S.W.A.T. December 2007 - McKeesport Police Department

THREE-CIRC
It’s dusk. You’re in the grocery store parking lot with your children and spouse, loading your
trunk as the children are clambering into the car. » BY MICHAEL TAN
Abeat-up car with three suspicious-looking
men drives down
your row and stops behind you
and your car. They’re not looking for a
parking space.
Two of them hop out, each with a hand
in his pocket, while the other remains
behind the wheel, engine still running.
The fi rst of the two is walking closer.
“Hey, man ...”
Now what?
In this article, we’re going to examine
your options for meeting an attack at
various ranges.
YOUR OPTIONS
People who take an interest in armed
and unarmed self-defense come to the
problem with a number of options.
1. You may carry a handgun.
2. You may have at least one folding
knife on your person.
3. You may be trained and skilled in
some unarmed martial arts system.
4. Perhaps you have theater experience
and have some canned ruses at the
ready.
5. You may be in good physical shape,
able to run miles at a good clip.
6. And what about pepper spray?
7. And your telescoping baton?
8. And your electro-zapper, which
you’ve never gotten up the nerve to try
on yourself (though you came thiiiiis
close to convincing your brother-in-law
to let you try it on him)?
9. And what about a quick prayer for
Divine deliverance?
I’ve just listed nine possible options
for dealing with an armed confrontation.
That’s too many to process. When
you’re staring at a gun muzzle rammed
into your gut, you don’t need a multiplechoice
test.
WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?
The matter is further complicated by
having too many variations. Depending
on the specifi cs of the problem facing
you, the “right” answer may be different.
For instance, in the parking lot ex-
98 S.W.A.T. » DECEMBER 2007 SWATMAG.COM