On Target
PICTURED ABOVE
DOCJT Firearms Instructor Marc Snyder shows off a handgun with pistol-mounted optics. (Photo by Michael Moore)
Over the years, technology has changed how law enforcement does its job. From mobile data terminals to body-worn cameras, technology has improved officers’ focus and efficiency.
Technology has also affected firearms. Optics have been a part of long guns, such as rifles, for many years. Recently, optics have made their way onto handguns, according to Department of Criminal Justice Training firearms Instructors Marc Snyder and Kennith Fields.
“We’ve started seeing more and more pistol-mounted optics as agencies have started to use them,” Snyder said. “We’ve seen it in basic and in-service (trainings).”
Benefit of Optics
Optics allow for maintaining a target focus. They have a significant advantage over a sight-focus methodology, which is what is needed for using iron sights.
(Photo by Michael Moore)
“The science behind it is simple,” Snyder explained. “With iron sights, you must get three things in line, but your eyes can only focus on one thing at a time. So, you must take one of those things – the rear site, front site or the target – to focus on. With the red dot of the optics, you can focus on the target, and that dot is there.”
Simply put, optics allow the officer to stay focused on the target.
“Wherever that red dot is, that’s where your bullet is going,” Snyder said.
One thing pistol-mounted optics will not do is fix problem shooters, Fields said.
“It’s not a cure for somebody who has problems shooting,” he said. “It just helps identify (problem shooters) a little easier. If you have trouble with your fundamentals, (those issues) are still going to be there, even with the optic. But it makes it easier to fix (issues). Optics give you less to focus on and allows you to focus on the fundamentals.”
Additionally, Fields said once an officer is trained on optics, they will see its many advantages over iron sights.
As with most new technology, there are costs to consider, including holsters designed to carry a handgun with optics. However, the fundamentals – drawing and shooting – remain the same, Fields said.
Creating a Curriculum
Over the past several months, DOCJT’s firearms instructors have fielded questions about pistol-mounted optics, and Fields said those questions have been difficult to answer.
“Once people started showing up with them, we realized that we were behind the curve on these things,” Fields said. “We were getting questions on them, but we couldn’t answer them because we hadn’t been to any training on them yet.”
To that end, DOCJT’s firearms instructors have since attended various classes to learn about pistol-mounted optics to design a course to teach locally.
He added that firearms instructors are doing research and taking elements from their training to build DOCJT’s curriculum.
“It’s in the infancy phase,” he explained.
DOCJT’s Firearms Section first began looking at developing a class in early 2022, Snyder said, based on officers coming to training with pistol-mounted optics and feedback throughout previous years.
“We ask everyone in our in-services classes about what type of courses they want to see in the future,” Fields explained. “Many of them are saying optics. Many (agencies) are considering optics on pistols. The buzz is out there on optics, and we’re trying to get ahead of the curve.”
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