So, does that bring head shots back to the table?
It’s interesting how these threads morph. What started off as a thread dedicated to armor piercing 9mm has now morphed into a Tactics and Training thread.
I think it is fair to point out that this website is visited by a broad range of people, including people new to the shooting world or people with limited training. Given that, I think it is reasonable and responsible to point out that the concept of taking head shots in a high stress situation is probably not the best advice for the average shooter because of points already made by others above, not to mention over penetrating the bad guy’s head and harming the innocent. I think it is reasonable and responsible to advise anyone and everyone to think about limiting their response to parameters that are within their level of ability. Not the level of their ability on their best day when they made that one great shot but within the level of their normal ability.
Have you ever been to an indoor shooting range and seen the incredible number of bullet holes in places bullet holes shouldn’t exist? Do you really want to go onto an open forum and suggest that head shots in an active shooter situation is the best option knowing that the person responsible for one of those errant bullet holes at the public range might take your advice and might be in the same room with you and that active shooter?
I have served as a Range Safety Officer at a public shooting range. I have observed the “average shooter’s” ability level. I am certified to teach our state’s concealed weapon permit class and do teach that class or assist others with their classes. I have seen firsthand the skill level of the “average shooter” coming into those classes. I am fully aware of the laughable accuracy level established by our state as the minimum necessary to obtain a permit to carry a firearm in public. Suggesting to the “average” student leaving those classes that taking head shots in an active shooter situation is not great advice, in my opinion.
Being associated with firearms training I also know just how few of those students take advanced classes and improve on their skill level. Being around ranges frequently I know how few ranges offer the ability for the “average concealed carrier” to practice drawing from a holster, shooting from cover, shooting in a low light environment and firing more than one shot per second or one shot per two second interval. In other words, real world training is not something the average shooter has affordable and frequent access to or ever engages in.
Thankfully, history seems to confirm that the “average” legally armed citizen does typically operate within the level of their ability.
So to summarize and clarify, no I do not think head shots are the best option in every situation and I don’t think they should be practiced or suggested as the primary target zone. No I do not want to see the government step in and increase the accuracy level required to obtain a carry permit but I also think we are giving the typical concealed carry permit holder a false sense of accomplishment under our current standards (in South Carolina). Yes I encourage all gun owners to seek out advanced training under qualified instructors on a regular basis and to base their practice sessions around the correct execution of the skills learned in those training classes.
Does that bring head shots back to the table? I suppose.