Police Shooting Stance and Firearms Handling

Firing Stance

• There are two basic standing styles taught in police shooting: Point Shoulder (Isosceles) and Weaver (or modified Weaver)
• Point Shoulder (Isosceles) Stance:
  • Body square to the target
  • Feet shoulder-width apart (or wider)
  • Knees slightly bent
  • Weight slightly forward
  • Arms locked out in front of the face
  • Advantages: maximizes effect of body armor, wide field of fire
  • Disadvantages: recoil may push muzzle up, not suitable for smaller framed persons
• Weaver/Modified Weaver ("L") Stance:
  • Body bladed to the target like patrol/interview stance
  • Strong leg slightly to the rear, shoulder-width apart
  • Strong arm/wrist locked out in front of the face, pushing
  • Support arm/hand pulling back (isometrically) with elbow down
  • Advantages: maximizes resistance to recoil, smaller profile, suitable for most police weapons
  • Disadvantages: exposes vulnerable area of body armor, not comfortable for some body types

Combat Tuck

• Used in close quarter situations when time is limited
• Position: upper body and legs oriented towards the threat
• Strong hand draws the sidearm from the holster, while the support hand may or may not be striking the attacker
• Support arm must be out of the line of fire
• Advantages: allows shots to be fired from a one or two hand grip, rapid shots can be fired to dissuade an attack
• Disadvantages: may inadvertently hold the handgun too close to the torso, causing malfunction

Shooting Grip

• Two-hand supported grip is recommended for most police situations
• Grip is established with the strong hand (in the holster) using the fingers (excluding the trigger finger) and the thumb
• Web of the hand should be as high on the backstrap as possible on a revolver and firmly against the tang on a semi-automatic handgun
• Index finger should lie across the trigger up to the first joint (double action shooting) or on the trigger for single action shooting

Draw and Presentation

• Should allow the shooter to get the handgun out of the holster, mate the two hands together, and present the gun in front of the shooter's face
• Steps:
  1. Get the proper shooting grip in the holster
  2. Rotate the gun 90 degrees so the muzzle points forward at the threat
  3. Punch the gun straight out towards the threat
  4. Establish a two-handed grip
• One-handed draw and presentation:
  • Strong hand draw: rotate the gun 90 degrees, punch the gun straight out towards the threat
  • Support hand draw: transfer the gun to the support hand, establish a one-handed grip, punch the gun straight out towards the threat

Holstering

• Should be accomplished with the same direct motion as the draw
• Do not relax the shooting grip in the holstering process
• Visually scan the environment for potential threats before holstering### Draw and Presentation
• The draw ends with the gun locked out in front of the eye in the shooter's stance.
• There should be no wasted motions, ensuring the strong arm (gun) doesn't travel above the eyes or loop around to the side.
• The goal is to fine-tune the sight alignment when the gun stops in front of the shooter's face.

Upside Down Draw

• The support hand reaches across the front of the body to release the retention devices and remove the firearm from the holster.
• Establish an upside-down grip on the firearm by grasping the grip with the heel of the hand closest to the tang or hammer.
• Remove the firearm from the holster and bring it across the front of the body with the top of the slide resting on the duty belt.
• Rotate the grip to horizontal and protruding to the front of the officer, establishing a normal grip on the gun.

Holstering

• Holstering should be done with the reverse motion used to make the draw.
• Do not relax the shooting grip during the holstering process.
• Be consistent in all steps to maintain a safe and effective shooting condition.

Loading and Unloading

Revolver

• Unloading:
  • Activate the cylinder release.
  • Open the cylinder by pushing the middle two fingers of the left hand through the opening.
  • Turn the barrel straight up.
  • Push the extractor rod with the left-hand thumb, extracting the brass.
• Loading/Reloading:
  • Angle the barrel slightly downward toward the ground.
  • Insert live rounds into the cylinder using the strong hand.
  • Use speed loaders, speed strips, or dump pouches to load quickly.
  • Always load as fast as possible, as if your life depended on it.
  • If a round is dropped, leave it and put another round in the gun.

Semi-Automatic Handgun

• Loading:
  • Place a loaded magazine into the magazine well.
  • Grip the slide by either a palm down technique or a "slingshot" grip.
  • Chamber a round.
• Unloading:
  • Remove the magazine.
  • Grasp the slide behind the ejection port and pull the slide sharply to the rear.
  • Repeat two or three times.
  • Lock the slide to the rear and visually and physically inspect the chamber and magazine well.

Loading Techniques

• Administrative Load: Load a round, holster, and then "top off" the magazine.
• Forced Reload: Load a fresh magazine when the handgun is empty.
• Combat/Speed Load: Load a fresh magazine when changing magazines.
• Magazine Save/Tactical Reload: Load a fresh magazine behind cover or concealment, and save the partially used magazine.

Common Problems and Solutions

Revolver

• Common problems:
  • Faulty ammunition.
  • Dirty revolver.
  • Loose extractor rod.
  • Revolver out of alignment.
• Solutions:
  • Reload with fresh ammunition.
  • Transition to a back-up weapon if the extractor rod becomes loose.
  • No field expedient method to solve a revolver being out of alignment.

Semi-Automatic Handgun

• Common problems:
  • [To be continued]