While distance is usually your friend, it’s not always true. Sometimes your attempt to gain distance could be counter to your survival. Often this statement assumes the BG is a terrible shot, and your good…maybe that’s not the case…maybe he practices several times a month, maybe he’s ex-military.
Also, there’s a general tendency for all answers to be gun centric. In some cases going for you gun will get you killed since it takes time to draw and bring your weapon into play. We often quote the coveted “21 ft rule� when talking about the BG, but forget that it works both ways. If the BG is within close engagement range you could close on him and use hand to hand and probably be faster then backing up and bringing your roscoe into play. Closing on him also has the potential added advantage of allowing you to direct his firearm away from you. If you don’t have some basic H-H training, then get some.
Movement is a good thing. One true axiom is “don’t be where the BG’s gun is pointing�. If it ain’t pointing at you, he can’t shoot you! Once you start moving, my suggestion is don’t stop until you reach cover, or the fights over. Stopping to get in your stance means you’ve stopped, and have become an easier target for the BG. Keep moving. If you currently don’t practice shooting on the move, then start. Remember, unless you get a CNS hit, your pistol, even if it’s a 45, won’t instantly stop the BG’s ability to return fire. It’s a dubious honor to be able to say I killed the guy that killed me.
After the BG’s down and out of the fight, check 360 degrees. Does he have any friends, is the fight really over? Then reload your weapon…you do carry a spare mag don’t you? Then check to see if you were hit. Just like BG’s get hit and don’t know it due to adrenaline, so do good guys. Allowing yourself to bleed out until you pass out is not good self defense tactics.
The most important thing is to keep thinking and once you decide the time is right to attack, then attack with all the vengeance you can muster, and stay in the fight until it’s over.