Regular Firearms Training: Why It's Essential For Law Enforcers
If you keep up with local and international news, you must have heard of accidental shootings instigated by police officers at least once. Most of these cases often occur when law enforcers respond to and attempt to defuse dangerous situations, especially those involving active shooters. One of the factors that may lead to accidental shootings by cops is inadequate training. But the police can avoid this through regular firearms training, even post-graduation. Follow-up training, be it voluntary or mandatory, is essential because it enables law enforcers to:
1. Prepare for unexpected lethal attacks
Law enforcers are susceptible to ambush attacks, and they have happened before. According to statistics published by the US Department of Justice in 2017, 17 officers were feloniously killed in ambush attacks. Fortunately, firearms training can help mitigate the outcomes of lethal, spontaneous, or unexpected attacks. That is so because the courses and drills trainers subject law enforcers to enable them to draw and fire fast, especially when seemingly neutral situations become dangerous affairs. And the best thing is that regular training allows officers to respond to ambush attacks effectively, even in close quarters.
2. Acquire skills required to deal with multiple threats
If you are a police officer, expect to face multiple attackers and firearms at any given point. That is crucial because more than one shooter may execute events like mass shootings while armed with a couple of different guns. One way to hone the skills to deal with multiple threats without endangering yourself or accidentally shooting innocent bystanders involves continuous, persistent firearms training. When you join a good program, advanced courses like shoot/no-shoot will better position you to engage more than one threat and break adverse phenomena like tunnel vision.
3. Avoid accidental shootings
Accidental or unintentional shootings occur when perpetrators inadvertently fire guns, leading to injuries or fatalities. If you think such incidents are rare or unlikely, this may change your mind: unintentional shootings led to the deaths of 486 people in the United States in 2019 alone. Although most of these are done by children and teenagers, armed police officers too may shoot people accidentally. Gun safety training can help mitigate this issue by repeatedly teaching officers to treat guns like they are loaded and acknowledging that firearms' safety mechanics sometimes fail.
4. Build and effectively use muscle memory
If you have ever engaged an active shooter in your career as a law enforcer, you likely know that complex and fine motor control skills often go out the window when things become heated. The results can be catastrophic when that happens, assuming you lack adequate manual dexterity. But when bad turns to worse, rest assured muscle memory could help you act with unfailing efficiency and speed. And extensive training helps you fine-tune this attribute to an excellent level. Look into firearms training courses near you for more information.