Working Around a Vehicle With a Firearm

[JBoyette]

For this conversation, I am going to talk about a gunfight around a vehicle. This vehicle might be yours, it might not. The vehicle could be an SUV, a car, or even a truck. You need to take in a few key points when using a vehicle for cover/concealment. But before we start that lesson, let's go over the rules of a kill house.

1. No one is coming to save you
2. Everything is your responsibility
3. Save who needs to be saved
4. Kill who needs to be killed
5. Always be working

Next, we will cover the CQC rules.

1. Never move faster than you can accurately engage a target
2. Being smooth seems slow, smooth is fast
3. Two is one, one is none
4. Head up, Eyes up at all times

Why did I post these rules? Because they apply 100% to any gunfight.

Let's start, we all agree that wearing body armor is a wise idea in a gunfight. So let's focus on what body armor does. It places a protective ballistic object between you and the incoming bullets. Does body armor 100% cover your whole body? No. Does body armor leave aspects of your body exposed? Yes.

Now think of a vehicle as a type of ballistic object, like body armor. The vehicle has many aspects that can deflect a bullet off its intended trajectory or flat out stop the bullet. Other parts of a vehicle have little effect on its deflection or stopping its path. Let's focus on the aspects that aid us in upping the odds to our favor.

Assets that help us survive.

1. Entry angle of the bullet
2. The rake of the vehicle
3. Multiple layers of glass
4. Vehicle pillars
5. Interior layout

Using these five assets together stack the odds to your advantage. The below drawings help illustrate this point.


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Learn the CQC and Kill house rules. Always attempt to put something, anything between you and the threat.

John