How To Keep A Criminal From Taking Your Own Gun

Nearly 300,000 people have a license to carry a handgun in Oklahoma.

Most people take the required hour class and nothing more, but experts say learning to shoot is just the first step.

It's also important to know how to keep a criminal from taking your gun.

News On 6 asked an expert to run us through three different scenarios so the average gun owner would know what to do to make sure their gun is not taken away from them and possibly used against them.

Officers train how to fight to keep their gun from being taken, and experts say the average gun owner should do the same. 

If a criminal gets your gun, instead of you having a weapon to defend yourself, you could be killed with it.

Scenario number one: You come face to face with a burglar inside your home.

Joe Hahn is a former Navy Seal who now uses his extensive skills to train ordinary people all kinds of shooting and fighting techniques.

He said if the bad guy is more than three feet away, it's okay to have your arms extended while holding your gun, but once they move in, you must adapt.

"I would bring it in closer to your body and have that out of my reach, blade your body away so you're shielding your gun from me," said Hahn. 

He said that makes them have to fight across from you to get it. Be prepared to use one hand to fight.

Hahn said, if you had to, you could shoot from a tucked position.

Scenario number two: You hear a noise in your house and get your gun and go looking and have to go around a corner.

Hahn said leading with your gun is a bad idea. He said that the first thing a bad guy will see and it makes it easy to grab. He said distance is your friend.

"That way you have that distance and you can see that threat and you're leading with your firearm and your eyes instead of just your firearm," Hahn said. 

He said going at it from an angle and keeping distance will give you time to react if someone is behind an object or around the corner.

Scenario number three: You're out running errands and someone approaches you. 

Hahn said most people can close the gap of 21 feet before the second and a half it takes the average person to pull out a gun and get off an accurate shot plus, most people will talk their way up even closer before they act.

So, the truth is, what you think is going to be your defense, you don’t even have time to use. 

He said awareness is critical in all scenarios, don't let people keep easing up on you, even if they seem to be asking innocent questions. He said to watch for signs they're about to attack: acting nervous, looking at your gun, or even glancing away.

So, the most important thing to remember is that it's not only important to learn how to shoot your gun, it's important to train so you could fight to protect your gun.