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If (God forbid) I'm ever in a self defense situation with a human, I will shoot until I believe the threat to my life (or another's life) has ended. If someone was on the ground but still pointing a firearm at me, I would shoot.

I stated human, because we all have to assume that's what the OP was asking. I've damn near had to use my gun in self defense against animals and we all know in a situation like that we would shoot until the threat to ourselves was over. Why would a human attack be any different.

I, too, subscribe to "Rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6".

:s0155:
 
I worked with a guy that shot an intruder,(I don't know the round count) reloaded and shot some more. Even though it was self defense he went to jail because of the reload (court said it was excessive use of force). With that said, I'd still shoot until the threat was over. It's said that a person can shoot 5 rounds in a second and many of our guns hold more than a dozen rounds.. 2 to 3 seconds! You have to be as mentally ready as possible for all of the consequences that come from a shooting before you ever decide to carry a gun.
 
Once the threat stops, stop shooting and call for help.

Our goal is not to kill an attacker, but to stop them. If one bullet does the trick and the bad guy gives up, mission accomplished. If not, continue the mission.

Check your state laws.
 
Something I have always wondered was if your in a situation where you end up having to use your gun, do you empty your entire clip into the guy or just shoot to resolve the situation? Iv been told that if you empty the entire clip and say you feared for your life then it would hold in court, but if you only shot the bad guy a few times (and still killed him) and said you feared for your life that it would be looked at differently... Don't get me wrong I'm not gonna worry about conserving my bullets if was in a situation, im just curious...
Clips are for sealing up Potato chip bags dude. It's a magazine! Greydog.
 
Portland Police Bureau in the past was the butt of many jokes. They had the horribly deserved reputation of excessive round count in officer involved shootings.
It was common for the reports to describe 30 to 40 rounds fired for one or two hits. The marksmanship was horrible. Things have gotten a lot better, but, now if you hit a B.G. only once you have been excessive. What a great town Portland is. Pervert Mayor, bus drivers who read while driving, graft and corruption at all levels of govt. activity, but the cops can't defend themselves without getting a full cavity scan!.:s0155:

P.S. Shoot to stop the threat. Then back up, scan, holster when safe and call P.D.
 
My wife carries a P-11 and I have told her to 'only' pull the pistol when she thinks she is in danger, "DO NOT" say 'stop, I have a gun' .... simply fire and keep firing until the pistol is empty. JMO
 
3d-silver-infinity-symbol-thumb3301021.jpg
 
My wife carries a P-11 and I have told her to 'only' pull the pistol when she thinks she is in danger, "DO NOT" say 'stop, I have a gun' .... simply fire and keep firing until the pistol is empty. JMO

+1 on that!:s0155:

My wife carries a .38 Special snubbie (with Laser Grips). I've given her similar advice.

#1 Only draw the gun if you really believe you are going to use it.
#2 If you draw, pull the trigger. Keep pulling the trigger until the threat stops.

To many people, women especially, have tried to use a gun's presence as a warning sign, only to have it taken away from them.
 
You can easily put yourself in a position to help the investigation, not incriminate yourself, and keep your rights in check at the same time, with three helpful statements;

Who was involved; Tell the investigator(s) who was involved in the incident, and where they can be found;

Scope of the Incident; Where did it occur. Did it all happen in one place, or did it start at one place and finish somewhere else. If that's the case, show them the route taken;

Weapons Involved; What was used and where they can be found.

Stop there and seek the advice of an attorney who has the knowledge in the area of use of force issues. Your tendency will be to talk, resist it and save it for your privileged communication with your council of choice.
 
You can easily put yourself in a position to help the investigation, not incriminate yourself, and keep your rights in check at the same time, with three helpful statements;

Who was involved; Tell the investigator(s) who was involved in the incident, and where they can be found;

Scope of the Incident; Where did it occur. Did it all happen in one place, or did it start at one place and finish somewhere else. If that's the case, show them the route taken;

Weapons Involved; What was used and where they can be found.


Stop there and seek the advice of an attorney who has the knowledge in the area of use of force issues. Your tendency will be to talk, resist it and save it for your privileged communication with your council of choice.

Thanks!
 
A long time ago,a trainer told me you start pulling the trigger as soon as you clear leather (what about my big feet?) and don't stop till the threat is subsided.If the body is twitching it is a threat.

Don't know that I agree with that but if you have killed someone and not put a bunch of rounds everywhere else,how much more trouble could you be in?

I have heard more on using re-loads as defense loads than how many shots were fired.
 
Because the lawyers will base their defense against you upon prior intent on killing someone rather than simply trying to defend yourself.

The use of reloads, type of gun, etc. will only really matter in a civil proceeding, not a criminal one (although it may serve as candy for a jury that already wants to convict you). The law and case law surrounding the use of deadly force in Oregon pretty much says that, when deadly force is justified, the means (type or nature of weapon) by which it is used is of no consequence. Either you were justified or you were not.

For a civil trial, which has a much lower judicial standard (preponderance of the evidence rather than beyond a reasonable doubt), that information may be enough to tip the scales one way or another. I think it would be very hard for a plaintiff's attorney to make it look like you were "out for blood" if whatever you carry is in line with what police officers or the average CHL holder carries. For that reason, I stick with store bought defense ammo and standard/common calibers (9mm, .40, .45, .38, .357, .380, etc.). Trying to defend the use of your homemade .50 BMG handgun could complicate issues. Is the type of ammo/caliber of your gun relevant? Probably not. But, you are better off in court when you keep your defense simple. Plaintiff's attorneys will try and complicate things, make it more confusing, and bring in anything to distract from the only real issue at hand: Were you justified in using deadly force?
 
You shoot to stop the threat...period. If they are still doing whatever action it was that they were doing to warrant deadly force then you haven't shot them enough.

Nobody here can tell you a number...even reloading and shooting more is fine- as long as there is still a threat that warrants deadly force.

What does that mean? That means if a chick with a knife comes running at you and you shoot her 15 times before she hits the ground you are fine. On the same coin if she falls the ground in the first shot, but you are still emptying your magazine into her- I can say that that is probably too much.

Too much force, however, is always in the eye of the jury. Some may think you were justified because you were in genuine fear of your life, add stress and endorphines pumping through you and you get a total amount of bullets that just happen to be in the magazine at the time. Am I going to sit here and say that 15 rounds is too much? Of course not...there are many factors that have to be put into consideration. Have you ever been in a violent encounter before? Did the attacker surprise you? Ect, ect...the lawyers (mainly the head DAs) decide these matters and decide to persue charges based upon the facts (and if they want to make a name for themself by making an example out of you).

Your best bet is to train, train and train. Be alert and constantly observant. Possible threats shouldn't be a surprise to you because you should be constantly scanning for threats- especially when you have a gun on your hip. Nevertheless, there may come a time when you are attacked when you are least prepared (i.e. sleeping in your house). Who am I to say how threatened you were by the subject in your house?

Anyhoot, I think you get the point...your best bet is just to simply know your own limitations and try to always get better and try to be more prepared for violent encounters. Carrying a gun comes great responsibility...you have basically stated that "I refuse to be a victim!" So your best bet is not to become one or victimize someone else with your firearm.

Stay safe and good luck...

I think Riot summed it up nicely. We shoot to stop the threat. When the threat is stopped (either by breaking contact, or by incapacitation), you stop shooting. Always be aware of your surroundings so you are less likely to be surprised. Carrying concealed comes with a great deal of responsibility- get professional training, and keep it current. The class you took to get your CHL isn't nearly enough.

My $.02.

BGRF
 
I did not read the entire thread but a better question would be: Do you want to hesitate while shooting your attacker, thereby allowing him/them to do what they originally intended to do to you? (shoot, stab, beat you?)
 

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