Usually in movies when some guy is threatening people with a gun, the hero tries to calm him down by moving closer with his hand stretched out, trying to calm him down until he can get close enough to take the gun.
Is this really the best way to do it? I always think the situation look so threatening with the hero always moving closer. Wouldn’t it be better to just hold your distance while you’re doing the talking?
In real life, if someone is pointing a gun at you, they either want something you have, or they want to kill you.
If they want to kill you, you’re already dead. In real life, no one makes big dramatic speeches, they just shoot.
If they want something you have, give it to them. You own nothing that is worth dying for.
The only exception I would make is in the case of abduction. You’re far more likely to die after being abducted than to be killed on the spot, so do anything in your power to stay where you are. As for technique, I think acting crazy is much better than slowly walking towards a loaded gun. Hell, run away. Most people’s aim really isn’t all that good at a distance.
My recommendation, if someone points a gun at you, is to faint. Just go limp, and collapse. If they shoot you, they were going to anyway.
Take the cannoli 
Sorry couldn’t resist
Hogwash!
There are many reasons for someone to point a gun at someone else. I’ve had a cop point a gun at me once. He was nervous, and his partner made him stop it, but he surely didn’t want to kill me. Had a redneck do it once too, he wanted to impress me, to teach me some “respect” for his newly aquired pistol. Idiot. Good combination, booze and a gun. I took it away and donated it to the local sheriff. Told the cop I found it in the alley.
Peace,
mangeorge
Yeah, I can think of dozens of examples of where people would point guns at someone without wanting to kill them or steal anything. What about someone trying to frighten you off? Or asking why you are walking around their land in the middle of the night? In neither case are they likely to want to kill you.
Even in instances where they want something suggesting that you always give it up is not applicable. What is someone is intent on kidnapping your child, and is using the weapon to frighten you off? I for one would not just give up my child. SO in that case how about we answer the question in the OP?
What is the best way of getting them to put the weapon down?
I’m talking about the cases where the guy holding the gun is somehow in a bad mental state at the moment. He’s pointing the gun because of anger or fear etc.
I mean, you know what I’m talking about. It happens in lots of movies, with the hero convincing the guy that it isn’t the right thing to do, and he has to give up the gun. Take the scene from Shawshank Redemption as an example.
The thing is, I always think the hero seems overly threatening in the way he chooses to disarm the guy.
movies != reality
But you have no way of knowing that.
In any case, Padeye has said it best.
Saw it happen just like that (almost) on live TV once, years ago.
It was on NBC channel 4 in Los Angeles, back when Dr. George Fishbeck did the weather reports. I don’t remember who the female anchor was that day, but the male anchor was John Beard (now on Fox I believe).
Anyway, the mentally unstable nephew (?) of Dr. George somehow got onto the set with a handgun and was acting crazy, holding the two anchors at gunpoint live. While someone off-camera distracted the young man, John Beard lunged over the anchor desk and grabbed the gun. The kid was then unceremoniously tackled and they went to commercial. After the break, everybody acted as if nothing untoward had happened.
It was a long damn time ago, probably 10 years or more.
:eek:
Well, I’m off to revise my version of reality. Maybe I’ll use Danielle Steele novels as a base this time.
“Doctor” George worked for the ABC affiliate in L.A.
The man with the gun was Gary Stollman who was the son of Dr. Max Stollman, who used to do a pharmacy segment for KNBC. John Beard was on the air, but it was consumer reporter David Horowitz who was held at gunpoint. However, it was a toy gun.
This poorly spelled website has some info