I've used a gun to defend myself exactly once. I caught a guy armed with a shovel handle and a screwdriver trying to break into my apartment in the early afteroon on a weekday (ah, college), and ran him off by brandishing my 9mm. It's funny, because when he saw me through the sliding glass door, I was holding it behind my back -- he didn't run away until I let him see it.
I've never been polled and I didn't report the attempted burglary to the police, because I didn't really get a good look at him (no contact lenses in at the time, was looking at his hands, etc.), and I didn't have a phone. I wasn't going to leave the apartment either, so my first chance to call someone would have been about ten hours later when my roommate came back in.
So when someone says 2 million defensive uses per year, I don't doubt it...
I've never been polled and I didn't report the attempted burglary to the police, because I didn't really get a good look at him (no contact lenses in at the time, was looking at his hands, etc.), and I didn't have a phone. I wasn't going to leave the apartment either, so my first chance to call someone would have been about ten hours later when my roommate came back in.
So when someone says 2 million defensive uses per year, I don't doubt it...