Using a Firearm to Detain a Person
Marty Hayes, founder of the Armed Citizen’s Legal Defense Network, shows how an armed citizen can hold a criminal suspect at gunpoint. He emphasizes that every armed encounter does not have to end with a shot being fired, and that the scenario of detaining a criminal suspect at gunpoint must be practiced with others or it will likely not go well in real life.
Thanks for the video with some useful hints on what to do if approached by an armed person. While I agree with most of the comments, I suspect most armed persons especially with a gun woould not be so accommodating. Perhaps another video on what to do in those circumstances would be helpful. As to the scenario of the other person running away with or without a weapon, you definitely don’t shoot because you are out of life-threatening danger, and you would be deemed the aggressor and liable to legal actions if found guilty of injuring or killing the other person leaving the scene.
Well done. You sound a lot like my mentor and trainer, Massad Ayoob. (The Master)
Yea Marty, a gun walks towards you with a gun, you say stop and drop it, and he wants to shoot you to get away. Where’s your video for that???
Seems that if the bad guy already had the gun in his hand and was intent on doing you harm, he would shoot you while you’re going for YOUR gun. Why not evade, and get to a point of cover? Now if he had a knife or club, I’d agree with this procedure(for the most part). It really isn’t the mission of a civilian to detain someone for an unknown length of time until the cops arrive, and hope they don’t shoot YOU.
Don’t do this in Calif/Mexico. You just may end up in jail & sued by the thug.
Are taken out by 5-0.
Great video Marty. Nice to see you again. It’s been years.
What do you do with the weapon of the bad guy? What about watching your surroundings in case someone else is with this guy or the police arrive and don’t know what is happening? I think the key to a successful disarmament is not becoming mypoic or too focused on the bad guy after he has dropped his weapon. Instead of having him face away from me, I would keep him facing me so I could see his hands. Just a thinking.
Great info to make us aware to prepare before hand how to handle situation.
Question concerning the command to drop gun. Isn’t dropping firearm potential danger of firing. Less likely with semi-auto but still.
Excellent video! Very informative. I mentally rehearse scenarios praying I will never have to go through one in real life. This is another tool I will add to my arsenal. Thank you so much for making it available.
Also the second scenerio where the suspect flees……when he left the firearm behind. There may be potential DNA evidence on it. Do NOT touch the weapon to secure it. Do so through close proximity and do not any one else touch it. Let the police collect it though their agency protocol. When calling police identify yourself and what you are wearing.
I think this video is a very good start however I do think somethings can be improved. First off I would like to talk about pointing the firearm at the pelvis. We use a gun for lethal threat encounters. That being said if you are justified to use a gun aim for the high center chest. We use it to neutralize the threat no to wound. I understand that it is used as a low ready position in this situation but if you have time to be at a low ready you most likely have time to be slightly off to the side of the target. Studies have shown that it takes about the same amount of time for each. The difference is to miniscule that it doesn’t matter. We are talking tenths of a second.
Also the way I see it you are justified in shooting him when he has the weapon in his hand the second he drops it and is no longer in a place where he can access it you are not justified. So that being said we are thought to never point a firearm at anything we are not willing or justified to destroy. The second your justification is gone you should be off target and off flesh.
Take as you wish just some food for thought.
I wasn’t able to watch the video–maybe this was covered. But what is the point of holding someone at gunpoint at some distance from you and with his back turned to you, when it would not be justified to shoot under these conditions? You actually can’t legally carry out the threat you are using. If he runs, better let him go, because if you shoot him and he survives, he’s going to be out of jail long before you are. And if he doesn’t survive, your life is going to be ruined.
If the perpetrator does run away and leaves his weapon what is the recommended process for securing it?
TY great intel and very useful
Excellent, Marty. Would be useful to have noted that as soon as you have the situation under control, call 911. And, in the scenario where the guy runs away, it’s imperative you call 911 ASAP to report the incident.
Cops do not say please, thank you or excellent.!!
Excellent video, Marty, thank you. “The body cannot go where the mind has never been.”
Good video.
Please add a section on safety measures for when police roll up and see one unknown person pointing a gun at another.
Good video, but work on that microphone placement, jeez!