what happens after you use your firearm in self defense

[rjmt]

I would worry far more on being prepared with training, tactics, mental prep, what to say and do after the shooting than what will happen to my gun but that is just me. I've also been through the above mentioned Mas Ayoob courses at the instructor level and he is very convincing on why this is important...so you can be out of jail and not a felon so you can get your gun back. I will also choose my tool based on how it will improve my odds when it come to saving my live or that of a family member.

Someone let loose a with about six rounds about 3am last night right by my house. I grabbed a $600 gun but if my $1,500 gun was closer and I thought it was a better tool I'd have no heartburn grabbing it instead. Just my humble thoughts. To each their own.

Cheers,

good thoughts - we have our own firing range on the property and any intruder will be crunching over empty brass on our gravel road
I was trained in tactics and mental prep in Basic in 1968 - spent over 10 year in uniform
my daughter has a very fine degree in Criminal Justice and we've had all the lectures
we've killed 4 legged predator's every now and then and now loaded firearms siting by every door are a way of life
but the sheriff is not taking my rifle away for shooting a coyote or bobcat
I never thought we would have to deal with human predators this far out in rural Clark Co, but we've had the shooting near Battleground and a stabbing in the middle of the night not far from us - meth heads and fentanyl addicts now exist in rural areas
reality of life in remote rural areas has changed with the degradation of social structure in our Liberal run metropolitan communities in Oregon and Washington
20 years ago, I only kept a 10/22 by the door for coyotes or feral dogs, we never worried about human predators then
today I now have to keep a loaded Glock on my headboard, 6" from my head
yes, I have a loaded Mossberg Shockwave in the bedroom, but I can find the Glock in the total darkness of the night still groggy from sleep
and as experience in Portland and out near Battleground have shown, drug addicts and mentaly ill are no longer intimidated by firearms
if you feel your life is threatened, one must react, not just threaten the intruder - don't brandish your firearm unless you willing to us it - or you will be hurt

 

[BAJ475]

it was not more than a month ago a property owner had to shoot a mentally ill intruder at his front door in remote Clark Co
the Sheriffs Dept. put a tarp over the body until the coroner could arrive in the morning

Homeowner fatally shoots intruder near Battle Ground

The intruder tried to enter the man's home, threatened to "hurt" his wife and assaulted him before he was shot, the Clark County Sheriff's Office said.

www.kgw.com

this isn't Multnomah Co, Or with a far leftist DA paid for by Soros like Portland

6 years ago, our neighbor lost his job and started cooking meth - the smell gave my wife a headache and she called the Sheriffs Dept
they told her they were not going to risk their deputies on an armed meth head on his own property
the Deputy on the phone asked if she had a firearm - my wife answered - "YES"
"well, mam, accidents happen - call us if you have an accident on your property"

here in remote Clark Co, an intruder at your door in the middle of the night is an eminent threat since the Sheriff is 30 min away and we are disabled senior citizens

but I'm not going to risk a fine HK on a meth head - a Glock or Mossberg Shockwave is good enough

I fully understand where you are coming from. I use to carry a PPQ but then started carrying a SD9VE that I won in a raffle. Despite what others have said about modifying a carry gun, the trigger was so bad that I added an APEX kit and trigger. Raffle cost was $0, FFL $25, Apex kit $20, Apex trigger $40 and 16rnd Freedom Week mag $20. Total $105, which is far less than the replacement cost of any of my PPQs. With the Apex kit and trigger this is a decent EDC gun and a viable option to a Glock.
My post was only to remind everyone to focus on what constitutes self defense and not rely on labels that may not be aplicalble to their situation. While not disabled, I am also a senior citizen. I do not think that you need to be in a remote area for an intruder at your door in the middle of the night to constitute an eminent threat. You do have to appreciate the Deputy's response.
If you have the option, a Glock or Mossberg are fine choices but use whatever is needed to prevail. Stay safe my friend.

 

[po18guy]

To encapsulate, what happens to you depends heavily on the jurisdiction in which you live and the leanings of the political structure. In WA and OR, I am not optimistic.

 

[BAJ475]

good thoughts - we have our own firing range on the property and any intruder will be crunching over empty brass on our gravel road
I was trained in tactics and mental prep in Basic in 1968 - spent over 10 year in uniform
my daughter has a very fine degree in Criminal Justice and we've had all the lectures
we've killed 4 legged predator's every now and then and now loaded firearms siting by every door are a way of life
but the sheriff is not taking my rifle away for shooting a coyote or bobcat
I never thought we would have to deal with human predators this far out in rural Clark Co, but we've had the shooting near Battleground and a stabbing in the middle of the night not far from us - meth heads and fentanyl addicts now exist in rural areas
reality of life in remote rural areas has changed with the degradation of social structure in our Liberal run metropolitan communities in Oregon and Washington
20 years ago, I only kept a 10/22 by the door for coyotes or feral dogs, we never worried about human predators then
today I now have to keep a loaded Glock on my headboard, 6" from my head
yes, I have a loaded Mossberg Shockwave in the bedroom, but I can find the Glock in the total darkness of the night still groggy from sleep
and as experience in Portland and out near Battleground have shown, drug addicts and mentally ill are no longer intimidated by firearms
if you feel your life is threatened, one must react, not just threaten the intruder - don't brandish your firearm unless you willing to us it - or you will be hurt

Yes, it is a different from the past and the need to be armed and prepared is more important than it was. If "drug addicts and mentally ill are no longer intimidated by firearms" they should be because that Mossberg will teach them a painful but not undeserved lesson.
I fully agree with your comments on brandishing. While you may cause an aggressor to reconsider his or her actions, it may result in them returning with more firepower. You and I have no way of knowing.

 

[American123]

It depends on how good you aim is.

If the bad guy IS NOT dead because your aim is off, it'll be a long time before you get your gun back because there'll be a long list of of the bad guy's relatives all of whom will want to sue you for big money about the injustice of how the bad guy is really a nice guy who was trying to make enough money to go to college and earn a degree in environment science to solve climate issues, and was on his knee offering a prayer to god when you oh-so-callously shot him. So you gun will remain in evidence for a long time.

If the bad guy IS dead, no relatives of his will give a hoot because it'll be difficult to tell their side of the story and make money from suing you. So you'll get your VP9 back quickly.

In short:
- Don't miss.
- Shoot to kill.
- More shots equals more holes in bad guys, equals higher chances of dead bad guys, equals getting gun back quickly.

Don't shoot to kill, shoot to stop the threat, and in the process if the perp dies, that's the breaks. Explaining that you were "Shooting to kill" in a self defense situation is what gets people in trouble.

 

[BAJ475]

To encapsulate, what happens to you depends heavily on the jurisdiction in which you live and the leanings of the political structure. In WA and OR, I am not optimistic.

Unfortunately, you are correct and I am equally pessimistic about WA and OR. That is one of the main reasons why I live in ID, although I do have carry permits in OR and WA.

 

[Certaindeaf]

wow - I've caught bloody heck from the Glock fans with such a comment
it's just one of my collection, but the one I'm more willing to give up after a self defense shooting
a HK VP9 is not a compromise in any world I know of

Yea, it's a play in their old advertisement tag line.
There are a lot of threads like this.
It's pretty much the last thing in the world I'd let influence my choice of personal defense weapon.

 

[rjmt]

my question in this thread was what would happen to my firearm after I have to use it
one's choice of self defense firearm is up to them
.357, .45, 44 mag, 9mm, have them all
Smith, Ruger, HK, Springfield, Glock, they all will work
but if I'm going to have to give one up, I'll use the one with less economic loss
I'm sure not going to use my limited production Smith 686 for self defense and have it sit in some evidence locker for a year

 

[revjen45]

1) "Explaining that you were "Shooting to kill" in a self defense situation is what gets people in trouble."
Explaining anything is what gets you in trouble. That's your lawyer's job. STFU.

2) Don't carry a gun you cherish for serious social work. That's what striker fired Tupperware is for.

 

[Flopsweat]

It depends on how good you aim is.

If the bad guy IS NOT dead because your aim is off, it'll be a long time before you get your gun back because there'll be a long list of of the bad guy's relatives all of whom will want to sue you for big money about the injustice of how the bad guy is really a nice guy who was trying to make enough money to go to college and earn a degree in environment science to solve climate issues, and was on his knee offering a prayer to god when you oh-so-callously shot him. So you gun will remain in evidence for a long time.

If the bad guy IS dead, no relatives of his will give a hoot because it'll be difficult to tell their side of the story and make money from suing you. So you'll get your VP9 back quickly.

In short:
- Don't miss.
- Shoot to kill.
- More shots equals more holes in bad guys, equals higher chances of dead bad guys, equals getting gun back quickly.

Don't shoot to kill, shoot to stop the threat, and in the process if the perp dies, that's the breaks. Explaining that you were "Shooting to kill" in a self defense situation is what gets people in trouble.

We don't shoot to kill and please don't advocate that. There is a huge difference between shooting to stop the fight and shooting to kill. It also happens to be the difference between righteousness and evil.

 

[rjmt]

It depends on how good you aim is.

If the bad guy IS NOT dead because your aim is off, it'll be a long time before you get your gun back because there'll be a long list of of the bad guy's relatives all of whom will want to sue you for big money about the injustice of how the bad guy is really a nice guy who was trying to make enough money to go to college and earn a degree in environment science to solve climate issues, and was on his knee offering a prayer to god when you oh-so-callously shot him. So you gun will remain in evidence for a long time.

If the bad guy IS dead, no relatives of his will give a hoot because it'll be difficult to tell their side of the story and make money from suing you. So you'll get your VP9 back quickly.

In short:
- Don't miss.
- Shoot to kill.
- More shots equals more holes in bad guys, equals higher chances of dead bad guys, equals getting gun back quickly.

the reality of shootings in the rural areas is that medical care is 20 min out, at least
the human body will bleed out long before that
the home owner near Battleground just shot to end the threat, the intruder bled out long before medical care arrived

and the intruder would have to be within 10' to be considered a threat - really hard to miss with a handgun at under 10'
Amazon delivers up to 10:30pm out here, one does not just shoot at people on your porch in the dark

 

[WillametteWill]

We don't shoot to kill and please don't advocate that. There is a huge difference between shooting to stop the fight and shooting to kill. It also happens to be the difference between righteousness and evil.

NWF gold here. As many of you have heard me rant, ask, beg...gun owners who carry or have guns for defensive purposes would benefit from spending as much time researching and understanding use of force laws and preparing for the aftermath as they do at the range. It's just not as sexy.

 

[The B]

Because my life is crazy and fringy and whack bubblegum bubblegum is always going on around me, yea - ive had a number of guns end up in police custody. Not because ive shot anyone in self defense and reported it- but for "other" reasons.

and yes, i can confirm that they dont take care of your guns. In fact, one of the last times i had to go down to pick up an armload of long guns of mine they'd seized, the officer literally just had them piled up in her arms and plopped them down on the table out in the precinct lobby in a clatter of steel and plastic and aluminum.. and the "EVIDENCE" tape residue was a pain in the bubblegum to clean off and did actually bubblegum up the finish on one rifle stock. Dents, scratches, dings, missing magazines, and all the ammo randomly dumped into a big ziplock bag.. and she refused to help me carry them out to my truck or even watch some of them while i carried some out and came back for the rest, so i had to wrestle them all out at once, still sliding and banging into each other.. almost dropped half of em on the pavement..

as to what gun to use for self defense, tho - dont make that decision based on how pretty or expensive your gun is. Make that choice based on how reliable it is and how well you shoot it. If that happens to be your prettiest and most expensive gun, then thats the gun you need to be grabbing when th bubblegum hits the fan. Period.

i wouldnt even KIND OF hesitate to grab my most prized SBR AR if it came time to use in anger - i need to survive the fight, and thats the best chance ive got. Go ahead and confiscate it, i can fill out another form 4, but not if im dead.

 

[rjmt]

I guess I have the luxury of being able to select my self defense firearm from a collection of reliable, accurate handguns, for protection from Human predators. I keep others by the doors for non-human predators.
out of my collection, I choose to keep my Glock 9mm loaded with Golden Sabre self defense rounds and I have the confidence this will meet my needs
I choose to put my HK and 1911 back in the gun safe unloaded
I don't have to just grab a gun for self defense, I select one, practice with it and keep it loaded in a strategic location
the Glock has a nice set of Tru Glo sights that work well under our outside arc light at night
and I have the luxury of being to practice at night, from my own door
you can spend all day at a well lit gun range, but chances are high if your going to have to use it, it wont be in a well lit situation and a known distance

and I guess I wont mention I keep a clear field of view from my bedroom window - have had to shoot at predators out the window several times

 

[Certaindeaf]

my question in this thread was what would happen to my firearm after I have to use it
one's choice of self defense firearm is up to them
.357, .45, 44 mag, 9mm, have them all
Smith, Ruger, HK, Springfield, Glock, they all will work
but if I'm going to have to give one up, I'll use the one with less economic loss
I'm sure not going to use my limited production Smith 686 for self defense and have it sit in some evidence locker for a year

I've only ever heard our highly esteemed @Andy54Hawken say "Use what you shoot best" when a general query is posed, never "Shoot what you could bear to lose".
But hey, it's not the arrow anyway so I'd not worry so much about it.

 

[Bubba Smith]

I've had it happen in another state that was fairly gun friendly at the time. They kept it for a long while. I called and never got any explanation what the hold up was since I wasn't facing any charges. When it was returned its condition wasn't noticeably different then when they took it.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I've only ever heard our highly esteemed @Andy54Hawken say "Use what you shoot best" when a general query is posed, never "Shoot what you could bear to lose".
But hey, it's not the arrow anyway so I'd not worry so much about it.

Thank you for the kinds words.

I have had to present a firearm twice to a threat , in my civilian life . Both times ended well and everyone went home alive.
Both times it was with a firearm that I knew how to shoot very well with.

As I do my best to avoid ever having to shoot someone again....I don't really worry 'bout what will happen to my firearm afterwards....
Andy

 

[Forester]

Buy a Shadow systems. They will replace if firearm is used in lethal self defense.
If you need to use a firearm to defend your life or someone else.
The gun is the least of your concerns.

 

[rjmt]

Andy, for self defense, I disagree with "use what you shoot best" since I have dedicated target pistols
there are pistols like the Glock 9mm that are designed and priced as duty pistols, I'll choose a duty pistol anytime IF I have to encounter a human intruder
but I'm thinking most on this forum don't have an extensive collection of pistols and use what they can afford
otherwise I would recommend an extended slide HK VP9 with compensator or a Wilson Combat 1911 for self defense
I shoot those best
and I do really worry about what happens to my firearms afterwards, my son will inherit my firearms after they spread my ashes in the garden

 

[L84Cabo]

Pro Tip: Do you own your stuff or does your stuff own you?

When choosing a gun to defend your life and the lives of your family, you pick the most reliable gun you own that you shoot the best. Maybe that's a $450 glock or maybe that's a $3000 Wilson Combat. Cost, however, is NOT a factor in this equation.

To that end, my Wilson CQB sits on my nightstand. And if the police want it after it gets done saving my life and the lives of my family, they can keep the damn thing for all I care.

And it will still be the BEST money I've ever spent.