Uechi-Ryu.com

Rich ,

You pose a vexing question because dealing with the threat of a firearm about to blow you away into a pine box , is very serious business ! I will go on record to say that the disarms you have learned will have a minimum chance of success because any skill you will have developed , will diminish by at least 50% under the subliminal unsettling fear your primal brain will experience one step away from potential imminent death ! I must be very careful in giving advice here for reasons which should be obvious !

I repeat : you will loose all fine motor coordination and skill and will feel like a total klutz when going for the gun , assuming your legs will work at all !

Practice the move on the gun as experts recommend [ the gross motor applications previously outlined] and they also recommend SLOW MOTION and follow through practice for safety and accuracy ! Speed will take care of itself if you can get moving at all against the gun ! Remember >> one slight mistake , wrong signal , that gun will go off in your face ! This is very serious business and I don't take it lightly At all !

Also practice with dummy guns …no real guns ..ever during practice !! Real guns always have a way of going off even if they are "unloaded" !

Personally , if I had to be near those areas with my family along especially , I would feel pretty bad about having to rely on some half ass disarm technique against some punk high on drugs waving a gun ! If you are serious about defending yourself and your family against that kind of threat , buy yourself a Smith And Wesson .38 special , centennial [hammerless] , and learn to carry it and fire it from your pocket in an instant !

Van Canna

Van sensei: Thanks for the advice. Next time I am at the gunshop I will check out the .38. I'll take Bill Glasheen with me to the range someday and we can practice firing and then later some disarms.

Legal question now - Should I get a permit to carry a concealed weapon or just carry it? Virginia handgun laws are fairly lenient and if I chose to just carry a gun in plain view I'd be fine as long as I stayed out of banks and DC. A concealed weapon permit is not too difficult to get in Virginia, however. No priors or pending. A job. Four to eight hours of formal training and a trip to the judge to get his/her signature is all that is required.

My wife has no interest in guns but she is ok with them and has no problem when I take my 15 year old to the range. She might, however, be against a concealable piece. We will see.

As far as getting in harms way with the family, if you want to enjoy theater or the arts, you must go into the city after dark. And unfortunately, the theaters are in fringe areas. Also, we have our share of homeless and street wanderers, some mental cases. Once my wife took my daughter and friends on a girl scout trip to a show downtown. They wandered a few blocks to find some fast food. Fortunately a city policeman spotted them, admonished them, and escorted them back to the main street. They were walking right into a known drug hot spot. I believe my personal alarm would have gone off any where near where they were. Nieve suburbanites.

For myself, I often travel to old manufacturing sites in old parts of cities and towns. Sometimes to very rural areas as well. Usually I do my homework ahead of time, but sometimes I end up in a nasty place. There I am, maybe in a rental car, possibly out of state plates, clearly out of place. I stopped wearing a suit and tie years ago and try to fit in as best I can. None the less, I am ofter clearly out of place.

Thanks again,
Rich

Rich,

Do get a concealed carry permit ….do not carry a gun openly in plain sight ever !

While at the range , do not practice disarms until you are absolutely sure both you and Bill have double checked the gun to be unloaded !

Facts for your wife : The completion rate of rape against an unarmed woman is 33% >>>> the completion rate of rape against a woman defending herself with a firearm is one percent !!

However , most of the times guns and women don't mix ! Experts suggest that women serious about self defense [ other than burying their heads in sand] read "armed and female" By Paxton Quigley >>> she used to be antigun until she interviewed women who would not be alive today if they had not defended themselves with a gun ! The best book on the market for women ! Also 'effective defense>>> the woman , the plan , the gun" by Gila -May Hayes ! 800-955-4856 ! Powerful up to date solutions to dangers women face today!

Peace ,

Van Canna

Van-san,

As has become my custom this year, once again I find myself printing your posts to share with my students who are not on the internet... for some of those who are however, may I have your permission to copy this post into the Women's forum as well?

As for me it's back to Barnes and Noble once again! (You certainly keep my reading backlogged - you are merciless!)

Peace,
Lori