It is a concern but the head of the firearms training unit for the FBI put that in perspective. When the FBI adopted the 10mm he was asked, in an interview, if he was worried about over penetration. He said that as 80% of rounds fired by law enforcement don't hit their intended target it didn't seem worthwhile to worry about over penetration of those that do.
Fair enough but how similar are the typical LEO shootings and the typical civilian DGUs? We know all justifiable homicides tend to occur at close range. The 3 yards, 3 rounds, in 3 seconds "rule of 3" is actually not far from the mark. I'm not saying you can't miss at less than 3 yards, Kyle did with his AR15 when jump kick man was jumping on top of him. I don't think I would have missed. But Rosenbaum was within arm's reach basically and Grosskreutz was within 3 yards. The majority of the surveillance camera footage of various DGU's that I have watched were also at similarly close range. Criminals pretty typically seem to have to get up close to do their job, close enough that missing, though possible, is unlikely.
To be clear I wasn't challenging any of your points. They're all quite valid. I was just relating a story from 30+ years ago that seemed relevant.
In New Jersey you can't carry anything! That said, a quirk in New Jersey law is that a bullet with a polymer insert in the tip (think Hornady FTX) is not considered a hollow point. Also you are aqllowed to possess hollow points in your home, although how you can get them there is a mystery. Makes me glad I left that hole.
First of all, thanks for the opportunity to explore this topic further. So, I'd say that the point is, they're using a .40 cal JHP and as long as you're using a JHP that isn't branded as being more devastating than regular JHPs, it would be one less thing for an overzealous prosecutor to talk about. I know a fellow that carried a .44 mag with handloaded coated heavy for caliber hardcast lead bullets that would be suitable for killing bears. I think if he actually shot someone with one of these, he'd have some explainin' to do. Some other fellow I know seems to think that a prosecutor wouldn't have anything to say about handloaded Lehigh controlled fracturing projectiles. I think he would and I think it might be something that a jury wouldn't just casually dismiss. So when I say, it makes sense from a legal standpoint to use what the local LEOs are using, I'm saying that it makes sense not to deviate from their example so far that a prosecutor would have something to talk about and a juror would have something to think about. Plus, this isn't a deer we're talking about, it's a human being and, yes, he's a threat to you but your only goal should be to stop that threat, not to kill that human being because that's the wrong way to think and plus you don't want to walk around with that on your conscience. So, bottom line, if the local LEOs are using standard nothing special semi-autos with standard nothing special self defense JHPs, I'm using a standard nothing special semi-auto with standard nothing special JHPs.
I've read that many DGUs don't even involve a round being fired. the mere presentation of the gun is sufficient to cause the would be attacker to turn his back to you immediately and run for his life.
Blood loss is of very little significance in stopping an attacker timely.
Quite true. Blood loss rate may make a difference in chasing a deer 20 yards versus a hundred, but it's not likely to stop an evildoer from crossing the last ten feet to stab you or continuing to shoot at you. Even a shot placement in a place that takes the blood pressure to zero immediately (heart, aorta, or, maybe the venae cavae) can take several seconds to incapacitate. Instantaneous incapacitation has to involve neurogenic or psychogenic shock.
