Your thoughts on firearms?

Well I have several thoughts about this from a couple of different perspectives. First just let me say that at one time I held a federal permit to carry a concealed weapon as well as received specialized training because of my job in the military. At times I carried that weapon on aircraft for anti-hijacking reasons as well as in the field and would be charged with escorting unarmed or high ranking individuals that were transiting and/or visiting an area. This included countries outside of the US even. Sometimes it was concealed with me in civilian cloths because that was what the situation dictated and other times it was not and instead in a tactical holster strapped to my leg.

I can tell you that the obvious presence of that weapon when strapped to my leg generated a lot more consideration and respect than my not so obvious skills in martial arts. The responsibility of protecting others was why I was charged with carrying that weapon and with that of course came the understanding that I would draw and fire it if the situation dictated that.

Long before this I was familiar with firearms and so some of my martial arts training did include aspects of dealing with a firearm and someone holding it on you. That training served me well and on three occasions I had to disarm someone that was carrying and/or holding a handgun. There are a number of factors to take into consideration that can affect a person's ability to do that and unless you are well versed in guns and also train in this I don't recommend that anyone try to unless they are left no other options. Some of those factors also are not anything you have direct control over and the absence of any one of them could make it a fatal situation for you or some other bystander.

All this specialized training, compliments of the military and federal law enforcement together with my own training in martial arts and personal experiences gave me a lot of insight about this that most people will never have the benefit of. That all is critical in this I think given the finality of the situation if you screw or mess up in a situation where a weapon is introduced or involved. So yes I have blended the training of both to some extent but that does not mean every person should I think.

Most people in martial arts don't develop their skills, and understanding of empty hand techniques enough to be effective like they should be where a weapon is not involved. They probably understand and practice even less in dealing with a weapon or the presence of one and should avoid those situations at almost any cost.

I do have and keep guns at home but if I had children they would be more secure and in a safe instead of where they presently are kept which includes being loaded. Living on a main through-fare like I do with a lot of traffic from some of the most crime ridden areas in this country and given the number of burglary and home invasions that others have suffered that live only a mile from me I keep those weapons readily available. Luckily I live right across the street from the police department which is a strong deterrent in itself but some crack head or coked up idiot might not take that into consideration and there have been robberies only a block away.

My thoughts about all this are if someone is going to have a concealed carry permit they need more training than what most of those courses give them. They also need to qualify with that weapon every year I think and you only need to look at how bad drivers sometimes drive to understand those two thoughts. Those that train in only martial arts and are not familiar with firearms and training with them are better off avoiding situations that involve firearms at almost any cost for the reasons I stated earlier. Their training in martial arts should also include how to behave and act when a weapon is introduced or when caught up in a situation that includes a weapon and not just those offensive techniques for trying to resist and disarm someone. Unfortunately their training does not usually include those other behavioral aspects but yet they are are just as critical and maybe even more so than any techniques that they learn for resisting and disarming someone.

I do have my own firearms. I do like to train in martial arts, and I regularly practice with my guns as well. I don't see any problem with at least being familiar with firearms. I see a lot of martial arts classes that they teach how to defend against a gun, but I often question the moves they use. Since I'm familiar with firearms there's a couple things that concern me. First off, they never seem to account for pinch points on a gun. Or the fact that a barrel can get very hot. They don't account for the fact that once a gun discharges, the bullet keeps going, and could hit people around you. They also do account for the fact it takes you longer to move in than it does for me to pull the trigger.

So I always question gun defense.

I used to train with firearms, though I don't have any at the moment. I will be getting one in the next year or two.

I don't blend them (firearms and martial arts), but I view them both as symbiotic. For complete self-protection, a good martial arts ought to have good firearms training, and one who carries a firearm ought to have good martial arts training.

There are times when either can be better than the other for different situations. There are times when using a firearm to stop a simple assault would land you in legal hot water. Scalding, actually; not to mention the extra trips to the psychologist and/or your pastor. There are times when firearms are not allowed to be brought into an area; when you're out of ammunition; when using it would be too dangerous to family or friends; or where it's too risky (too dark, too crowded, etc).

There's nothing wrong with having firearms as a means of self-defense. But one must be trained to use it - and I'm not talking about a 6-week training course. I'm talking about on-going training and practice (hey! a lot like martial arts practice!)

That depends on each person and their situations. I train martial arts religiously and my kids trained and most still do now. We live in an area where home invasions are possible and it takes the sheriff 45 minutes to come out. That is a very long time to be in a bad situation. So yes I have guns around and my kids were trained in using guns and gun safety as early as 10 years old. They started out in martial arts at the age of 6. The guns were always readily accessible and loaded even when the kids were small. When the kids were real little the guns were in a closet on the top shelf, out of sight but when the kids were older they were within reach for the kids too. But as I said this is not for everybody. If you have trouble raising even just one child with proper respect even if you have several children then a gun is not your option. Keeping a gun in the house requires full cooperation from everybody.

I do not carry. Never saw much sense in that at least not for what I am doing.

I don't think that firearms should be the part of any Martial arts curriculum. If member want to take some courses with firearms that's fine they can go ahead and do it.

Not everyone can afford a pistol, AR15 or AK variant rifle etc.

Plus (at least in the US) there are plenty of private companies/ranges that teach proper shooting and weapons handling techniques.

So I say take the art and then do your firearms training separately. .

I'm a police officer of 40 years, and also a martial artist of various kinds of disciplines since I was a kid in the 50s.....

I definitely think that the use of weapons should be considered a martial art, and should be studied thoroughly by anyone who is going to go armed.

One needs not only study the mechanics of effective shooting, reloading, cover, concealment, tactics, movement, and all that goes with it, but also the legalities of armed defense and the consequences thereof.

Unarmed martial arts techniques are very flexible, and appropriate for most situations. However, when confronting armed or multiple opponents, the use of weapons will do much to equalize the situation. As Bill Jordan used to say, "You don't need a gun very often, but when you do, you need one real bad."

Martial arts is not meant to include the use of firearms. Martial arts should be about hand to hand combat while perhaps dabbling the use of swords and other weapons as part of tradition. If you would like to learn how to be proficient with guns; that's another practice, but not martial arts.

As for keeping a gun for home defense, there is nothing wrong with that. A burglar coming to your home may possibly be armed with a gun; does it make sense that they might be using a gun, but it's illegal for you to carry one inside your home? The gun should stay inside the house, and only be used for purposes of defense.

I study it more in order to understand the weaknesses and the strengths of firearms, but I don’t actually own a firearm. I am planning on going to ranges and renting the weapons, but until then I just work with orange guns and air soft. What I have found from my trainings is that I don’t really stand a chance right now, especially when I don’t know if the opponent is armed or not and what they might be armed with. But knowing that I still refuse to carry a firearm since the chance of me deploying the weapon without getting myself killed is actually lesser than me redirecting the weapon and grappling the opponent down. (In my personal case and opinion.)

There is a reason for the 2nd amendment, and it has to do with defending your home. Like politicians, your focus on who to blame is way off. Guns are not the problem. If they didn't have guns, they would have something else to use to kill. Unfortunately, the whole "We are the World" thing won't happen for quite some time. There will always be some idiot that thinks a gun will solve his problem. A step in the right direction is not forbidding children from guns, but teaching them respect for it. None of the children I knew who grew up with guns had problems because they were educated and not fascinated.

A gun is only useful if your willing to pull the trigger and take a life. If you can't do that there is no use carrying on.

In martial arts you have more control in self defense. And can control how much damage you do to a person. Beside its always better to give then receive, so make sure you give plenty of pain.

Gun defense. If a persons sole intent is to kill you he won't be with in grabbing distance of you he can do this from ten feet away if not further.more then likely it's a mugging, more people get injured and killed resisting during muggings , what little you carry is not worth your life.