From El Rojo: "Basically any major event where law and order, normal life, and a
major imminent threat makes me need to take up arms in a life and death struggle. Shooting some scum bucket that decides to rob Taco Bell while I am eating there is not SHTF for me."
Don't mean to be argumentative, flamer, or anything else, BUT!
ANY defensive shooting you are forced into is going to be a guaranteed "Life Altering Event" of the SHTF variety.
A perp that kicks in my front door in a "home invasion" attempt will be met with deadly force. I don't know what is in his mind, but the act suggests a complete lack of concern for my (and my family's) safety and is therefore life threatening to us. So he dies and I live!
Same with an ARMED perp robbing any public place that I happen to occupy at the same time. I'll never forget the mass murders in CA and TX at fast food restaurants. I must act to protect myself, and family if present. So he dies and I live!
The result in each case will alter my life.
First the Criminal "Justice" system, and then later the Civil "Justice" system, will get involved (and "justice" is in quotes for a reason). The only thing that matters in the first is politics, and in the second is $$! "Justice" is the furthest thing from "their" (prosecutor in first and trial lawyer in second) mind.
So, the moral of this post? Be mentally prepared as well as physically prepared.
And part of the physically prepared is to use unaltered firearms and factory ammunition. Just think about what a motivated prosecutor or trial lawyer would do with your hand loaded "murder" loads, or altered "killer" firearm!
God am I glad I'm out of the PDRKalifornistan!!