Five Things Every Handgun Owner Should Know
There is no greater responsibility than providing for the safety and security of your home and family. For many people, the smartest way to ensure personal safety is to own a handgun.
How prepared are you to use your gun effectively in the event of a lethal attack? Here’s a more critical question: If a single product could dramatically improve your chances for surviving a threatening scenario–wouldn’t you want to have it?
We all know the best way to survive an armed encounter is to avoid it altogether. The second best way is to end the incident without a shot being fired.
If the first rule of gunfighting is to have a gun, the second rule is to give yourself every opportunity to prevail. That’s where the Crimson Trace advantage comes in.
1. The Range Can't Fully Prepare You For Real-World Shootings
Practicing at a target range is an important activity for any defensive shooter. Practicing these fundamentals will always be important. Spend time at the range, but be aware that range time does not fully prepare you for real-world defensive shootings.
In a defensive shooting scenario, everything changes. You’re not at the range anymore. Your heart is pounding up through your throat. Your subject is cloaked in darkness. You are fixated on your threat. You have almost no time to respond.
This is not wild speculation. That’s what it's like. These facts are borne out by statistics from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The NIJ has compiled data on Law Enforcement shootings in the United States. The numbers will shock you.
According to NIJ figures, more than 80% of shootings happen in low or reduced light. Even with night sights, darkness makes accurate shooting using traditional methods very challenging.
It is a fact that most defensive shootings occur at very close range. The attacker is usually within seven yards! Split-second decisions have life and death consequences. In most cases, there is no time for a traditional sight picture, let alone your range-perfected shooting stance.
Another big difference between the range and the real world is movement. How often have you practiced shooting while moving or shooting at moving targets? Maintaining alignment with traditional sights in this situation is difficult at best. Lasergrips improve your ability to track moving targets while keeping the dot on your target.
As Robert Hausman of High Tech Firearms magazine describes it:
“… (a laser-equipped handgun) allows true point-shooting capability. The gun need only be drawn, the dot placed on the intended point of impact, and the trigger pressed."
With a laser, firing accuracy is more reliable than using muscle memory alone. This is especially true when shooting from unconventional positions.
As we’ve mentioned, range time is important. Lasergrips can increase the depth and intensity of your training. Daily dry-fire practice will help shooters of all skill levels. Techniques such as shooting on the move and from awkward positions, are vital to surviving an armed encounter. Massad Ayoob, world-renowned firearms instructor and self-defense expert, writes:
“I carry a Lasergripped Model 442 as a backup gun and teaching tool when instructing. The laser comes into its own in training. It lets an instructor graphically demonstrate why jerking the trigger will send the shot awry.”
2. Trauma Of Attack Causes Uncontrollable Physiological Changes
Physiological reactions prepare your body to use the powerful muscles of the arms, legs and torso to fight or escape. Fine motor skill is sacrificed. Operating a handgun without fine motor skills is a struggle: you struggle to hold the gun steady, struggle to pull the trigger smoothly, and struggle to line up sights accurately.
You need to be aware of the physiological effects which a lethal attack will have on you.
- Target Fixation/Focus
- Limited near vision acuity
- Narrowed field of vision
- Auditory exclusion
- “Spray & Pray” reflex
- Sympathetic Nervous System Reaction
Most people involved in shootings report never seeing their sights, and it’s no mystery why. Our natural reaction, when faced with a threat, is to focus on the threat. This “Target Fixation/Focus” is in keeping with our responsibility to first verify, and then deal with, a dangerous scenario.
How do you focus on the threat AND your sights at the same time? The traditional answer is: you can’t. Enter the 21st Century. Lasergrips provide an intuitive, heads-up method of targeting that beats traditional sights in many real-world situations. Todd Jarrett, World champion shooter and international military/LE trainer, states:
“As a person who knows what the front sight looks like, in a CQB [Close Quarter Battle] environment, you never see your front sight. Why not superimpose a laser on your threat? I’m 50% faster coming out on target and can outrun my tritium sights by at least 20% in speed and accuracy with Lasergrips.”
3. Agencies Improve Their Hit Ratio By Over 300% With Lasergrips
U.S. law enforcement officers are some of the best-trained shooters in the world, but hit ratios from shootings in the field are staggeringly low. The latest NIJ data shows that police officers using traditional sighting and training methods hit their mark only about 25% of the time when shots are fired.
Missed shots pose big problems. First and foremost, a miss means that the gunfight is still on, so the situation remains dangerous. The second problem is that as a gun owner, a stray bullet that hits an innocent bystander is your responsibility.
So why are hit ratios so low?
- Over 80% of shootings occur at night, which makes aiming difficult.
- Most armed encounters involve movement of the officer and/or the subject. Again, hindering aim.
- Add the stresses of a life or death situation, and it’s easy to see why so many rounds miss their mark.
When it comes to accuracy under high stress, Lasergrips give you an immediate and decisive advantage that no other handgun accessory can equal. Improving your ability to aim under low-light and stressful situations will help you survive an armed encounter.
Crimson Trace Lasergrips have a proven record of performance and durability in the toughest laboratories— the streets and combat zones of the world. Crimson Trace Lasergrips are used by hundreds of law enforcement agencies and military units worldwide.
The numbers bear out Lasergrips’ success. Agencies using Crimson Trace Lasergrips are seeing hit ratios of over 90% in officer involved shootings. That’s a phenomenal 300% improvement over historic levels.
4. Experts Agree: New Technology Can Help You Survive on the Streets
Technology exists to help shooters of all skill levels improve their shooting speed and accuracy. Crimson Trace Lasergrips represent years of research, development and firearms experience. The result is a practical laser sight for police officers and civilians that provides an immediate advantage.
Denny Hansen, in the July 2000 SWAT Magazine, had this to say:
“I have changed my way of thinking about lasers. While they are not a mystical solution to every tactical problem, they give an operative additional options. The Lasergrips from Crimson Trace, in my opinion, are some of the best tactical tools to come down the road in a long time.”
5. Responsible Armed Citizens End Violent Crimes Every Day, Without a Single Shot Fired
Responsible armed citizens are one of the reasons for America’s decreasing crime rate. Many criminals report that they changed their target because they thought a potential victim might be armed.
It’s estimated that as many as one million crimes are prevented each year because of armed citizens. Unfortunately, not all attackers give up without a fight. Maybe they’re unaware that their prey has a gun. Or maybe they figure their prey won’t actually shoot. Most likely of all, they presume their prey is incompetent and unlikely to hit anything. But a laser says you're serious.
Remember these facts about the aftermath of a shooting: Whether justifiable or not, your life will change forever. You will be sued in civil court and possibly criminal court. Now add the huge emotional toll on you and your loves ones. So how can you increase the odds that the attacker will give up before you shoot? Use Lasergrips and send a clear message. Uncooperative criminals have been shown to comply better with a laser-equipped gun than a non-laser equipped gun.
Sgt. M.L. Gillespie from the Police Training Center in Washington said this about the deterrent effect of Lasergrips:
“The intimidation factor that the Crimson Trace laser provides is tremendous. Time and time again it has de-escalated lethal force encounters into controllable situations."
Will a laser-equipped gun end an attack every time it is used? Absolutely not! But it is a nonlethal tool that has been proven to increase your odds.
A Sheriff’s Deputy from Oregon wrote:
“...When I arrived two deputies armed with AR-15’s were telling the subject to “Show me your hands!” and “Get on the ground!”. The suspect was yelling, cursing and ignoring the commands. I pointed my Crimon Trace Laser equipped pistol right at the subject’s chest. The subject looked down, saw the laser and dropped like a sack of potatoes, yelling, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”
Owning a gun for defense is only a start. Armed with the knowledge in this special report, you now know more about the role of firearms in lethal force encounters than the majority of the gun-owning public. With the awesome power of a firearm comes an equally awesome responsibility. In light of this fact, here are some final recommendations for surviving dangerous encounters: Prepare yourself with the best equipment to ensure your personal safety.
Stay proficient with your firearm by practicing often, and consider getting professional training.