The Miami Shootout was pivotal in changing law enforcement tactics and equipment across the country. Firearms training took a front seat, and long guns and semi automatics became the order of the day.
Ed Mireles helped finish the fight with the 12 gauge Remington 870 the agents were issued. He used the shotgun effectively, even though he had been rendered one handed by a bullet wound.
Mireles had been an agent with the FBI for 7 years at the time of the incident. In an interview I listened to, he mentioned that he had been asked by his firearms instructor if he knew how to use the shotgun. When he showed familiarity, the instructor asked how long he could hold it up single handed. Mireles attributed this encounter with his mindset and skill in using his single hand during the gunfight.
During the shootout, Mireles was shot throught the forearm, shattering his radius. His arm was rendered useless, but he still pulled himself up, took hold of the shotgun and got back onto the fight. He propped the shotgun up on the bumper of a car, and racked it by placing the butt between his legs. He emptied the shotgun, then continued to advance on the vehicle with his revolver. Credit for ending the fight goes to all the agents, but Mireles' action were decisive and aggressive.
Mental preparation is one of the most valuable things we can develop. Nobody likes to think about all of the horrible thongs that can happen if we need to defend ourselves, but if our brain hasn't been exposed to it, it may freeze and not know what to do when the time comes. We need to work scenario training, forming neural pathways that help us make decisions quickly and appropriately under stress.
We also need to prepare our skills for the fight we may encounter. We don't get to choose when the fight starts or who your opponent may be. Those are decision outside our control. What we do control is how much work we put in ahead of the event. "Left of Bang" thinking is what makes the difference in being adaquetly prepared and potentially becoming a crime statistic.
To hear more from Ed Mireles, listen to That Weems Guy podcast here:
Or go to Mireles' website here:
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