Do you and your spouse/SO have a plan.

[elpjt]

On our evening walk tonight the subject of what to do in a bad situation came up. If I did not have the opportunity to draw my weapon what would my wife do? We talked about her getting behind me and how to get to the gun. I am interested on what other members plan of action might be. She knows how to shoot and ideally will be getting her CHl along with my daughter. We do spend time at the range and every one is proficient with our home protection weapons but with the escallating cartel violence the SA is heightened state. Amazingly we have had a mountain lion also in the yard.

Thanks, JT

[The Annoyed Man]

We both have our CHLs, and we both carry 24/7. Our plan, generally speaking if we are in a public place, is to both draw our guns (assuming that it is time to go to guns) and then separate by a few feet so that the BG now has to consider a threat from two different directions, and he can't take both of us out with a double tap. And even if he wings one of us, the other can return fire, winging him. Then, assuming that we are able to either put him down by gunshot, or force his compliance to get down, one of us can cover him while the other calls the police.

Our plan at home is kinda similar, kinda not.....depending on what room we're in, and what time of day or night it is.

[MrBrightside2]

We've had this discussion too. My wife doesn't carry yet though (I'm selling it). My number one priority would be get my wife out of the way and if necessary draw fire until I could get my s together.

Not much of a plan but if it came down to it I'd be thinking, 'Poor observation Brightside...Poor Obs...'

[E.Marquez]

One of the hard truths, is you can not help if your dead or incapacitated. You can not call 911, you can not stop the bleeding, yours or your others... Security is first, respond to the threat. the other non defending party, needs to care for them self's if possible, like say a wife, or older child. They should go to ground, move to cover and call 911 for you.. what do we call the 1st caller// The victim, the second caller, the other guy (actor, assailant, man with a gun, something, and not likely the guy who was defending himself and his SO)

That seems a bit heartless I know.. but in the end, if I don't take down the threat, Im not doing any good to my wife (personally, my wife is moving to cover, so as to draw and beat me to an x ring)
If we go our separate ways, looking for cover.. if she gets shot, im likely to have engaged and be able to move to her for help with aid in the golden hour,, lots of people survive a GSW. Same for if I get hit..

If Im doing the "Protection bit".. and get shot.. now who is shooting the bad guy and or calling for help, getting to the vehicle for the [pre-paid legal] kit..etc.. To each his (or her) own.. thinking it through and devising a possible plan (no operations order (plan) ever survived first contact.). Training, instinct and common sense takes the day.

[MrBrightside2]

In a situation like this I think of General Patton. Make your plans by all means. But recognize that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Stay sharp, evaluate, adapt, and overcome.

I think my work is done here.

[mamabearCali]

Well as we only have one weapon right now (hopefully soon to change) and we have kids along with us most of the time. The job Chris has is to take out the BG if at all possible, my job is to get the kids to cover (some are quite small) call 9-11 and get out my knife and pepper spray for a last ditch defense of our family. Again you make plans, but heaven help you if you actually have to put them into play because they rarely turn out the way you plan.

[Oldgringo]

No, we play the hand that is dealt.

[howdy]

A long time ago, my wife and I went to a stop and rob late at night to buy her some over the counter medication. Shortly after entering the store, two really bad looking guys walked in and they appeared to be checking the situation out. I took her by the arm and said "lets leave" and she said no, she wanted to get her medicine (her SA has not gotten any better). I again told her we needed to leave and she said no. Lucky for us, the two guys did nothing and my wife got her medicine. After the fact, we had a long talk about what we would do in the future. We now have a "Code" phrase with a few choice expletives, that if said, the other is to go along with instructions without question. I can say this covertly (part of normal conversation) so the threat will not know that I am concerned. I have used it several times over the years and it works very well.

[johnson0317]

Howdy howdy,

That sounds like a good idea. My wife also has minimal situational awareness. She swears nothing escapes her notice. If this is true, then she has minimal ability to assess a threat. I think I will see if she is willing to come up with a code phrase, something that I can also use with my kids.

RJ

[wrinkles]

Here's what I've discussed with her.

Given that statistics show the majority of shots fired are misses I don't want you anywhere close to me when it happens. I will draw and move away from you. You need to run away from the threat and find cover. Keep using cover and moving away. If while firing at the threat I happen to go down I want you as far away from me and the other shooter as possible.

[flechero]

Given that statistics show the majority of shots fired are misses I don't want you anywhere close to me when it happens.

That's a great point that I hadn't really considered beyond the likelihood that I might not get shot immediately.

[The Annoyed Man]

Here's what I've discussed with her.

Given that statistics show the majority of shots fired are misses I don't want you anywhere close to me when it happens. I will draw and move away from you. You need to run away from the threat and find cover. Keep using cover and moving away. If while firing at the threat I happen to go down I want you as far away from me and the other shooter as possible.

Exactly one of the reasons why my wife and I agree to separate if it's time to go to guns.....with the following caveat.....

My wife has her CHL. She carries a 9mm, and she knows how to shoot it. She carries a gun for all of the reasons that I carry a gun. While, as the husband, I feel a certain responsibility for the protection of my family, she is a 50mumble year old adult, and she feels much the same way. Who am I to argue with her about that? So, she is as much of a warrior as I am....to the extent that two out-of-shape folks approaching senior citizenship can be considered warriors. If I am shooting, she'll be shooting too. If she is shot, I will fight my way to her side. If I am shot, she will fight her way to my side. Both of us know to seek cover, so it will be the natural impulse for either of us to seek cover in the direction in which we are moving—away from one another—which will increase the odds of survival for both of us......rather than letting some scumbag kill us both in one place.

Oldgringo said, "no plan, we play the hand we're dealt." That's fine, but we try to have a couple of hole cards up our sleeves. The fact that we plan to spread out is one. The fact that she is armed (which may be unexpected to the BG) and willing to use it is the other. Those two hole cards are almost universally applicable. Other than that, there is no real plan, just the idea of a place from which a plan can develop. It may be axiomatic that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, but it is also axiomatic that plans can develop on the fly. My dad use to say that one of the things he learned in Marine Corps OCS was that any decision is better than no decision when you are under fire. We make lots of decisions long before the dreaded possibility of contact with an enemy—the first of which is the decision to be armed in the first place. THAT is a plan. Doesn't mean you're going to use it on any given day, but if planning = preparation, then the decision to carry a gun is a plan. Ditto the tactical decision we've arrived at, described above.

[Oldgringo]

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Oldgringo said, "no plan, we play the hand we're dealt." That's fine, but we try to have a couple of hole cards up our sleeves.

It's true, while we don't have a playbook or any plays written on our wrists. We plan not to put ourselves in harm's way by avoiding nightime varmint ridden parts of town or after dark shopping/eating, etc. We establish eye contact with suspicious bipeds and look about us in parking lots and filling stations, etc.

Should a BG get the jump on us after all that, Mrs. Oldgringo will waddle off in one direction screaming while I waddle off in the other direction cussing and shooting over my shoulder with the full knowledge that the police will be along sooner or later.

[4t5]

The only plan that we have it that when she hears me say something like "Oh, no, please don't hurt us!", that she is to duck and run, because I'm drawing.

[The Annoyed Man]

The Annoyed Man wrote:

Oldgringo said, "no plan, we play the hand we're dealt." That's fine, but we try to have a couple of hole cards up our sleeves.

It's true, while we don't have a playbook or any plays written on our wrists. We plan not to put ourselves in harm's way by avoiding nightime varmint ridden parts of town or after dark shopping/eating, etc. We establish eye contact with suspicious bipeds and look about us in parking lots and filling stations, etc.

Should a BG get the jump on us after all that, Mrs. Oldgringo will waddle off in one direction screaming while I waddle off in the other direction cussing and shooting over my shoulder with the full knowledge that the police will be along sooner or later.

Well OK then! That sounds like our plan, except that my wife will be shooting too, and telling me to watch my mouth.