Editor’s Note:This is a guest post from Ron Borsch. Ron’s bio is at the end of this article.
American law enforcement has had a slow but steady evolution towards semi-automatic rifles being readily available to first responding patrol officers. “Patrol Rifles” here are defined as being chambered for a genuine rifle caliber, not a pistol caliber in a carbine, as there is a no contest difference in range, accuracy and stopping power. As expected in our survey for the typical patrol rifle, it is generally chambered for .223/5.56mm caliber, and among others, is most often of the AR-15 or M-16 variety.
Since the year 2000, our academy has specialized in countermeasures for the copycat active killer, or “One who commits “Rapid Mass Murder”©, (under 20 minutes, four or more intentionally killed in the same event, time and public location©). In each class, we poll our attendee’s on the availability of patrol rifles to their first responders. In the early years, if the agency possessed any rifles, typically they were locked in the station armory. Only rarely were they available in the cruiser.
Over the last decade or so, there has been a slow but sure reversal. Today it is usually rare for an attending agency, (multiple dozens of agencies from six different states), to not have at least some patrol rifles mounted inside the cruisers. According to the officers attending our “Tactical 1st Responder” course”©, most typically today, they are in every cruiser in their fleet. More support material for this goal from Master Firearms trainer, author and lecturer John Farnum can be found at this article.
JUMP STARTING THE PATROL RIFLE TREND
The biggest boost for the trend to patrol rifles was the 1997 Hollywood Bank Robbery where dozens of Los Angeles PD officers were initially unable to stop two aggressive felons, almost total body armored and shooting full automatic rifles. The LAPD patrol weapons, handguns and shotguns, were no match for the accuracy, distance, penetration and stopping power of the felon’s rifles.
Fortunately, with the arrival of SWAT, it ended well. These felons were unskilled in effective full automatic fire. At the end of the day after nearly 2,000 rounds had been exchanged, no innocents or officers were killed. While their head to toe body armor was an anomaly, wearing ballistic vests has been a growing trend for criminals and active killers for protection from law enforcement handguns, shotguns and pistol cartridge carbines. Our probable cause clue here is “Forewarned is forearmed”!
The second biggest factor to acquiring and equipping every cruiser with a patrol rifle has been the increasing threat of terrorism in America. Unfortunately, Homeland Defense seems to have placed most of their mental eggs in the single basket of weapons of mass destruction, (WMD by NBC, or Nuclear, Biological or Chemical).
The current reality tracking history of terrorists however, suggests a decided preference for conventional guns and bombs. As proof, we can ask for no better example of intent than the Mumbai India model. While we are still taking baby steps with effective response for the single active killer, local law enforcement must prepare for the potential of attacks by small teams of military trained religious fanatics.
THE DISTANCE DILEMMA
The huge facilities where copycat “Rapid Mass Murder”© by active killer typically occur, have long straight hallways that often exceed the distance of a football field, or 100 yards. Engagement distances have been and are likely to continue being much longer than typical common law enforcement encounters.
Here in Ohio, annual re-qualification with handguns includes a 6 round stage called “Long distance – Sight alignment” which is at “only” 50 feet. Too often, some officers struggle to qualify at this 50-foot distance. Nationwide, we suspect that every agency has their share of these marginal shooters at longer distances.
The tracking history of copycat active killer’s typically indicates that they have had multiple firearms, and most have used long guns of some sort, (rifles, shotguns, and pistol cartridge carbines). Facing these “superior” firearms, law enforcement has still prevailed with handguns In almost 8 out of 10 law enforcement aborts of Rapid Mass Murder©.
This fact should not detract from the pressing need for patrol rifles for a myriad of reasons. For example, in the known distances of law enforcement aborts with handguns, we have reason to believe that officers with exceptional mettle and marksmanship were involved, not average first responders.
LUCK OR DIVINE INTERVENTION?
Law enforcement has had hero “Single Officer’s Lifesaving Others”©, that have demonstrated making long distance handgun shots while being fired upon by mass murders with long-guns. In 1994 as an Air Force Security Bike officer, Andy Brown at Fairchild Air Force Base WA was the first to arrive on the scene. He dumped his bike, took a knee, and while being fired upon by a killer with a rifle, calmly fired 4 rounds with his duty 9mm pistol. The 4th round struck the murderer fatally in the head. The distance was 210 feet!
In 2009 as the only officer on duty in Carthage NC, Justin Garner went after a mass murderer in a Nursing Home. Dead and injured victims had been on walkers and wheelchairs. Garner challenged the killer who was reloading a shotgun, and in an exchange of gunfire, stopped the murderer with one well-placed .40 S&W round in the chest. The distance was 114 feet!
IMPROVE HIT POTENTIAL AND REDUCE MISSES
The point here is that these two officers were exceptional! These warrior-protectors were the right men with the right mind-set, the right handgun skills in the right place at the right time. While under fire, effective handgun hits at these distances are so uncommon that replication by average officers is not very likely.
However, given a patrol rifle and a realistic training program, effective hits at these distances are far more achievable by average first responders. While we cannot count on having superior officers with exceptional skill, we can certainly rely on issuing a superior weapon, the patrol rifle, for the job. When all other factors are equal, the stand off distance, accuracy, and stopping power of a rifle are tactical advantages that cannot be ignored. Here are some considerations for these categories:
➢ STAND OFF DISTANCE: The effective range of a rifle is far beyond the capability of a handgun, shotgun, or pistol cartridge carbine. A competent law enforcement rifleman should be able to engage criminal adversaries armed with these lesser weapons before the adversary could get close enough to be effective on an officer. Standoff Distance alone should convince unenlightened rifle critics to acquire rifles for their officers, as they would be suffering a handicap without them.
➢ ACCURACY: Without using any environmental support, handguns have only a single point of support, both hands in the same place, (pistol-grip). Long guns have four points of support, each hand in a different area, shoulder, and “cheek-weld” all make for a much steadier weapon. When you add the longer barrel and iron-sight radius or optics, we have a no-contest accuracy advantage for the rifle, another logical win for law enforcement.
➢ PENETRATION: Typically, most of the fast and light .223/5.56 bullets are much less penetrative than many law enforcement side arms in common use. (Disbelievers, get a quick reality check at this site). At the same time these rifles will penetrate soft body armor, (handguns/shotguns generally will not), that are increasingly being used by criminals and active killers.
➢ STOPPING POWER: The .223 caliber/5.56mm patrol rifle cartridge has about three times more energy and velocity than the .40 S&W pistol cartridge. Where most handgun ammunition is not fast enough to deliver hydrostatic shock, the rifle can, increasing both potential stopping power and degree of bullet expansion.
SIGNIFICANT SAFETY FACTORS FOR THE SAFETY FORCES
The patrol rifle’s tactical advantage categories of stand off distance, accuracy, unique penetration properties and stopping power mentioned above are each a positive safety issue for both the officers and innocent persons. Since these categories are factual, a case can be made for acquiring patrol rifles purely as a safety issue for agencies that do not already have patrol rifles immediately available to first responders.
AMMUNITION SELECTION
Years ago we were stuck with two basic types of rifle ammunition, one for hunting soft skinned animals, (or anti-personnel), and full metal jacketed rounds for penetration. Today we have a greater selection and a few crossover rounds that can do both, some better than others. Examples of duty rounds suggested by Jeff Chudwin can be found here. The FBI has extensively tested numerous rounds and their data is available for a more detailed research resource. Military specification full metal jacket ammunition can be acquired economically and is excellent training ammunition.
EXPERT GUIDANCE FOR OTHER FACTORS
The specific rifling twist of your rifles may restrict selection of bullet weights. While an agency can get by with standard iron sights, a quality non-magnified “Red-Dot” optic, like our military uses can significantly speed up your first shot time, with quicker follow-up shots and equal or better accuracy. That fact can be life saving significant. There are superior and economical AR-15/M16 magazines out there from Brownell’s and MagPul. Your research should include locating knowledgeable resource expert “Gun-guys” for guidance with these different things. With luck, you may already find some at your agency!
CONCLUSION
Unenlightened agencies that keep their only rifles locked up in the arms room fail to understand the reality time frames or windows of opportunity to save lives when a rifle is needed. An agency is obligated to properly prepare and equip their officers for the missions that they are likely to encounter. When this does not occur, the agency and its administrative officers must accept responsibility for imposing an unnecessary handicap on their own first responders.
First responding officers have a probable cause need for patrol rifles simply as a safety issue. Aside from the factual assets mentioned, in the case of a rapid mass murder event, the patrol rifle is empowering to the “Single Officer’s Lifesaving Others”©. The patrol rifle is the right tool for the job, plus it guarantees that the SOLO officer will have a secondary or back-up weapon (duty sidearm) in the event of running dry or having a weapon stoppage.
Tactically speaking, for a myriad of foreseeable reasons that can be documented in today’s world, officers should have superior arms, such as a patrol rifle in arms reach, inside the cruiser. Law enforcement must have the stand off distance, accuracy and stopping power advantages, not their adversaries. Up against terrorists with rifles, a foreseeable occurrence, officers without rifles would be severely handicapped.
Cash strapped agencies have options. There are programs to acquire free military-surplus rifles from the Federal government. Businesses or organizations in the community may jump at the opportunity to help their officers. Volunteer individual officers that own their own rifles should be allowed to possess them in their cruisers. Jeff Chudwin, Police Chief, Attorney and Master class shooter, advises in part “… the ownership of the firearm has absolutely no relationship to the lawful and justifiable use of the tool in the course of employment”, (full article here).
Training should be the only issue. If your state does not have a Patrol Rifle qualification course, your firearms training staff can research and design a reasonable one for semi-automatic fire. First responders should not waste ammunition or training time with full-automatic fire. Semi-automatic only aimed-fire is preferred. An M-16 armorer can and should modify patrol rifles for semi-auto fire only. After qualification, focus on frequent, challenging and realistic courses of fire. TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN!
About the Author: Ron Borsch
After a three decade police career, Ron Borsch is semi-retired. Ron’s career included 20 years as Rangemaster and Pistol Team Captain and 17 years as a SWAT operator-trainer. While retaining a police commission as a consultant-trainer, he now manages and is the lead trainer for SEALE Regional Police Training Academy, a post-graduate facility in Bedford Ohio. SEALE Academy has specialized in tactically training 1st responders since the year 2000. Their current evolution of active killer countermeasures is SOLO, “Single Officer’s Lifesaving Others”©. Ron has presented various subjects in several different states to fellow officers, Chiefs of Police, national and international instructor audiences.
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