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Straight stab

Gun Defenses

A handgun clearly represents a dangerous threat. In any situation in which you
feel that compliance will result in your safety, you should comply. No

possession is worth your life. However, it’s possible that you may comply with
every order and still get kidnapped or killed. In these circumstances, you must
know an effective defense against threats with a handgun.

It’s important to understand that most crimes in which a gun is involved take
place within three to five feet of the defender. Gunmen come close either to
terrorize, to intimidate, or to hide their actions from bystanders. This statistic

indicates that the average gun-related crime offers the possibility for defensive
tactics.

The over-arching principle in Krav Maga’s defenses against handgun threats is
this: Once you are out of the line of fire, do not go back in. Every technique
prescribes to this basic principle. In addition, all Krav Maga techniques adhere to

the following four stages:

1. Redirect the Line of Fire

2. Control the Weapon

3. Counterattack

4. Disarm

Often, two of these elements (usually, Control and Counterattack) overlap. As
with all Krav Maga techniques, these defenses must work under stress. They
must also work if simple variations are presented so that the smallest number of
techniques work against the largest number of possibilities.

Mentality of the Attacker

Gun threats are not made in a vacuum. A gunman who sticks a gun in your face
wants something. It may be your possessions, the satisfaction of humiliating you,
or the thrill of terrorizing another human being. Whatever the particular