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How close would you let a potential assailant come before you defended yourself from the threat?
It's a subject that we all should think about. Studies indicate that most shootings take place at between 7 and 10 feet. Yet, at the range, I see lots of folks with their targets at the extreme rear of the range and they are banging away with gusto. I've heard disparaging remarks made by some shooters that I'll have to wait until my attacker gets close enough so that I can actually hit them. There's a lot of truth in that. Then we need to consider what the prosecutor will say at our trial. If you shoot an assailant at say, 50 yards and they weren't displaying a weapon, you might be going to jail. If they were shot by you at say 10 feet and they have a knife clutched in their cold, dead hands, then chances are you may receive compliments on a tight grouping. Threat potential is critical when considering deadly force. The law looks closely at those dynamics. One of the reasons that cops get prosecuted for some shootings is that the subject of their gunfire is running away from them and that doesn't constitute a threat. There was a time when cops could shoot a "fleeing felon" but that law was overturned many years ago. There are other considerations. For example, I'm an old guy. I'm fat and clearly out of shape (yet oddly, I'm very attractive to women of all ages). So, if I was forced to defend myself by putting three into the chest of some assailant, a prosecutor would take my age and other factors into account before charging me. If you are a husky young lad who could outrun a nice wielding attacker, that might be a consideration. Perhaps you are a young lovely and unable to run because of your 4" heels and extremely short skirt, those are considerations. The point here is have you considered all the reasons that you carry a handgun and under what circumstances you'd use it? Killing someone with a gun isn't like a video game. They moan and call out as they are bleeding out. They bubblegum themselves. It's not glamorous and no one high fives you. Folks distance themselves from you (unless you are a Marine in combat, then it's all different.)
It's all about defense. If you can run away, do so. If you can't, make certain that you know what you are doing and no bystanders are at risk and finally that your attacker is armed and you are in danger of losing your life.
So how close do you let them get?
It's a subject that we all should think about. Studies indicate that most shootings take place at between 7 and 10 feet. Yet, at the range, I see lots of folks with their targets at the extreme rear of the range and they are banging away with gusto. I've heard disparaging remarks made by some shooters that I'll have to wait until my attacker gets close enough so that I can actually hit them. There's a lot of truth in that. Then we need to consider what the prosecutor will say at our trial. If you shoot an assailant at say, 50 yards and they weren't displaying a weapon, you might be going to jail. If they were shot by you at say 10 feet and they have a knife clutched in their cold, dead hands, then chances are you may receive compliments on a tight grouping. Threat potential is critical when considering deadly force. The law looks closely at those dynamics. One of the reasons that cops get prosecuted for some shootings is that the subject of their gunfire is running away from them and that doesn't constitute a threat. There was a time when cops could shoot a "fleeing felon" but that law was overturned many years ago. There are other considerations. For example, I'm an old guy. I'm fat and clearly out of shape (yet oddly, I'm very attractive to women of all ages). So, if I was forced to defend myself by putting three into the chest of some assailant, a prosecutor would take my age and other factors into account before charging me. If you are a husky young lad who could outrun a nice wielding attacker, that might be a consideration. Perhaps you are a young lovely and unable to run because of your 4" heels and extremely short skirt, those are considerations. The point here is have you considered all the reasons that you carry a handgun and under what circumstances you'd use it? Killing someone with a gun isn't like a video game. They moan and call out as they are bleeding out. They bubblegum themselves. It's not glamorous and no one high fives you. Folks distance themselves from you (unless you are a Marine in combat, then it's all different.)
It's all about defense. If you can run away, do so. If you can't, make certain that you know what you are doing and no bystanders are at risk and finally that your attacker is armed and you are in danger of losing your life.
So how close do you let them get?