Shooting in Self-Defence in the UK

We've been practicing gun disarms a lot in my Krav Maga class lately, which is fun. But my instructor keeps insisting that, once you've disarmed the guy and have gotten a safe distance away, our default response should be to go ahead and pull the trigger and shoot our attacker, just to be safe and "make sure the gun is real." If we want, we can just shoot them in the leg... because statistics absolutely support the efficiency of this....

I have a lot of ethical issues with this advice, but I'm wondering what view the UK legal system would likely take on this?

For simplicity, here's a scenario to work with that's close enough to what practice looks like:

• You're a man, solo, being mugged by one other man (we don't have any women in the class at the moment)
• The gun is held up to your body... because it's tough to disarm a guy you can't reach...
• For whatever reason, you can't escape or appease the guy, so you "have" to disarm him.
• You get the gun away, and get a good safe 8-10 feet out of reach.
• The attacker is either still standing, or maybe off balance and down on one knee... he's not lying on the ground, but he's not charging you yet either.
• Instructor's advice is to go ahead and shoot automatically, just to be safe.

How easy or hard will it be to explain to the prosecutor's office that this is justifiable use of force?

 

If you're a safe distance away then you have no reason to shoot. Why shoot if you're safe?

That's murder, not self defence.

 

Leave the club.

 

You can't explain it and you instructor is a complete tool who has no damn business instructing

 

And you don't shoot someone just to see if the gun is real.

That's just so bizarre as to be unbelievable.

 

Do you have a link to your club's website?

 

VIRTUAL GONG SAU!!!!

 

Oh and I'm calling "judged by twelve" now.

You know it'll come up.

 

I don't think you would get away with that in the United States, much less the UK. He would have to be pursuing you after you disarmed him (who in their right mind would?) for it to probably hold.

Let me restate what I just said: "I don't think you would get away with that in the United States. . . ." and sir, that's saying something believe you me.

 

Oh and Hannibal, help your fellow Calgarymen out: http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1074830533#post1074830533

I always feel strange about PMing people unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

And this is why I'll never step foot in a Krav Maga class.

Why are you even spending time on handgun disarms in the UK? You're more likely to be molested by a TV personality than ever see an illegal handgun.

 

Annnnnd.... that's about the response I expected. Thanks for the confirmation!

I've been deciding what to do about this school for awhile. I think the instructor teaches mostly solid stuff, he's just a little TOO comfortable being violent. Great if he were teaching Israeli special forces, maybe not so much in a class of mostly cab drivers. But, since on a good day I'm also a pacifist, I realise I set my bar differently.

I'll have to think about if there's a way to suggest my instructor tone down his violent daydreams and include better legal advise, or if I'm better off cutting my losses and leaving.

 

Just go.

You aren't going to get anything from there you can't find elsewhere.

Got a website?

 

http://www.mmakravmaga.com/

Unfortunately, I actually haven't found much else in my part of East London that does what they do. They aren't perfect by any means, but they are the only place nearby I've discovered that is trying to focus on effectiveness outside of training, includes various levels of pressure testing, and occasionally revises what they teach when something isn't working. Proximity is a pretty big deal to me if it's going to be a consistent commitment.

 

http://www.mmakravmaga.com/gallery/videos

http://www.mmakravmaga.com/about-us/instructors/ricky-manetta

have you tried the BJJ classes at the same address, http://synergy-fitness.net/exercise-classes/ my advice is to try a free class, and see how the grappling in the MMAKRAV compares.

or even the wrestling classes - http://synergy-fitness.net/freestyle-wrestling-classes/

 

Do wrestling and do it now!