DO OUR STUDENTS REALIZE THAT THEY MAY GET SHOT?

Most of our students have not given much thought to the fact that they may get shot or stabbed during a deadly force encounter. In addition, injuries sustained in car wrecks and industrial and home accidents have much in common with the injuries sustained during a violent criminal assault (and are far more likely to occur).

Students sometimes get lulled into thinking that the handgun skills of the typical armed felon are going to be no match for their own, and this may be true some of the time. Unfortunately, superior skills may not matter if the felon was able close distance to within just a few paces from the student. It is nearly impossible to manage distance from strangers in public areas 100% of the time. A street-wise violent felon who has a plan and is far more comfortable with violence is extremely dangerous. This is never truer than if the encounter takes place at a distance of two or even three-arms lengths because at that distance, as Tom Givens might say, even a three-fingered jackass can easily shoot the student. It is also never a good idea to discount the impact that sheer blind luck may play even at extended distances.

What do our students probably need to know? One, win the fight. Do what you have to do to lawfully cause the attacker to break contact and no longer be an immediate threat. Two, understand that there are penetrating wounds that will kill them regardless of the available medical care, penetrating wounds that will not kill them even without medical care, and penetrating wounds that will kill them without medical care.  The rest of this  article will address those wounds that without treatment might end lives.

A person can survive for several minutes without oxygen, but once blood leaves the human body it can’t be put back in.  Without immediate treatment, blood loss resulting from damage to any of the various arteries and veins in the human body can be life-threatening.  Persons shot in the arms and legs can quickly perish if one of the major arteries in the arms of legs are severed. The volume of blood found in average adults is about five liters (less for small females and more for large males), and a forty-percent loss of volume has a high probability of being fatal. The arteries operate at higher pressure than the veins, have a higher oxygen content, and are likely to spurt if severed. Failure to address this timely can be fatal. Both possessing and knowing how to self-apply a tourniquet that uses a windlass can literally mean the difference between life and death. Anytime I am dressed I have a Snakestaff 1.5” tourniquet in my rear pocket or in an inside-the-waistband pouch. Other injuries to the arms and legs may require packing or application of a purpose-built or improvised pressure dressing.

Gunshot or stab wounds to the torso that strike a lung can cause a pneumothorax (sucking chest wound) or tension pneumothorax (air escapes the lung but remains inside the chest cavity).  A vented chest seal can be applied to a pneumothorax in order to buy precious time before medical attention can be obtained. Vented chest seals by reputable companies are under $20.00 and easily fit in a rear pocket or purse. Improvised chest seals can also be made of items that are waterproof that can be taped over the hole such as a credit card, empty potato chips bag, or even a quarter if it diameter is larger than the hole. Another option might simply be a strip of duct tape. Tension pneumothoraxes can be deadly, and it is important that the patient receives medical care as soon as possible. There may be students who inquire about using a 14-gauge needle in order to decompress a tension pneumothorax. My take on that is this is a relatively invasive procedure, and since I am not a medical professional it is best left to those qualified to teach it.

This article was written for informational purposes only and is no substitute for training under professional trainers like Dr. Andy Anderson, Dr. Troy Miller, Greg Ellifritz, Shane Kerwin, and Doug Greig.

This article is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. This information represents the experience of leading firearms and self-defense instructors and is designed to help armed defenders and concealed carriers make smarter, more well-informed use of force decisions. Every self-defense scenario is unique, and each defender is responsible for their own decisions.