# Grabbing a gun from somebody's hands **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 1, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643 "2004-09-01T20:52:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/41 "2004-09-02T19:52:29Z")
Well, I remember a TV show about hunting that proved one can effectively disable a shotgun-toting madman by sticking a carrot in the barrel of the gun, so that when the trigger is pulled, the breech end of the gun explodes, leaving the madman powder-burned and boggled. Then again, it merely proved that this tactic works for wascally wabbits. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/42 "2004-09-02T19:54:03Z")
> [@MrTuffPaws](#): > > **RevCo** > > As someone else already pointed out. The fastest a bullet is ever going to travel is going to be as soon as it leaves the barrel. Plus, if you hold the gun as close as possible, the escaping gasses behind the bullet can blow the skin off of you around the bullet hole. Nasty nasty. > > You better find some science to back up your assumptions before posting. 😉 _Whooooooosh!_ At least I hope **RevCo** ’s post was, because I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/43 "2004-09-02T19:57:25Z")
> [@Gunslinger](#): > > Best to have a friend with a large blunt object sneak up and wallop the gunman at this point. Or, you could release the tiger. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/44 "2004-09-02T20:32:59Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Or, you could release the tiger. No, you drop a large weight on his head. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/45 "2004-09-02T22:29:59Z")
You can grab the cylinder of a double-action revolver and prevent it from being fired. The assailant can’t cock and fire the revolver if the cylinder isn’t free to rotate. Another technique is to try to jam the revolver by grabbing it in the area of the hammer. To either prevent the hammer from being cocked or to get the web of your hand in between the hammer and firing pin. The tricky part is what to do next. ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/46 "2004-09-02T23:42:24Z")
> [@DougC](#): > > - > - > - Other than auto guns that can be pushed out of battery, the only thing I ever heard to do was if someone was standing very close while holding a handgun pointing at you, you grab the barrel and rotate the gun _outside_, 180-degrees. So if they are right-handed, you grab the gun’s barrel and rotate it “out” to your left. This rotates the gun out of their thumb (which is weaker than their fingers) and also serves to trap their index finger inside the trigger guard. Assuming you can get this far, you can then pull hard on the gun, breaking or even pulling _off_ their trigger finger. I took Hap Ki Do in college, and one of the things we were shown, as a last resort, was a move similar to this. However, we pushed in the opposite direction: you start by putting a hand on the forearm and pushing the back of the gun hand with your other hand. This rotates the wrist inward toward the gun-holder, putting them in the line of fire. Then your hand slides forward and continues rotating the gun toward the holder’s wrist until it comes out of their hand. Then the punching and kicking commences. Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![olefin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d78d45/32.png) [@olefin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/olefin)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/47 "2004-09-03T00:28:51Z")
> [@mks57](#): > > Another technique is to try to jam the revolver by grabbing it in the area of the hammer. To either prevent the hammer from being cocked or to get the web of your hand in between the hammer and firing pin. > . Unless it’s a “Hammerless” revolver. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/48 "2004-09-03T01:19:55Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > I’m not sure. Is there some kind of test I can take? For **pravnik** , and anyone else who’s uncertain whether he’s Jet Li: 1. Assume a fighting stance. 2. In rapid succession, 2a. draw your knee up to your chest, and 2b. snap-kick your foot directly upwards. 3a. If you are rolling around on the ground in pain because you just kicked yourself in the head, you may be Jet Li. 3b. If you are rolling around on the ground in pain because you just tore your hamstring muscle, you are probably not Jet Li. You’re welcome! ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/49 "2004-09-03T14:59:36Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > Huh? Color me confused. This from the OP (all bolding mine): > _…if you grab a revolver or semi-automatic pistol correctly **you can prevent it from firing**._ > > Seems to directly contradict these: > \*The DVD I saw had you move to side, grab top of gun **(not rely on stopping it from firing)**… > > _…no body said try to **stop the gun from firing** …_ > > The whole OP is asking about the feasibility of stopping the gun from firing, and suddenly now it’s not? 😕 Sorry, bad writing on my part. I mean to say “nobody said stop the gun from firing vs evasion.” In other words, this is not a discussion of should I try to hold the revolver chamber still INSTEAD of something else. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/50 "2004-09-03T18:39:00Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > I think people are putting too much emphasis on the idea that you’re going be able to somehow interfere with the handgun’s mechanism. > > What I’ve seen demonstrated and taught is simply the ability to push the gun aside extremely quickly (i.e. make it no longer point at you) and then disable the gunman by punching, kicking, stabbing or shooting him (with your own weapon) before he as any time to react. With a decent amount of practice I’ve seen this work everytime (in simulated senarios of course). > > However this is not something that gets taught at a self-defense class at the Y. This was part of a week-long paramilitary seminar for serious hand gun training (it was open to the public but many attending were poilce officers). > > As one of the posts above said, the best defense against a hand gun wielding criminal is to run away. Hitting a moving target with a pistol is **much** more difficult than it seems. From several years of martial arts experience, I second this. I’ve seen and been taught many different gun defence scenarios. Ones that rely on somehow disabling the gun mechanism are complete crap. Simply, any sort of effectiveness means training repeatedly on the specific type and model of firearm you would supposedly be disabling, and gambling that any assailant would conveniently have a style of weapon that could be disabled. That means, you have to tell in a dark alley under stress instantly what style of gun someone has. The situation can further be spoiled with different grips that your assailant has on the gun, where he’s pointing it, etc. Waaaaay to many uncontrolled variable to ever bet your life on. Simply, a quick deflection of the barrel will always be faster than a more complex maneuver. This solves your immediate problem, which is that a gun can only hurt you if it is pointed at you. Everything else after that initial deflection is what really matters. The best way I’ve seen is: 1. Deflect 2. While maintaining some sort of bridge so that the gun won’t get re-pointed at you, go for the eyes, throat, neck, of your assailant with the ferocity of a rabid pit bull. 3. Then run. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/51 "2004-09-03T19:53:11Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I’ve seen and been taught many different gun defence scenarios. Ones that rely on somehow disabling the gun mechanism are complete crap. If it’s stupid and it works, it isn’t stupid. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/52 "2004-09-03T23:25:48Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > From several years of martial arts experience, I second this. I’ve seen and been taught many different gun defence scenarios. Ones that rely on somehow disabling the gun mechanism are complete crap. > [@mks57](#): > > If it’s stupid and it works, it isn’t stupid. You kind of missed the relevant portion there… > [@](#): > > Simply, any sort of effectiveness means training repeatedly on the specific type and model of firearm you would supposedly be disabling, and gambling that any assailant would conveniently have a style of weapon that could be disabled. That means, you have to tell in a dark alley under stress instantly what style of gun someone has. The situation can further be spoiled with different grips that your assailant has on the gun, where he’s pointing it, etc. Waaaaay to many uncontrolled variable to ever bet your life on. In short, while it may be technically possible to disable the gun, it’s easier, faster, and more effective to get the gun pointed somewhere else and disable the attacker instead. And then run away. So yeah, trying to disable the weapon is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643/53 "2004-09-12T00:48:54Z")
When I saw this thread I knew that the Beretta BS would come up!, in order to “simply” pull the slide off of a Beretta you must: 1. Unload the gun (the slide will not come off while the gun is loaded). 2. Push in the button on the side of the slide and flip the takedown lever while holding the button in. This HAS NEVER! been done (except in Hollywood) and attempting this “technique” IRL will get you shot. Unclviny (Beretta 96 Brigadier owner) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grabbing-a-gun-from-somebodys-hands/262643.md?page=2)