Quote Originally Posted by davedove
I had a good friend who had trained extensively in martial arts. One time, he was being trained on how to disarm someone with a gun. The first thing the teacher told them was you had to be within about five feet of the armed person. Someone asked the teacher what would happen if you were farther away. The teacher answered very matter of factly "You get shot."
Actually, that number is more like upwards of 20 feet, depending on the combatant and situation. That's why combat instructors teach you to BACK UP and keep backing up when confronted by an attacker with a melee weapon.

The problem of course lies with the fact that some melee weapons can become ranged. Me, and many other people, we can take a knife and plant it in somebody's forehead with but a casual dismissive gesture.