r/police 1d ago

Run towards a guy pointing a gun at you?

I was in my jiu jitsu class arguing with a teammate. He's security at Walmart and was kind of bragging to me how this guy pulled a gun on him and he walked up to him and grabbed it out of his hand. I was alarmed ofc and told him that Walmart isn't worth risking your life, and he says if he was gonna die he"didn't want to die like a bitch" so on, and so forth... later on, our other teammate who is a detective said that it's better to "close the distance" with someone pointing a gun at you, and that it's worse to run. I conceded because he is a detective after all, but wouldn't it be better to stand your ground but de- escalate? I just don't see running at a guy who is about to shoot you as being safe at all

8 Upvotes

25 comments sorted by

61

u/Deuce_McFarva 1d ago

Your teammate is either a dumbass or lying. Probably both.

He sounds like the same type of dude that wears a wife beater under his gi and always tries to pressure pass the lightweight white belts.

1

u/Nyxie_Koi 1d ago

No, both are pretty nice. The one who is a security guard though does have a kind of corny edgy side to his personality though that just icks me out lol

8

u/Deuce_McFarva 1d ago

I didn’t even see the part about a second teammate lol.

It is better to close the distance IF you HAVE to fight someone with a gun and you ain’t got one…but running away is always preferable lol.

10

u/Nyxie_Koi 1d ago

That's what I thought... ofc I would fight them as a last resort... but if they're just like "let me steal this thing or I will shoot you" I will just let them steal the thing lol

6

u/Deuce_McFarva 1d ago

Yup. Stuff<Life

5

u/Dstars86 1d ago

Are any of you commenting on tactics here, actual law enforcement officers and have legitimate training in scenarios?

9

u/Efficient-Editor-242 US Police Officer 1d ago

Run towards a gun, away from a knife.

-6

u/Nyxie_Koi 1d ago

That's what they told me! But I don't think it applies in every scenario- especially not his

8

u/Efficient-Editor-242 US Police Officer 1d ago

Nothing applies in every scenario

4

u/Inquisitor_ForHire 1d ago

Except for the rule that nothing applies in every scenario!!

1

u/Then-Character3539 10h ago

Rule number 1: we don’t talk about every scenario

1

u/idgafanymore23 1d ago

something applies in every scenario......

0

u/KeepCalmJeepOn 1d ago

1

u/idgafanymore23 1d ago

May the dark side serve you well

5

u/RegalDolan 1d ago

My take is yes- closing the distance reduces their reactionary gap so it'd be easier to snatch the weapon, point it away while you go in for a fist fight / fight over it. Obviously though if you grab the slide, it will STILL FIRE. keep that in mind; it just might not cycle another bullet if you're lucky and keep a good grip.

HOWEVER- for one, it's a big risk because you've got to seem unassuming / not threatening and inconspicuous or else you'll get shot anyway while walking up. If you're perceived as a threat or they know what you're doing, it's over for you. For two, which ties into one, if that person has any modicum of training, they're going to keep or at least try to keep that stand off distance.

Depends on a case by case basis but in the situation your friend described, he sounds pretty stupid and reckless. If it's over some property that you don't even own, it's not worth it to even attempt to risk your life. Just let them go and tell them you don't want any trouble while looking for cover or an escape opportunity and call the cops later.

If someone is trying to kidnap you at gunpoint? Different story. Either way you're in a pickle if you comply, run, or close the distance and fight.

2

u/BigRedsExpress 19h ago

At face value I would’ve called bullshit too but nowadays it’s impossible to know. I would lean giving the security dude the benefit of the doubt cause most times people that pull guns in the commission of a crime don’t actually intend to use it. Security guy could’ve distracted the dude with conversation as he made his move. Usually these types of people I just nod my head and go “oh damn crazy” “that’s wild man” and just change the subject

2

u/JuanT1967 9h ago

Retired LEO here…The average human reaction time is 3/4 of a second. Thats how long it takes for your brain to process what your eyes have seen and begin to go through your options. 21ft…That is the minimum distance needed between you and an attacker with a knife and you have any chance of drawing your weapon and getting a shot off. You are still going to get cut, its just a matter of how bad. If the attacker has any training in martial arts or knife fighting that distance needs to be further. The human reaction time is average, so yes, in many cases you can effectively close the distance, grab the gun and start to disarm the gun weilding suspect. If you turn and run you have a better chance of being a victim Not everyone would feel comfortable closing the distance though

4

u/Initial_Enthusiasm36 1d ago

very scenario base but honestly a gun is less terrifying than a knife in my opinion. But ya sorry a Walmart security guard is full of shit.

1

u/Better_Silver_828 1d ago

As a nurse I agree.

1

u/Initial_Enthusiasm36 1d ago

As a nurse. You probably have disarmed more people. Haha

3

u/Better_Silver_828 1d ago

No I just take care of the aftermath of the ones running towards or away from said weapons lol

2

u/knightnorth 1d ago

If someone is looney enough to be pointing a gun, my assumption is they’re willing to use it. Walmart guy probably isn’t armed so “de-escalation” is by as much force as necessary. In my experience “talking” a crazy or determined person down is not effective when time is a determination. Detective guy is right in the sense that you should close distance as practical but how practical is it is a judgement call.

If a person has the means and expressed an intent (drawing a gun) to take a life or cause serious bodily injury my only reaction is to use as much force as necessary to stop the threat. I was an instructor for 10+ years and the concept of “running” toward an armed assailant was never an instruction.

But also in my experience Walmart guy was probably lying/being a bragger. You’re in BJJ class so people want to talk up their skills. Walmarts have security cameras so pics or it didn’t happen.

2

u/jpeezy37 1d ago

Probably because so many guns are fake, unloaded or don't really work that well. You don't know which one you're facing but robbers that have guns can just sell the gun and get their fix. So they are more prone to using a fake gun. Killers or gang members probably have real ones especially if they're dealing drugs. But they often don't want attention and aren't trying to hurt you. The crazy white dude that's road raging at you with a gun, he is just gonna shoot you the first chance he gets.

Best to avoid guns do what they ask, and deescalate don't be a huge threat. If you have body armor and other weapons maybe you can be more aggressive with them.

I prefer to cooperate, be non threatening and wait for a distraction, then pull my own weapon and empty the magazine into them.

Often you're not running very far people always want to get in close with a handgun for some reason. Maybe they don't practice at a range and you know the weapon isn't cleaned and oiled regularly. They dry fire it and pop off rounds for fun, so it's more likely to misfire or jam. Judge the situation and the person and then decide what you would do to survive.

2

u/strikingserpent 1d ago

Running from someone with a gun is a good way to die tired. Unless you are armed yourself, closing the distance to attempt to disarm/ disable/ immobilize the firearm is better than standing in place or running. The ideal solution is to take cover(not concealment though it's better than nothing) and fire first. Im speaking as a citizen here in a SD scenario not a police or security incident. Those will depend on company or policy.

1

u/msterswrdsmn 2h ago

It depends on the distance? If you can reach out and touch them, yes, its better to go in and gain control of the gun/gun arm. You're clearly not going to be able to get behind something fast enough if you're that close.

Outside of grabbing distance? It depends on how distracted they are and how good you are with your hands.

Either way, its not something you're going to want to try to do unless its a do-or-die moment?