While participating in a Force Science Institute class recently, we got on the topic of handgun stopping power. What came out of that discussion was the understanding that handguns don’t really have stopping power. What really ends a fight is that the person you are shooting decides to stop shooting.
In most cases, the wounds inflicted by handgun rounds are not fatal. They are often not even severe enough to force a person to stop fighting. What really happens is that, once shot, the attacker often decides to stop fighting. When that happens, you get a situation like the case of Sgt. Timothy Gramins. A bad guy who just did not want to quit fighting attacked Gramins. That bad guy took 14 hits from Gramins’ .45 ACP. Doctors later said six of those hits were fatal shots. The final three shots hit the bad guy in the head; two in the face and one into the brain. When EMS arrived, the bad guy was still breathing and made it to the hospital alive.
Think about all those movie scenes you’ve watched over the years where one round from a 9mm puts someone on his butt. So fake. Don’t believe the hype.
If you are fighting, you are fighting for your life. Make up your mind right now to keep fighting until you have stopped the threat. Keep shooting until the threat stops. Do you have spare ammo? Sgt. Gramins switched from a .45 to a 9mm and now carries 145 rounds on his person every time he goes on duty.
Conversely, if you are shot, keep fighting. Keep fighting until you are no longer physically able to move. Force your attacker to make a choice. I want your attacker to think, “Damn, this person is not going to quit. I should get out of here!”
by Kevin Michalowski
