by Chris Cerino
Chris Cerino (right) is the director of training for Chris Cerino Training Group LLC. Teaching in a “do as I do” fashion is what has caused him to be a respected instructor nationwide. He is also a competitor who has worked in peacekeeping positions for municipal, county, state and federal agencies spanning more than 20 years. A majority of those years have been spent in tactical and firearms related fields. Email: chris@cerinotraininggroup.com; phone: 330-608-6415.
There is no doubt that some people own guns just to enjoy owning them, handling them and shooting them for the pleasure of it. That is the category my father falls into. He likes the guns he has for the artwork and craftsmanship they represent.
He may even shoot them from time to time. My father does not compete with them, nor does he carry a gun for protection.
Is there a gun for protection in the house? You bet.
However, he is not a “tactical” type of person. With a triple bypass, a pacemaker, physical limitations and age, he is able to do little more than point and click. I’m not referring to his computer skills. It is his choice. I have given him the minimal knowledge and skills required for presenting it to a target, firing and manipulating that pistol for loading and unloading.
There are two other categories of gunowners. The two do not necessarily go hand in hand.
First and most prevalent is the self-defense gunowner, whether in home only or as a concealed carry citizen.
Secondary is the competitive shooter gunowner. Anything from the action shooting sports to static bull’s-eye.
Me? I fit all three. I have guns that I just like to hold, admire, wipe down and put away. Then there are my competition guns. Those are my well-worn tools of the trade. They are only admired by others and seldom get more than a wipe down. Then there are my defensive guns, three exactly. My duty police pistol, my secondary or back-up gun, and my daily pocket pistol.
Scratched and used but cared for like my life, or another’s, may depend on it, these three get plenty of cleaning and attention to detail.
Back to reactions being based on training. If you plan to use a gun to compete with or to defend your life with, you will be using it in a stressful situation—mentally, physically or both.
Not sure of the origin of this saying, I have been using it for many years: “Given no time to think, a man will react as he has been trained.” Picture this, best described by the vision of a child whacking another child over the head with a foam baton: one hitting and the other throwing his hands up in an attempt to block the blow. It’s an instinctive response to protect your head. With training, we can learn how to better block the blow, move to decrease the blow’s efficiency and even parry the blow to counterattack.
When the feces hits the fan, you do not rise to the occasion but rather default to your level of training. That said, think about your relationship with your guns and their intended purpose. If you have a pistol that you carry every day or keep in your home for defense of self and others, how do you handle it? How do you hold it and load it? When you shoot it, is it simply to try to hit a target and put some rounds through the gun? Owning guns with the intention of using them to protect yourself entails so much more than just looking at them or shooting them at a target and then cleaning them. Remember that when all you can do is react, you will do what you have always done. Because, what you always do, is how you have trained.
Almost anyone can load and unload their gun, point and shoot their gun or, take it out of a holster or pocket. What really matters is HOW you load and unload. Can you do it in a tactically sound manner? In a hurry? Can you “draw” your pistol from a holster or pocket and present it to a target in a timely manner while acquiring sight alignment and the necessary sight picture? You need good advice or training on these topics. Where you get that training and advice is important. Your life may depend on those lessons. Just because a person likes guns, owns a couple and knows how to shoot guns, doesn’t mean he should be training you. It doesn’t mean he will be able to react appropriately in self-defense or competition situations.
Getting training in sound handling and manipulation of your guns is not hard. With a good shooter or trained operator, it can take as little as just a few two- to four-hour sessions. Good training should become the way you handle your guns, which in turn, should become the way you will react.
Think about it! Repetition is the mother of all skill and you will react as you have trained. Make those trips to the shooting range count by doing things tactically sound. Practice with a purpose to build the skills you need based on what you intend to do with the guns you handle and shoot. It’s more than just hitting your target!
