“How Guns Work”
There are critical issues to be aware of when it becomes necessary to disarm a gun-wielding assailant when you deem it necessary to do so. A thorough understanding of the workings of those weapons is necessary so you can make that life or death decision.
The two main categories of hand guns are the Revolver and the Semi-Automatic Pistol.
The Revolver has a large cylinder in the middle of the weapon which usually holds between five to nine cartridges, depending on the size of the weapon and the caliber of the bullet.
There are both “Single Action” and “Double Action” revolvers. Since the double action has both features I will utilize it to discuss both types of revolvers. The Revolver’s cylinder rotates (or revolves) prior to the firing of each bullet. This occurs at the time the hammer moves backward prior to falling onto the bullet when the trigger is pulled.
Single Action Revolvers
To fire “Single Action Revolvers” the shooter must physically pull back the hammer prior to firing the weapon. (Caution: If the hammer on the revolver is cocked (pulled backward) it takes only the slightest movement to cause it to fire – if you attempt to disarm a revolver in the single action firing mode you must move the weapon away from you (the target) as well as moving your body at the same time! If you strike the shooter’s arm there is almost a 100% certainty that the revolver will fire. It may also discharge when it hits the ground. A cocked handgun is the most dangerous weapon to disarm and any hesitation or mistake can cause you to become wounded or worse.
Double Action Revolvers
This weapon has both single and double action (trigger pull) features which require much more commitment to fire. Most Police Departments that use revolvers train their officers to fire double action as the trigger pull is much harder and there is less chance for an accidental shooting. In the past, some individuals were killed by a policeman who put a little too much pressure on the trigger while his weapon was in the single-action position. The main difference is that when you pull the hammer back the cylinder rotates and a live bullet is sitting under the cocked hammer. Using double-action the cylinder rotates and fires due to the trigger pull. This is important for you to understand as one double-action disarming tactic is to grasp the weapon and hold the cylinder to prevent it from rotating if your assailant was to pull the trigger as you make your move. Holding the cylinder would not prevent the weapon from discharging it was in the single-action mode!
The movement of the cylinder is not understood by many and has caused the death of many victims. When I was in Junior High School a somewhat wild-and-crazy guy challenged me to a fist fight the following day. I didn’t see him in school on that day and toward noon I heard that he had shot his best friend with his father’s gun. He had removed one bullet from the cylinder directly under the hammer, closed the cylinder, aimed it at his friend’s chest (to scare him) and then pulled the trigger – BAM! – No more friend. He didn’t know the cylinder would rotate and put a fresh bullet under the hammer. (I often wondered if he was getting the weapon out for me since the fight was planned for that afternoon.)
Caution: There have also been many accidental shootings by owners of Smith & Wesson revolvers which rotate in one direction when they picked up a Colt revolver and while improperly handling the weapon they removed a bullet from the cylinder thinking it would rotate in the same direction as the S&W. The end result is tragic when they point the weapon at a friend not expecting it to fire, pull the trigger to frighten them and find that the cylinder rotated in the opposite direction and the result is killing their “pretend” victim!
Semi-Automatic Pistols
These weapons hold from five to twenty bullets usually contained in a “magazine” (sometimes called a clip) which fits into the handle of the gun. There are so many styles and makes of semi-automatic pistols that we can speak only in generalities as some have exposed hammers, some unexposed, some have safeties while others don’t, some are single action for the first shot and some are double action. A Colt 45 has an exposed hammer and when pulled back it is a single-action which means the slightest jar can discharge it. A danger with this weapon is that when firing the slide comes back, ejecting the spent shell which causes a fresh cartridge to insert into the barrel, recocking the hammer. Sometimes the shooter forgets the hammer is back and accidentally discharges his gun.
When a shooter loads an empty weapon he must pull the slide back and then release it to push a fresh bullet into the firing position. Note: On some weapons the slide remains back on the last shot and when the magazine is inserted the slide pushes forward – positioning the bullet in the firing position by itself.
Caution: If you remove the magazine from a semi-automatic pistol a bullet is still in the chamber and the weapon is still loaded and most weapons can fire that bullet!
You can observe this many times in the movies when they remove the magazine thinking they have deactivated the weapon – which is not the case. A good example of this is the movie “Rebel Without A Cause” when Sal Mineo had fired his semi-automatic pistol and James Dean covertly ejected the magazine. Sal Mineo ran out of the building where he was hiding and was subsequently shot by the police. James Dean shouted to the police that he had the bullets for that weapon – NOT TRUE – there was still one in the chamber which could have been fired. Watch the movie closely and you will see it for yourself.
The next critical issue is that if you grab a semi-automatic and it goes off you may suffer great injury to your hand. Some may say, “Well, it’s better than getting shot!” That’s not the issue, the problem is that if you are startled or hurt you may let go of the pistol and your assailant will then begin firing at you again.
If you grab, you may try to grasp his hand or the bottom of the handle. Damage to your hand could occur when the weapon fires and the slide flies back, ejecting the empty shell and then quickly flies forward and slams shut. The types of damage you may sustain include the following:
- Burns from the blast
- Cuts from the moving slide
- Deep gouges or chopped off finger tips from the ejection port slamming shut
As an example there was an officer who was accustomed to firing a revolver and changed his duty weapon to a Glock semi-automatic pistol. He failed to remember that when firing a pistol it is necessary to make sure your thumb is held down. This poses a great danger to the shooter as when he fired the weapon the slide ripped off part of his thumb when it forcefully moved back. I mention this to demonstrate the power of the ejection process.
Two good tools you possess are your mouth and your feet. If you can run, do so if it is safe for you. Try to talk the assailant out of committing this violence if at all possible when you can’t leave and must react.
Remember, only attempt to disarm a firearm if there are no other options. In this article we’ve discussed some of the common types of firearms to better enable you to recognize the best strategy to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Ron Gatewood
