HayesGreener
Ronin
Staying out of your opponent's kill zone is an important goal. Obviously if the opponent is armed with a firearm, the kill zone is much larger than if he is armed with an edged weapon or other weapon like a lead pipe.
In the early 80's Sgt Tueller was attempting to determine how much time and distance an officer needed to react to stop an attacker with an edged weapon. He first determined that an officer under stress could draw and fire in an average of 1.5 seconds. So if you can draw and fire in 1.5 seconds, how much distance can an assailant cover in that average time? Again, using averages it was determined that a person in good condition could cover 21 feet in 1.5 seconds. The concept caught on in police training circles and became known as the 21 Foot Rule. But it is not really 21 feet, or 1.5 seconds, and the fact that a person is within 21 feet of you with an edged weapon does not necessarily justify you shooting them.
We still run the Tueller Drill on the range in LE training. It can be a sobering experience. Every officer has a reaction time based upon experience and training, and it is good to know your abilities. It is also good to have incentive to improve. My reaction time now is under a second for two shots; when I was in my 20's and 30's, my time was as quick as .35 seconds. Some are faster, some are slower. Level III holsters add time. Likewise the suspect's speed of closing varies widely, depending on condition and ability. The assailant may travel as little as 5 feet or overrun your position before you can react. But the time and distance factors are not the determining factors for justification for using deadly force. Just because he is within 21 feet, or whatever your distance happens to be, does not necessarily mean you should shoot him. There must be a threat from the other person that creates a well founded fear that you or others are in peril of imminent death or great bodily harm. Absent an articulable fear you may have an unjustified shooting. The reasonable man standard controls.
In the early 80's Sgt Tueller was attempting to determine how much time and distance an officer needed to react to stop an attacker with an edged weapon. He first determined that an officer under stress could draw and fire in an average of 1.5 seconds. So if you can draw and fire in 1.5 seconds, how much distance can an assailant cover in that average time? Again, using averages it was determined that a person in good condition could cover 21 feet in 1.5 seconds. The concept caught on in police training circles and became known as the 21 Foot Rule. But it is not really 21 feet, or 1.5 seconds, and the fact that a person is within 21 feet of you with an edged weapon does not necessarily justify you shooting them.
We still run the Tueller Drill on the range in LE training. It can be a sobering experience. Every officer has a reaction time based upon experience and training, and it is good to know your abilities. It is also good to have incentive to improve. My reaction time now is under a second for two shots; when I was in my 20's and 30's, my time was as quick as .35 seconds. Some are faster, some are slower. Level III holsters add time. Likewise the suspect's speed of closing varies widely, depending on condition and ability. The assailant may travel as little as 5 feet or overrun your position before you can react. But the time and distance factors are not the determining factors for justification for using deadly force. Just because he is within 21 feet, or whatever your distance happens to be, does not necessarily mean you should shoot him. There must be a threat from the other person that creates a well founded fear that you or others are in peril of imminent death or great bodily harm. Absent an articulable fear you may have an unjustified shooting. The reasonable man standard controls.
