Plan2Live said:
Statistics show that the chances I will ever have to draw my pistol in self defense are minutely slim. .
I'm curious -- what is the source of the
statistics that show that the chances any of us will have to draw a pistol in self defense are minutely slim?
The number of pistols fired in self-defense may be counted in a number of different databases,
but number of times pistols are drawn in self defense will never be accurately reported -- I don't think anyone even tries to tally that activity.
And, if the need to draw is minutely small, the need to carry a weapon or have a home defense weapon is also minutely small. I would argue, however, that while you might feel comforted by the slim likelihood of ever needing to use a firearm,
if your number is called, you will still have a 100% need to use it effectively.
In some parts of the country, home invasions seem to be on the rise, and if your home is invaded, you might have time enough to be ready. (We have an alarm system here at home -- and if someone comes in the house while we're here, the alarm is going to go off.) But if we're jumped in a parking lot, at the mall, or at an ATM, the odds are going to favor the bad guy a bit.
Plan2Live said:
...And in the self defense encounters that do involve gunfire I don't recall reading the majority of attackers brushing off a gunshot wound and continuing to fight. Has it happened, sure, is it likely to happen, that's my call to make but THANK YOU for the emphasis. I stand by my risk assessments and my skill level and I am comfortable with both
The accounts I've read suggests that there are determined attackers and others who aren't up to the task. Whether they stop or not depends on the attacker: 1) Is he/she on drugs? 2) Is he or she experienced (i.e., has been there, done that, and knows what s/he is doing)? 3) Is there more than one attacker? 4) Is the attacker really intent on doing you harm? If the the attacker (or attackers) is inexperienced, many
will give up the fight as soon as the first shot is fired -- whether hit or not -- but others won't stop until they are stopped
or they stop you.
I've read a lot of statistics about the nature of shootings, and most of the police/FBI data doesn't pay much attention to civilian self-defense shootings. Most police or FBI stats are focused on LEO vs Bad Guy encounters. Other studies show that many civilian encounters will include 3-4 shots fired, and at least some of them will be aimed. Some may include STOPS. (Whether the bad guy is stopped because he just quits, or because the bad guy can't continue isn't always noted.)
I've also read about a number of encounters between police and armed attackers where the shootouts take a lot more shots than you'd expect, and I've also read about the armed encounters by civilians in the NRA magazines -- some are up close and personal, and other are across a room, or at the other end of the house or business.
As you look through the following summary of a large number of shootouts, don't pay a lot of attention to the calibers used and their relative effectiveness, but just look at the number of events involved and how many rounds are fired. And note that all of these were guns NOT in holsters or pockets.
https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/alternate-look-handgun-stopping-power
I doubt that most civilians involved in a self-defense altercation will ever shoot a lot of rounds -- but 2-3 rounds fired by the civilian is pretty common. Some of those shots may ben hits to non-critical areas, or just misses.