(From the Tactical Hermit: This is one of the early uses of the “Metal on Meat” technique. Field Proven!!)
Lethal-force events can happen in a split second, you need the capability to respond in kind. Here’s how law-enforcement legend Jim Cirillo got the drop on the bad guys.
How Does Jim Cirillo’s Coarse-Aim Shooting Technique Apply To Defensive Situations:
He aimed by using the outline of his handgun as his sights — if the bad guy was wider than the pistol he could get a hit.
The technique is only appropriate for close situations where the utmost precision is not required.
Straight forward, the technique requires practice — plenty of it — to safely and effectively apply it.
The British have a saying (or did, before the anti-hunting zealots made riding horses a heretical offense), “Horses for courses.” That is, if you want to win, you ride the correct horse for the course to be ridden. Cowboys understand this, as the smart ones would not select a Budweiser Clydesdale for a barrel-racing event.
And so it is with firearms. While there are good “do-all” firearms that can cover a lot of problems, you still want the best for the job. And you want the best technique.
That was the problem faced by Jim Cirillo, and the rest of the NYPD Stakeout Squad, when dealing with bad guys. In this sedate and safe second decade of the 21st century, it’s difficult to imagine just how hard and dangerous our cities were in the past. In 2016, NYC had a violent crime rate of 540 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 1969, the rate was 955, and by 1975 it would rise to 1,411. In the late 1960s, the armed robberies had an added problem: The armed robbers, having held up a bodega, were shooting the cashiers so there wouldn’t be witnesses.
