Recently, I was watching a popular TV show and, as usual, noticed some questionable gun handling in an otherwise fine production. Here are a couple of examples.
One of the main characters, a deputy sheriff, carries a revolver. It looks to me like a 6-inch Smith & Wesson Model 28. That's all fine, but every time he draws it, he cocks it. There are even scenes with him running through the woods, over rocky ground, with the darned thing cocked. In reality, he would be a negligent discharge looking for a place to happen. Those who carry double-action revolvers should know that there are few, if any, defensive situations that justify someone cocking the gun.
In the same series, another actor walks up on two military-trained and armed bad guys with his rifle. He actually gets so close to the crooks that his rifle muzzle is a couple of inches away from one of them. In reality, this puts the muzzle too close to where it could be pushed out of the way by the bad guy.
Then, a few days later, I saw a photo on social media that showed an attractive young lady aiming a compact 1911. The photo had several mistakes in it. The first mistake was the woman standing with her upper body arched backwards, as far away from the gun as she could get, just the opposite of a good combat stance. In addition, the thumb of her support hand was wrapped over the top of her shooting thumb, putting it right in line with the rear of the slide. We all know what is going to happen when she actually fires a round.
We could go on and on with examples we've all seen of poor gun handling. My point is that there are a whole lot of people out there who don't know the first thing about fighting with guns. To borrow a currently popular phrase, they don't know what they don't know.
Most people have never seen an actual gunfight, let alone have ever been involved in one. The only thing they have seen are the gunfights in movies and TV, or in poorly posed photographs. People tend to model firearm usage from these poor examples, often without realizing that they are doing it. It is an important reminder of why all of us need professional training. Professional training gives one the skills it takes to survive in the real world.
Smart people who choose to carry defensive firearms get professional training. Others just watch movies. Which one are you?
