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                                * SHOT *

I am going to give you the REAL low down on being shot.  I have been shot, 
and know friends that have been shot, so I feel qualified to write on this 
subject. This is not a first aid course so I will not go into it here. 
My only intent is to help you survive the initial attack by providing 
information on the first few critical minutes.  Knowing what to expect has 
kept me alive in several instances, and my friends echo that statement. 

*  Forget what you've seen on T.V., and heard from friends, about gun fights.
People dont fly through the air, or get thrown 6 or 8 feet back.  Most 
victims do not even fall, and as an anti-climax, they very often dont even 
know they are hit (if there is some excitement) until sometime later. 
Anyone who has had a basic course in physics knows that "for every action 
there is an opposite and EQUAL reaction".  So the victim cannot be smacked 
any harder by the bullet than the shooter's hand or arm is punched by the 
gun it'self (assuming it is a bolt action or revolver)... the difference is 
that the AREA of impact is spread out over a larger surface by a pistol 
handle or gun stock than the tiny head of a bullet. 

*  THE GAME AIN'T OVER just because someone was struck!!!! The Human body can 
handle TREMENDOUS amounts of damage.  I personally feel that unless the 
victim is dead, he/she is still a viable threat. I was shot in the hand by a 
perp with a 22 cal bullet in North Carolina. I was diving toward him in
an attempt to decrease his angle of fire, I KNEW he was pulling the 
trigger, I KNEW that if I ran he would shoot me SEVERAL times in the back, 
and I also knew what I am telling you now... that unless you are 
killed you are still a viable threat.  The Bullet hit the palm of my hand 
at the base of my thumb and went right through... deflecting the bullet 
upward just enough to put a burn over my scalp.  I did not even know I
was hit... the Perp never got off a second shot, the struggle is a fast blurr 
in my mind now and I mainly remember the stunned look on HIS face. When I 
found the hole through my hand I gave myself first aid and called the police 
and an ambulance (because the female officer with me curled up, went into 
shock and had to be hospitalized, she wasnt hit by anything at all).

That brings me to some other points... You most likely WILL experience
shock to some degree.  If you can keep your head after the fact, you have 
several advantages (believe it or not) and a good chance of living.  The 
shooter probably doesn't know the info I am giving you so he thinks you are 
out of the picture, AND you are in for an adrenaline smack that will 
literally make you feel like God. We are talking strength and speed like you 
have never known! Those are your advantages..it's up to you what you do with 
them now that you know, but I STRONGLY recommend that you do SOMETHING other 
than lay there and wait to bleed to death.

I was shot in the Leg and hip several times by  7.62 X 39 (ak-47)... I 
knew something was wrong but it did not dawn on me that I was hit.  I just
couldnt seem to keep my feet under me long enough to stand up. I thought 
I had tripped over something and fell into a patch of oil.  Even so, once
I figured out that the oil was MY blood and that I was hit, I mannaged to
still return some sort of effective fire until help arrived.

*  Expect to feel "detatched"  for a few moments..this feeling will come and 
go but is greatest AFTER the threat is over..KEEP IT THAT WAY OR YOU WILL 
DIE!  FEAR is the mind killer.

*  If hit in an extremity the Limb may not work... so expect that and 
practice off hand shooting, shooting prone, etc.

*  Usually there is NO initial pain...that comes later..and it DOES come!
You MAY feel a tingling...but I doubt it unless you are REALLY the calm type.

*  Expect a MAJOR adrenaline rush... this may cause you to over-compensate
if you return fire, But for a minute or so you are also stronger than you 
would ever believe possible AND you can be VERY, VERY clear minded and quick 
thinking if you decide you want to be (you better WANT to be).  Think it, and
your body WILL respond. If you are hit in a major organ or nerve center...
at least grab the bastard by the throat and take him with you...they will 
have to literally pry your fingers out of his skin.

*  Your stomach may feel cold and it may hurt terribly after the initial 
threat is over... it may even feel as if you have been "gut shot". Inspect
to be sure you are not, but remember that this is NORMAL.

I'm not saying that this will be a walk in the park... In just a few minutes 
you will have to deal with ALL KINDS of complications... I am only trying
to let you see that God gave us some POWERFUL survival mechansims to help
give us an edge (Most animals don't have these mechanisms...just watch 
National Geographics) so don't waste that edge by allowing fear or 
confusion to take over!!! 
