It's been awhile since we've done a dedicated 'gun post' and this is one that I've been contemplating for a while.
Today I'll talk about a pet peeve of mine when watching new (and sometimes experienced) shooters move. Largely, I blame it on Hollywood, but there's some blame to go around to the gun rags as well - most of which may know a lot about guns, but not much about shooting. I love seeing a picture of some gun rag author talking about how controllable the recoil is on a given pistol, and the picture shows the gun in full recoil with the muzzle pointed straight up in the air, but I digress.
Today we will discuss about something that we have affectionately termed "Charlie's Angels". Charlie's Angels is where you move from point A to point B with the gun pointed straight up in the air, ala the old Charlie's Angels posters. It looks something like this:
Inevitably, the same people that do this also have their trigger finger wrapped squarely around the trigger, just like the Hollywood movie heroes.
I'll be blunt. Don't do this. There are several reasons.
1. The threat, or the target, will practically never be above your head. They are going to be somewhere in front of you, if you are paying attention. By pointing the gun in the air, you are wasting valuable time that you do not have to waste in either a gunfight or in a match. It's a bad plan.
2. What IS likely to be above you are people you care about if you are in an office building, or a home with 2 stories. If you have an AD with the gun pointed above your head, that's a bad thing if you're at an office or home environment, not to mention outdoors in an urban setting like where our range is. Gravity being what it is, the round will HAVE to land somewhere, and Mr. Murphy says it will hit something you'd rather it not hit. It's a bad plan.
3. If you happen to trip and fall while moving from point A to point B, and your gun is pointed up, it's awfully easy to wind up pointing the gun at your own head and having an AD while you're trying to catch yourself on the way down. If you trip and fall into a barricade, the gun will hit you in the head or face. It's a bad plan.
4. If a bad guy happens upon you with your gun pointed at the ceiling, it's a simple matter of physics and control to push the pistol into your face, keeping the barrel pointed up, while his other hand is either shooting you, cutting you, or hitting you in your now unprotected belly. It's a bad plan.
The gun is either in the holster, or it's pointed downrange. Period. This is assuming that you, as a responsible shooter, have absolute control over your trigger finger. If you don't, then you don't need to be carrying a gun. I cannot tell you how many times authors on this blog have slipped, tripped, or just fell on their own accord (JR) while running with a gun in their hand and have not had an AD.
Here's a better example of a low ready, or ready gun (whatever you want to call it) that will serve you much better than Charlie's Angels:
If I need to from this position, I can take the shot. I am also in very little danger of having my gun taken away from me or controlled by an opponent. If I am unfortunate enough to slip, fall, or have an AD, the round will have very little chance of striking me. If you're moving more than 3-4 steps, you can take your weak hand off the gun and haul ass - but your strong hand and the gun will stay essentially in the same position you see here.
If you're pointing the gun up when you move, I really hope you stop doing it. And you damn sure won't be doing it when I'm the Safety Officer or Match Director. If you want to shoot yourself, do it on your own time.
