Scott Reitz - The Art of Modern Gunfighting: The Pistol, Vol. 1

THE ART OF
MODERN
GUNFIGHTING
THE PISTOL: VOLUME 1

Scott Reitz
with Brett McQueen

THE ART OF MODERN GUNFIGHTING THE PISTOL: VOLUME 1

Copyright 2012 by Scott Reitz and Brett McQueen. Second edition.

INTACT Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the authors.

Designed and art direction by Tara Maurel Yager

ISBN 978-1-936643-00-4

www.iNTERNATIONALTACTICAL.com

THE ART OF
MODERN
GUNFIGHTING
THE PISTOL: VOLUME 1

Scott Reitz
with Brett McQueen

This book is a supplement to training and not intended to serve as a substitute for hands on training with a qualified, experienced instructor.

To my father, Captain Spencer Reitz (U.S.N., Retired) and my mother Barbara Reitzthank you for the loving and diligent upbringing. You are missed. To our children we love you. And to my wife, Brett McQueen thank you for encouraging me on all fronts and making me a better man. It may sound sophomoric, but there it is.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Chief Gates was my Chief. Although I served on the L.A.P.D. for three decades under five chiefs, it was Chief Gates under whom I served the longest. He arguably guided the department through the most difficult and revolutionary times it has ever experienced. He was the father of the SWAT concept and made the LAPD a model for police agencies throughout the world. From a department armed with revolvers and straight stick batons, Chief Gates saw it through pioneering concepts such as the introduction of the semi-automatic pistol, less lethal devices, crisis negotiation intervention, the computerization of policing techniques along with many other firsts in law enforcement. It was this foresight coupled with his ability to implement such forward thinking processes that has raised the bar on policing techniques worldwide. It was his unwavering dedication to do and say what was right for the rank and file, even if it was not always popular, that made him so well respected. He stood behind us when it counted and I am very proud to have served under him and to have had the opportunity to call him my Chief! He will be greatly missed.

LAPD ACADEMY1976-1977

Obstacle Course.

Universal Studios back lot SWAT Survival training.

The ever present pull ups.

Class formation.

Class A Inspection prior to graduation.

Revolver inspection.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Scotts Perspective

When I became a police officer in 1976, the few worthwhile books on gunfighting were written by men who paid their dues with hard service. Some of their concepts are still valid today, even though legal and situational aspects have radically changed.

This work is not based on conjecture, suppositions, or theory. It is based on the real experiences of myself and others relative to past events. Even as you read this, similar events are occurring.

Certain truths emerge from being involved in tactical situations on a repeated basis through a protracted period of time. Repeating what was learned in a hundred classes does not and never will carry the same validity as firsthand experience. First hand experience is just thatfirst hand, and its value is incomparable.

There are no masters in gunfighting, only students, and that includes myself. One can perform flawlessly in one instance and in another instance make one or more simple mistakes and everything will breakdown.

This book, the first in a planned series on gunfighting, is the product of thirty-four years of experience. Thirty of those years were with the Los Angeles Police Department with over twenty-six of them in LAPDs elite Metropolitan Division, and ten of those as a member of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT). During this time I personally made thousands of arrests; participated in hundreds of high-risk SWAT call-ups, bank stakeouts, and high risk search-and-arrest warrant services; served on presidential, VIP, and dignitary protection details and served on serial killer details such as the Richard Ramirez Nightstalker and Hillside Strangler cases. I worked closely with and trained various U.S. Special Forces military units such as U.S. Army Delta, SEAL Team 6, U.S. Marine Corps Force Recon S.O.C. M.A.U. & SOTG training unit, and Frances G.I.G.N. I was additionally involved in hostage rescues, foot and vehicular suspect pursuits, and was on the front lines during fires, floods, earthquakes and riots. I have trained tens of thousands of police officers and military personnel as well as civilians, both foreign and domestic.

I have used deadly force on a number of occasions. In each instance it was ruled to be well within departmental protocols and the law. None resulted in any type of lawsuit. I have also been present during many officer-involved shootings where others fired shots but I did not. Additionally, hundreds of men and women that I have trained through the years have been involved in shootings. I have testified and consulted as a deadly force and tactics expert in Federal and State Superior courts throughout the U.S. and continue to do so. I defend individuals who have legitimately employed deadly force and must justify their actions to the courts.

What I personally accomplished in the field while serving on the LAPD was one thing. What I accomplish by teaching others is by far more rewarding. Throughout the years I have had countless law enforcement officers, military personnel and civilians tell me that the training they received has saved their lives and careers. Wives and sons and daughters have also thanked me for giving their loved ones the means to prevail in gunfights and return to them whole. What I teach works. It can take a life, but more importantly, it can save one. What you read here is what I have personally experienced and carefully analyzed.

When Brett and I started International Tactical Training Seminars (ITTS) more than twenty years ago, our goal was to impart the most efficient and effective method of training available anywhere to police, military and civilians. If I refer primarily to police incidents and examples, it is simply due to having spent well over half my life as an LAPD officer. But the lessons herein are not just for police officers; they are just as valid for anyone who wants to become more proficient in their skills. What we teach can be used by a soldier in a combat setting, a patrol officer or a homeowner.