The Incompetent Assailant

We normally talk about times and situations where the would be victim is at some kind of disadvantage that must be overcome, however, let's consider something a little bit different. Even if you're not a fan of certain kinds of pistols, most of us have a pretty good working knowledge of the concept of a manual of arms and what the common manuals of arms are.

This comes through practice and familiarity. I daresay it gets better with age if you'll let it! I'll admit there's some weird stuff I don't fully know how to work the controls to, like a falling block pistol or a P7, but with most handguns, I can figure out pretty quickly how to make it go bang.

But I've also seen people who are true novices or just unfamiliar with a certain manual of arms get click or even nothing when they wanted bang. I even encountered a man who didn't realize you had to rack the slide. He was just stuffing in a loaded magazine and pulling the trigger.

We know to some degree from anecdotal evidence that among a lot of this scum, a firearm is just a status symbol or a tool for intimidation. Indeed, you can say "Glock revolver" to over 80% of people and not get so much as a raised eyebrow in reaction. Not that everyone else is dumb and we're special, they just don't know.

We also know, and I can't remember my source, that the police tell us that guns tend to be taken from people the crook knows or obtained through illegal sources the great majority of the time. No surprises there!

My speculation therefore is this: say you are caught in Condition White momentarily, or you are blinded by a passing car with its lights on bright, or whatever, you drop your guard for a split second and when you do some gang banging punk desperate for crack money sticks a muzzle in your nostril. For the sake of argument we'll assume he's a touch smarter than the rest and actually orients the pistol correctly so you can see the controls.

However you notice that the safety is on and his thumb isn't even on it. Let's just pretend that for the sake of argument, it happens to be a gun you're personally quite familiar with and you are thus able to distinguish this even in the poor lighting under stress. Odds are pretty good this goober has a stolen weapon he just flashes in people's faces so they'll do what he wants.

You have a conundrum. While you are at an advantage here, you have to deal with this thing that is very much trying to kill you. If you try to flee, that may give Bozo just enough time to figure out the safety is on and he may get some shots off. But if you stand your ground and neutralize the threat, you may very well have to explain yourself. Why did you shoot someone who wasn't in an immediate position to harm you?

I know what I'd do regardless, but let's turn this one loose on the forumites at large.