I disagree. If you were within 12 feet of any trained martial artist, when you tried to draw, you'd wake up and wonder where your gun went. I've practised this, and annoyingly, even though I fancy myself as a bit of a marksman, my Kung Fu instructor friend can disarm me every time, as I can him.
If you just went for the show, like TW Scott claims he has done many times, that's a very bad idea. It provokes a response, that he wasn't even preparing to draw and counter.
Go buy yourself a rubber gun from a martial arts store, stick it in your holster, and practice. See for yourself.
So it comes down to range, and when you let the paranoia that you are in danger kick in. You have to keep your gun advantage, which is range, and not let anyone within about 18feet of you, and never let them be behind you.
That said, you'd better move to Montana, 'cos that's one of the few places you are never going to feel crowded.
I agree that it is possible for a martial artist (not even quite expert) to move in on someone with their gun holstered and disarm him. But, I'll also agree that myself (with limited martial arts training who CAN pull off a couple of disarming moves in a training situation on a mat) will by all means be on the lookout for such moves.
Besides, the defense is quite simple... you simply match the assailant's speed as he approaches you and move backwards. If he moves left, you move right... any marginally trained martial artist knows that much - you either stay out of range or move inside. Hell, even if the assailant is faster it will still work - if I can move half as fast as he, that turns the 12 feet into 18 feet of distance, giving me ample time.
Oh sure, it all looks pretty when you're on a mat in your gi, a holstered rubber gun, standing exactly 12 feet apart, squared off in a high-noon showdown situation - but in real life circumstances are not so ideal. No one is going to come within 12 feet of my wife, kids and I in a parking lot, sidewalk, etc. without me being on the defensive and having my hand on the grips... unless we're in a Bank/Mall/Wal-mart robbery situation, in which case I'll cooperate and lay on the floor.
Add to the equation these facts:
1) 15 little hollowpoint friends are ready to go - I'm a practiced point shooter and a fast draw.
2) My pistol is concealed, so he will not even know that he's going to have to disarm it from me. It's not like I'm going to square off with him and warn him that I'm about to draw.
3) Criminals typically do not go after the guy wearing the pistol on his belt. They go after the easy victim, just like in the wild... the lioness will go after the weakest or slowest of the herd, not the big bull.
4) The majority of people who have the perseverence and dedication to excel in martial arts training to the point in which you speak are more likely to have done other successful things with their lives. They are not the typical criminal element.
