The Cost of Self Defense

[aaaaa]

Good to have the insurance. So far in my 64 and a half years I have never had my (or my parents when I lived there) house broken into and have never needed to carry, though there was one road rage event I suffered where a handgun would have been nice to have as a just in case type of thing. As it was the guy just singled me out for abuse because I did nothing to him, and I had to sit and listen to his screaming and yelling obscenities at me for what seemed a long, long time. Long story, but I was effectively trapped from leaving the scene or I would have.

Bottom line, never needed a gun in 2/3 or better of my life, hoping not to need one in the rest of it, but did buy guns in the past couple years because of all the unrest around the country etc. Purely for home defense at this point.

 

[Craig_AR]

Major omission on their part not to mention this.

In a few days I will be presenting the first session of my new course on legal use of force, a state-specific customized version of a USCCA mini-course also incorporating Branca's approach to the topic. In the content I explain that post-incident support programs are commonly called "self-defense insurance," but are not really insurance policies subject to state insurance commissioners. I will recommend every one consider getting coverage but do not name any of them (not even USCCA) but say there are at least a half dozen available and recommend searching the web for "self defense insurance comparisons," in order to pick the right program for each person.
If I am asked in the class what I have, I am prepared to explain that I have been a member of one group for over ten years, and recently added overlapping but different coverage from a second one, but will not name them in formal instruction.
This is my solution to what I consider good advice (get the right program for you) without advertising for any of them in the class.

 

[shafter]

So few mention the psychological cost of self defense. Even in a fully justified shoot so many officers end up divorced, addicted to drugs or alcohol, and even commit suicide and I'm sure it's similar for others as well.

It's good to have the tools to protect yourself, and the insurance to defend yourself afterwards, but don't neglect mental preparation either.

 

[Kleanbore]

So few mention the psychological cost of self defense. Even in a fully justified shoot so many officers end up divorced, addicted to drugs or alcohol, and even commit suicide and I'm sure it's similar for others as well.

It's good to have the tools to protect yourself, and the insurance to defend yourself afterwards, but don't neglect mental preparation either.

Great put, Shafter.

And there are the costs of being treated as a pariah, having one's family ostracized, and career impacts.

 

[GEM]

There is quite a bit of discussion of such in the police oriented literature such as Christensen and Artwohl's Deadly Force Encounter. Accessible to the layperson. In the professional psychological and law enforcement literature there is quite a lot of research on the issue - Google Scholar would bring it up. Some classes do if you get behind the "let's shoot'em level". Insights (Greg Hamilton) would bring it up in class as something to be aware and one is not a 'coward' if worried about such.

However, many folks don't want to deal with such as it not as much fun as war stories or not wanting to hear about how they might not macho. I recall an officer (when we were doing a study on effective PTSD therapies for LEOs) tell me that guys who had such were 'reference to female organs' but then share about recurrent nightmares over almost shooting a child accidentally in an entry situation.

 

[JohnKSa]

Coworker of mine had a friend who was forced to use his pocket knife to defend himself against a violent attack. The attacker continued to press the attack well beyond the point of rationality and the result was that he was badly injured and died as a result of the wounds. The defender was never the same after that--it screwed up his head and he could never get his life back on track.

 

[GEM]

Just to add, it's estimated about 30% of folks suffer from stress disorders after critical incidents. Also, you don't have PTSD immediately after the incident. That's an acute stress disorder. To diagnose PTSD, that develops later. If that number is correct, it's hard to tell as many don't report and self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs.

 

[Old Dog]

many don't report and self-medicate with alcohol or other drugs.

Huge problem with both military and law enforcement personnel. Many don't want anyone knowing they've sought treatment, and there continues to be a stigma (as GEM notes in post #30) associated with those that do. Even though there's so many resources for help now, and more awareness of the need for post-deployment and post-critical incident counseling and treatment when indicated. I became so concerned about a couple vets I worked with (both had seen considerably more intense combat than I ever had), I referred them for assistance myself and had to inform them if they could not continue on the job without dealing with their issues. One's performance eventually declined so badly he was let go, the other gravitated to an admin job with less stress.

For the citizen that ends up involved in a deadly force incident, it absolutely will be even more difficult for him/her, as they probably will not work in an organization with built-in support systems to help them. Years ago, I knew a woman who killed her abusive husband; no charges were ever filed and everybody she knew told her she'd had no other options. She did not seek treatment, even though she knew she was suffering psychologically/emotionally, thought she'd be able to "deal with it" on her own, and ended up years later addicted to heroin, homeless... and died.

While the financial cost will possibly be substantial and an overwhelming, impossible burden, the psychological/emotional cost will last a lifetime.

 

[Craig_AR]

Also, you don't have PTSD immediately after the incident. That's an acute stress disorder. To diagnose PTSD, that develops later.

I recently heard an interview (ASP Podcast) with a cop who had been in a quite serious shoot out. He made the point that PTSD is a long term state that may or may not develop, but that he did, and many others following such an incident almost definitely will, suffer from post traumatic stress (PTS). Appropriate treatment and counseling after an incident can greatly help with PTS, and moving on with life. It sounds like all of us should expect some symptoms and level of PTS if we get into a self defense incident.