putin or Moscow. The Kremlin reported that two drones were used in the attack but were disabled by Russian defenses.

News taken from Issue 65 of the Circuit Magazine

Bodyguard Saves Japanese PM from Pipe Bomb Attack

A bodyguard has been hailed as a hero for his quick-thinking actions during a suspected pipe-bomb attack on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Video footage captured the bodyguard kicking away a metal object as it landed near Kishida
before positioning himself between the Prime Minister and the device, shielding him with a collapsible, handheld ballistics shield.

News from Issue 65 of the Circuit Magazine

AlertEnterprise Reveals First-Ever Guardian AI Chatbot Powered by OpenAI ChatGPT

AlertEnterprise has unveiled its first-ever Guardian AI Chatbot powered by OpenAI ChatGPT. The chatbot will make its global debut at the ASIS Europe and ISC West trade events. Built on OpenAI’s GPT-3 platform, the Guardian AI Chatbot aims to provide security operators with instant access to critical physical access and security insights through quick questions and prompts.

James Bore's Cyber Security

Ways to See the Threat Before it Happens

Threat modelling is widely in use, whether knowingly or not, across every walk of life – and has been used since time immemorial to prioritise security defences. The only difference between the well-known risk assessments carried out by everyone and threat modelling in cyber security is the attempt to document and systemise it. I am hoping that this idea of formal threat modelling will be a useful tool for you to use in your future arsenal of available resources as a CP operator.

Close Protection advice

Keeping Your Edge: Building a Solid Foundation

Longevity, consistency and remaining relevant are some primary goals of all protectors. These factors are important when establishing a new contract and providing services for a new client. But what is equally important is the mindset that goes into those first days and weeks on the assignment. As such, I wanted to get the personal perspective of Vantrell Wilson, a close protection agent who I have trained with and worked alongside of for years now.

Technology in the security industry

Leveraging Technology in Industry Hiring

Increased global connectedness through technology is fast becoming the norm these days. Video conferencing and “face to face” meetings are happening daily in real-time across the world. As an industry that prides itself on having the edge over our adversaries, we are falling below our own standards when it comes to utilizing the technological resources at our availability to their fullest potential.

Global Risk Updates

Global Situation Report - November 2021

Global Situation Report – November 2021

Each issue our global geopolitical partner, Stratfor, provides an in-depth analysis of global incidents via in-house experts, cutting edge technology and through a comprehensive globally sourced network. Here is your summary from the last 30 days.

Popular Tags

armed attack Bodyguard business Celebrity client clients Close Protection Communication cp Crime Elijah Shaw EP Executive Executive Protection firearm firearms government gun Intelligence Law Enforcement Media Medical military News online police Prevention professional protect protection Risk Safety Security SIA Social Media Surveillance Technology terror Terrorism terrorist Threat Training VIP weapon

On The Frontline

The Relationship Between Protector and Venue Security

We need to understand several things in order to make the relationship between protector and venue security a success.  We need to know who we are connecting with, what their mindset is and what their purpose is.   We need to know how to connect with them, how we can get them to do what it is that we desire and how to get them on the same page, OUR page.

Church Security the New Frontier Part 2

More now than ever, church security is an issue that must be addressed in our modern society.  Most recently in Nashville, Tennessee, seven people were shot, including one killed by a person who simply walked in the church, down the center isle, shooting. 

Do you know what you are?

Do you know what you are? An independent contractor, part-time employee, sole proprietorship, etc. Do you know what your insurance requirements are?

Follow us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

From The Archives

Prince Andrew could lose bodyguards amid new Epstein details

Industry News - January 18th, 2020 Prince Andrew could be stripped of his 24-hour armed police …

Continue Reading about Prince Andrew could lose bodyguards amid new Epstein details

The Threat To Americans for Burning The Quran In The US

  On a recent visit to Mazar-e-Sharif, a northern Afghanistan province where seven U.N. …

Continue Reading about The Threat To Americans for Burning The Quran In The US

Global Risk Roundup – November 2018

  Africa Nigeria Boko Haram Attack Forces Hundreds to Flee from Judumri Village, …

Continue Reading about Global Risk Roundup – November 2018

Security industry News Brought to you by the Circuit Magazine

Industry News

Gavin de Becker adds Harry and Megan to his A-List clientele June 03 Los Angeles, CA The Duke and …

Continue Reading about Industry News

Promoted Event

International Security Expo

Latest Podcast Episode

Latest Issue

Circuit Magazine - Issue 66 - AI Armageddon

Issue 66

As AI armageddon comes closer, the global challenge is discerning the line between innovation and oversight, particularly concerning decision-making biases and security implications.

Buy Now

Follow us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Subscription
  • The Magazine
  • Podcast
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

© 2023 Circuit Magazine · Rainmaker Platform

This website or its third-party tools use cookies which are necessary to its functioning and required to improve your experience. By clicking the consent button, you agree to allow the site to use, collect and/or store cookies.
I accept