Shoot-Don’t Shoot

Back in the Stoneage, when I strapped on a gun and pinned on a badge. We routinely had to go through ‘Shoot-Don’t Shoot’ scenarios.

This was accomplished, in those days, using a real revolver. A large white sheet of white paper, and a sound controlled projector.

The revolver was loaded with shells that had only a ‘large pistol primer’, with no powder. They then took a 1/2” thick block of Paraffin wax, and pressed the open end of the shells into it.
Therefore when fired, a .38 cal 1/2” chunk of wax would be the projectile.

A large 10”x10” sheet of paper on a giant pad was mounted on a wall of a room. It served as a movie screen for the sound controlled projector.

Several different scenarios would be projected onto the screen. The projector would play them. When and if the revolver was fired, the video would freeze at that instance. Further, the wax projectiles would punch a hole or mark the paper where they struck it.

The only iffy scenario I had involved the following;

I’d just responded to a warehouse break in. There was an officer on already on the scene.
Alarms were blaring.
A man in blue jeans, a ‘work shirt’, wearing a blue jean jacket, with long hair, comes running out of the warehouse, towards you.
He immediately reaches behind his back, drawing something from behind him as he continues to run toward you.

As he got his hand clear of his back, I could see there was something in it.
I fired three shots, two hit him in the chest, one in the face.
This is now referred to as ‘The Mogadishu Drill’. It was just the way I had happened to shoot.
The scene froze with the three shots plainly visible.
Further, he obviously had a dark, indescernable object in his right hand.

“Officer, why did you discharge your weapon?”
I responded “The Subject was running in my direction, he made a ‘furtive movement’, which I took as him drawing a weapon.”

They then advanced the scene.
The subject extended his arm his hand contained a wallet with a badge.
He was the undercover officer.

I passed the scenario.
Why?
He (the undercover officer) broke the rules. He should have had his hands up, or plainly visible out to his sides, when he approached me. He should have announced he was law enforcement. Then he should have displayed his badge.

My point is, when you, as a private citizen draw a weapon in the presence of an armed police officer, there is an excellent chance, you WILL be shot.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2026/01/24/border-patrol-comes-in-hot-with-this-statement-about-the-recent-shooting-in-minneapolis-n2670022