Beware the Sympathetic Squeeze!

By Brent Wheat

Reflexes are standard equipment on all normal human bodies and serve valuable survival functions. Sometimes they are even a bit humorous, such as when the doctor uses that little rubber hammer to make your leg flop around.

However, among all your body’s other involuntary physical responses there is one reflex that has tremendous bearing on defensive firearms useage: the sympathetic squeeze reflex or, more properly, inter-limb interaction. This phenomenon needs to be more widely understood among those who carry firearms for self-defense.

Sympathetic squeeze came to the forefront in the 1990’s when researchers were trying to understand why surrendering suspects were killed by police officers who later claimed they didn’t intent to shoot. It soon became apparent that there was more to these situations than lying or trigger-happy cops.

The inquiry led to the discovery of inter-limb interaction. Simply put, it is the simultaneous movement of the opposite fingers or hand during high stress events. For example, if you grab something during a crisis, it is very likely your non-involved hand will likewise close.

This was seen in many cases where suspects were shot when an officer tried to transmit on his portable radio. The act of pressing …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms