![Defense](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Defense.gov_photo_essay_080422-F-6911G-058.jpg)
A kill house or shoot house is a live
ammunition
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
small arms shooting range used to train military and law enforcement personnel for
close contact engagements in
urban combat
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both the operational and the tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians and t ...
environments. Kill houses are designed to mimic residential, commercial and industrial spaces and are used to acquaint personnel with techniques to infiltrate (gaining access) structures and the methods used to overwhelm the target(s) in the quickest and most efficient manner. The construction of one of these facilities can vary in material and cost depending on the needs and the resources available. Like any shooting range, there are rules that must be followed to ensure a safe kill house training session.
Purpose
A kill or shoot house is a type of indoor firing range modified to resemble a residential environment and with walls and floor fortified to safely absorb rounds fired from close range. It is used to train soldiers and police for various
urban combat
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both the operational and the tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians and t ...
scenarios while permitting them to use their full power service weapons. The scenarios trained for include room and apartment clearing,
door breaching
Door breaching is a process used by military, police, or emergency services to force open closed or locked doors. A wide range of methods are available depending on the door's opening direction (inward or outward), construction materials, etc., ...
and the inclusion of
hostage
A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...
or
noncombatant
Non-combatant is a term of art in the law of war and international humanitarian law to refer to civilians who are not taking a direct part in hostilities; persons, such as combat medics and military chaplains, who are members of the belligerent a ...
targets along with enemy targets ("shoot/no shoot").
Simpler kill houses without the necessary fortification to be safe for live fire can be used for
blank or
dry fire
Dry firing is the practice of simulating the discharge of a firearm without any live ammunition, or practicing with an inert laser/infrared training platform and may also include the use of a target/feedback system. The terms also commonly re ...
training of the same variety. As necessary this can be reduced even further down to the "glass house", which is merely a residential floorplan marked out in full scale on the ground.
History
The British
Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...
pioneered the use of such
CQB
Close-quarters combat (CQC) or close-quarters battle (CQB) is a military tactics, tactical situation that involves a physical fight with firearms involved between multiple combatants at short range. It can occur between military units, police/co ...
training facilities. Their ''
Killing House
The Killing House, a shoot house, is the Special Air Service's prime training facility for hostage rescue operations. The point of the Killing House is to train the SAS operatives to enter a room and be able to assess the situation and shoot an ...
'' was one of the first of its kind and was emulated by units from other countries.
Construction
Materials
![US Army 50783 HALLWAY](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/US_Army_50783_HALLWAY.jpg)
Kill houses can be built from almost any materials, ranging from concrete to something as simple as plywood depending on the needs of the users of the kill house. For structures that need to contain and absorb gunfire, stronger materials are needed such as concrete or ballistic rubber. It's important to note that using materials that can't absorb gunfire may lead to injuries and death. For more temporary or cost-effective needs, plywood or a plastic sheet can make a suitable wall.
In addition to the actual facility, the shoot house also requires targets to simulate the individuals they must subdue. The most common and recognizable targets used in shoot houses are paper silhouettes and
mannequins
A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. Pr ...
. To simulate the movement of an actual person the targets are either placed on rails or they can pop up from an undisclosed location.
Virtual kill house
An alternative to the more traditional shoot house is a virtual kill house. Virtual kill houses make use of audio and visual technology to create an interactive, if not video game like, experience. This version of a kill house uses a projector to display different scenarios on a screen while sensors keep track of the soldier's relative position and if he/she has hit the target on the screen.
Virtual kill houses provide a similar experience to a traditional shoot house, but are more interactive. In a normal shoot house, soldiers would shoot at silhouettes or mannequins, but in the virtual counterpart the targets are life-sized and free to move along the screen. These shoot houses usually only require a flat surface to display the scenarios, so wax ammunition is used in place of actual bullets.
One notable virtual kill house is the Army Live Fire Virtual Targeting system used at Fort Bragg. Previously, the software used for the facility was part of
America's Army
''America's Army'' is a series of first-person shooter video games developed and published by the U.S. Army, intended to inform, educate, and recruit prospective soldiers. Launched in 2002, the game was branded as a strategic communication device ...
, an online
recruitment tool, which has been adapted for use in real training exercises.
Safety
To avoid unwanted discharges and accidents, there is a set of guidelines, known as the cardinal rules, used to ensure a safe shoot house session.
These cardinal rules are:
# Treat every firearm as if it's loaded.
# Keep your firearm pointed away from other people.
# Keep your finger out and away from the trigger.
# Be aware of not just your target but everything beyond it.
In addition to the cardinal rules other guidelines include:
* The mandatory use of ear and eye protection.
* The mandatory use of
body armor
Body armor, also known as body armour, personal armor or armour, or a suit or coat of armor, is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks. Historically used to protect military personnel, today it is also used by variou ...
.
* Targets should be placed around the room so rounds hit the impact areas.
* There should be no one in the shoot house before the training exercise.
* Equipment (guns, ammunition, targets, and the shoot house) should all be authorized and inspected before the training exercise.
Public use
In addition to military and police use, kill houses, like shooting ranges, are available for public use. Companies such as Meggitt Training Systems and Pareti Mobile Walls offer to build permanent or portable shoot houses for the public. There is also a community of enthusiasts that build and use kill houses for their own purposes and entertainment. Kill houses though are still a training tool first and foremost.
"Shoot Houses & Live-Fire Training Products - Ballistics Technology International - BTI."
BTI manufactures and supplies SACONĀ® shock and bullet absorbing concrete - Ballistics Technology International - BTI. (accessed October 31, 2011).
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Firearm training