MULTIPLE ASSAILANTS

Over the past few years the FBI Uniform Crime Report has shown a rise in crimes committed by multiple perpetrators.  I believe this to be a result of an increase in gang popularity and because the predators are younger today, they probably feel stronger and safer in packs.  That means the chances of us having to face multiple assailants in a self-defense situations are also rising.

First, we must define what is meant by “multiple assailants”.  Just because there is more than one opponent, that doesn’t mean they are all a deadly threat.  We must ask ourselves “do they all have the means/tools by which to cause severe bodily harm and am I in fear for my life or the lives of others”.  After we answer those questions we need to look at the dynamics of the situation.  If our adversaries are in a line, one behind each other, (which is very rare) a step or two to either side and you can block their line of fire with their associates, preventing them from engaging you simultaneously.  This would make the situation a series of single target engagements and thus we should do so with two shots to each center of mass, lower our firearm to low ready and assess.  If any threat remains, treat it as a failure to neutralize and address accordingly (covered in a previous Tip of the Month).

If they are lateral, now we have a true multiple assailants scenario because each can engage us simultaneously.  We need to ask the same questions as above (are they all threats etc.) but this time our engagement will be different.  Fire only once at the center of mass (chest) of each adversary, assess and re-engage as a failure to neutralize, if necessary.

The last technique I’d like to talk about is order of engagement.  If you address the weak-side target first and swing to your strong side, I feel you get weaker (making it more difficult to control felt recoil) as your arm swings. Also, if you use a Weaver stance, your firing hand and forearm can obscure a large portion of the threat and you run the risk of swinging past your target which will take you longer to get back on track.  My preferred method is to start with the strong side first then swing towards the weak side.  I feel my stance grows stronger and I have a clearer field of view.  Focus on the front sight and fire, then transition to the next threat – do not look for hits on target.  You typically can’t see bullet holes in a person so don’t waste time looking.  Once you’ve hit all threats solidly in the chest, bring your firearm down to ready and assess the situation, moving your body from the waist, left and right while keeping the firearm directly below your line of sight.

At your next practice session try both methods, weak to strong and strong to weak and see which is best for you.  After all, that is the true test of any technique – does it work for me?