Handguns for Self-Defence A South African Guide Gerry Gore Foreword Ignorance is bliss? True enough, but when ignorance gives precedence to animal instinct there is nothing but disaster for the modern man. The gun, be it pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun, is a modern 'extension' of the prehistoric club, which explains the chauvinistic wielding of firearms so commonly reported in the news media. A heartening thought is that the history of pistolcraft has experienced its era of chivalry, evident from the works of many historians, and that gun manners were at one time highly respected and protected by many who cared. The status symbol of the past century was to own a matched pair of guns, highly decorated and preserved in a case marked with the craftsman's name which gave aesthetic value to the nobleman's possession. In our present time, there are but a few men who have endeavoured to preserve the right of ownership to firearms and even fewer can appreciate the different qualities or even calibres of the available pistols. The great majority, I am sorry to admit, are grossly ignorant of the proper use and application of the handgun, causing nothing but pure frustration to those masters of pistolcraft such as my good friend Gerry Gore. Many years of experience and awareness for survival, coupled with good gun manners and knowledge of the application of firearms, are excellently presented by Gerry Gore in this publication, which is a worthy addition to the library of every shooter or potential handgun owner. Jorge Almeida Chairman South African Practical Pistol Shooting Association 1 Preface The historical right of the individual to stop an aggressor, by any means at his disposal, from carrying out a threat of physical violence from which serious bodily harm or death could ensue is inviolate and fully recognised by all the judicial systems in the free world. In the same way, the right of a person to defend his home and property against an illegal attempt to deprive him of his possessions is enshrined in the Law and, no doubt, will continue to be so either until the world reaches the Utopian age when criminals no longer prey on the law-abiding or until, bereft of this human dignity, we cease to be free. A thousand years ago the Saxons were banded into groups of ten families called tithings in which members were collectively responsible for the upkeep of law and order. In a time when there was no standing army, these tithings were the militia. They were subject to call up in defence of the realm and were required to be armed, a practice which was carried on well into the seventeenth century in England and which still continues today in Switzerland. As this old custom implies, every citizen has a duty not only to help in the defence of his country in the armed forces but also to come to the aid of the police force in the course of their daily war against crime, either when requested by the police or, in their absence, by upholding the law on his own as a responsible citizen. The fact that he has entrusted the guardianship of the law to a police force in no way abrogates the citizen's duty to uphold it. The most commonly used defensive tool - commonly used because of its convenient size and hence availability - is the handgun, a weapon whose very capabilities render it the least desirable of offensive firearms. The handgun, despite its popularity, is without doubt the most difficult weapon to learn to use efficiently. This book is intended to remove the ignorance surrounding the handgun. It will lead an absolute tyro through the very basic techniques to the point at which, if he practices, he will be able to hold his own on the combat range or face an armed opponent with the confidence that he can stop the threat with the utmost speed and efficiency and the minimum of danger to himself or a bystander. I make no excuse for the fact that many of the ideas expressed in these pages are those of my tutor and friend, Colonel Jeff Cooper, USMC retired. For nigh on thirty years Cooper has been active in the field of practical pistolcraft, not only as a skilled competitor but also as a coach beyond compare. He has applied his considerable intellect to the analysis of winning techniques on the range and of the results of numerous firefights in which, all too often, peace officers or private citizens died because of inadequate training. This research has culminated in a system of coaching which produces a polished performer, fit and capable of carrying a handgun. Cooper's whole outlook is summed up in three words which have become the motto and creed of the international combat-shooting world. They are Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas - Accuracy, Power and Speed - and, if the beginner is to extract the maximum benefit from his hard work, these must become his goals too. Power can be bought with the choice of weapon but only education can lead to the acquisition of Accuracy and Speed. These three tenets are complementary, any two of them being worthless without the third. 2 It is not that I have followed my mentor blindly. Indeed, on many occasions I have questioned his teachings only to retire in confusion when confronted by his reasoned logic. The world of pistol shooting is not however a world of cut-and-dried rules and what might be accepted today as the best method of shooting may easily be replaced tomorrow by some new technique. All the time the sportsman, in an attempt to improve his performance, tries to by pass established rules and these advances tend to rub off gradually on all those who carry a handgun. The time has come for the law-abiding to be able to go quietly about their daily routine without fear of the law-breaker. And the way to achieve such a state of affairs where the innocent walks secure is for the innocent not only to carry a firearm but also to be expertly trained in its use. 3 Introduction Who Needs a Gun Anyway? Two characteristics divide us as Homo sapiens from what we choose to call the 'lower forms' of life. The first is our ability to design and use tools ranging from simple, basic tools, often thousands of years old in concept but now made with modern skills and materials, to the highly technical devices of the computer age. Correctly used for the task for which it was designed a tool fulfills a necessary function. Misused, however, by its human master, any tool can become an instrument of mutilation, death or destruction - a tool of evil. A tool is an inanimate object - with no mind, no direction of its own and it can never be blamed for the consequences of its abuse. A firearm is just such a tool. In the hands of the target shooter it has the potential for making holes in a paper target; to the hunter it is the means of killing his quarry; to the soldier it is his personal weapon for defending his country; to the criminal it is a tool of violence; and to the private citizen it may be the difference between life and death in a confrontation with evil. This is the other characteristic of the human race - it is the only species that preys on its own members not merely for food or in self-defence but for gain or 'kicks'. 'A man has just died in hospital after being attacked with an axe ... A boy of five is in the intensive care unit after being stabbed while playing ... Three armed men robbed a firm of R9000 this morning ...' Such is the content of a typical daily regional newscast. Every day there are reports of murder, rape, robbery and violence with unsuspecting, unarmed, innocent people the victims. Crimes for gain, sexual gratification, greed, passion, bravado. Whatever the reason, the person who is unsuspecting and unlikely to offer any violence in return is the quarry for these human jackals - simply because he is a pushover. Only too seldom are the law-breakers confronted by retribution in the form of a trained, well-armed citizen who can stop them in the course of their predations. Too many people these days worry about the criminal and his deprived upbringing and give no heed to the victim or his family. No matter what the criminal's motives or psychological problems may be, of his own free will he puts himself outside the pale of normal consideration. He consciously resigns from the human race an must bear the consequences of his actions. It is easy to think that nothing will ever happen to you or your family. People who wear blinkers or rose-coloured spectacles argue that we have a perfectly adequate police force to look after us. That may well be. The police may indeed apprehend your murderer or the animal who raped your daughter but this country is so large and the police so few that it is quite likely that you will be alone when you face your bull. If we are not prepared to uphold the norms and values by which we run our lives, if we are not ready to fight for them if necessary, then civilisation is doomed and our world, if it lasts long enough, will revert to primordial anarchy in which only the ruthless will survive. During the night of Saturday, 9 August 1969 five lives could have been saved if just one person at 10050 4 Cielo Drive above metropolitan Los Angeles had had a firearm and the ability to use it.