gun-safety, tacticalWe are always taught to keep finger out of trigger guard until sights are on the target. But what about situations when you may be required to shoot immediately but didn’t point your gun yet to the target? For example, some sketchy people approach you at night and you draw your gun preventatively?
So do you always keep finger out of trigger guard or are there tactical scenarios where it may be more practical to have it on the trigger?
This is close to a matter of opinion, but I’ll give you mine, and what I believe is being taught in the better schools.
First, the rule is (or should be) “Keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you’re ready to shoot”. In the event that you are accosted and need to fire from retention, there will be no sights on target. Similarly, if the target is very close, you may not need, or use, the sights. At any time prior to deciding to shoot, and maneuvering the firearm on to target - the finger stays out of the trigger guard. When your firearm is not yet pointed at the target, your finger should be completely off the trigger. This will not cost you time, but it may help prevent a premature discharge which could injure an innocent or at the very least, delay your placing hits where they need to go.
In the situation you give, I would present to the ready if I felt I would need to defend myself. This would mean I'm bladed in my stance and have presented the gun at an angle toward the ground but towards the area of concern. The point is to "make ready" for any situation that could arise. Bad guys tend to not react well when surprised by a strong presentation of arms (along with a loud verbal warning). At the ready, finger is off the trigger.
All sound advice so far. 4strokes mentioned Colonel Cooper, I would also reference the "Color Code of Mental Awareness". If you drill this enough, you'll see something like this coming before it's too late. You'll have made all the decisions already, and instead of reacting in the heat of the moment, you'll be just acting on decisions you previously made. But the point is to live & breath the color code, you have to practice this all the time.
Let me give you the frank opinion of someone who has never had to point my gun at someone. No matter how much I train or how mentally prepared I think I am, I honestly do not know how my body will react when faced with real danger. I don’t know if my hands will shake, or if I will flinch at a sudden movement. I don’t want to accidentally shoot someone, so I will keep my finger off the trigger until about a tenth of a second before I deliberately pull it.
There is a huge difference between law enforcment and civilians. As a civilian it is a felony to point a weapon at anyone when deadly force is not justified. You should never “cover” a target as an officer would in making an arrest. If you are justified in pointing a weapon at someone as a civilian you are justified in pulling the trigger. If some “sketchy” people approach you in the street at night DO NOT draw your weapon until an actual, credible threat is presented or you may be the one who ends up in prison.
One of the many reasons I prefer Colonel Cooper’s safety rules to those of the NRA is they function so well as a complete set… Remember you must violate at least 2 of the 4 rules for something bad to happen.
So when can you put your finger on the trigger - if in doubt make sure where you stand in regard to the requirements of the other 3 rules (for this illustration I have shifted the order for clarity, but the order should not make any difference, they all apply equally)
1) You have treated the gun as if it were loaded - because it is
4) You have identified your target and what is behind it
2) You have not let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy - in a defensive situation I am more than willing to cover someone I believe will do me harm. That leaves my muzzle just two places to be, somewhere totally safe or on target.
If it is on target, my finger is on the trigger
I spent many years as a police officer. In the cases where I pointed my pistol at a suspect, I never had my finger on the trigger. My finger was off the trigger but ready to move immediately.
I personally never keep my finger on the trigger, but I keep my thumb on the safety [1]. I have been in urban combat situations and have never had to shoot so suddenly that I did not have the time to put my finger on the trigger. I doubt that the act of putting the finger on the trigger is any slower than the time it takes me to form a judgement about whether or not to shoot.
That said, any time I have pointed my weapon at someone my eyes were looking across (or just above) the sights, my finger is in the trigger guard, I’ve already put a round in the chamber, and I’ve already batted my head to the left and the right to determine where else there may be trouble. I have practiced going from just-holding-the-M16 to loaded-and-ready-to-make-holes in a very quick and aggressive-looking manner. The whole point is to make them think that you will shoot, so that you don’t really have to. This works great for aggressors whose goal is my own harm, but it works less well for aggressors whose goal is a quick ticket to Paradise. But that is their decision to make, not mine.
Don’t ever forget your own goal when handling a weapon: your own safety and the safety of those who you are charged with protecting. Hurting aggressors is the method, not the goal. Much more often than not, scaring them is just as effective a method as hurting them, and it is safer for yourself and for those around you.
Last thing: know your weapon. Whenever you get a new firearm, “fire” it without any rounds to feel where the trigger release is. Be able to put 90% of firing pressure on the trigger without firing it. Your finger will thus learn the weapon, and you will be safer and in better control both with the finger on the trigger and off of it. Your rounds will find their target better, too, especially on the range and at night.
[1] White lie as now my thumb is broken and I have to open the safety with my left hand.
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