I’m always amazed at how Hollywood seems to believe that couches, plank walls and interior doors can serve as cover for the hero and stop bullets. Don’t they have anyone who understands even the basics of ballistics, or the different between cover and concealment? I’m assuming not since heroes and heroines never get hit when hiding behind concealment, while the villain gets blown away when crouching behind cover.
My biggest fear in most of these situations is that Hollywood has convinced some people that concealment is cover. You can hide behind both concealment and cover, but only cover protects you from being hit by an attacker’s bullets.
And while concealment is better than nothing in a dangerous situation, cover is always better because it hides and protects you. However, you must know what can be cover. Here are a few items that should not be used as cover that seems to stop bullets in the movies.
• Doors
• Sheetrock walls
• Couches
• Car doors
• Appliances (these might stop a bullet, but most are just sheet metal)
Finding complete cover can be difficult, which is why you should always be looking for better cover in a fight. And, when the opportunity arises, head for the exit.
