I disagree with poster. The stats show that just showing the gun deters the attacker in 95% of the situations. Why gun somebody down if you can stop them buy pulling the gun. On the other hand if you do pull it you better be willing to use it because there are people that will take it from you and stick it up your ass. But just think for a minute, how many of you that were ready to beat somebody up with your fists would continue to approach the person if they pulled out a gun? Would you keep going to fight them or would you say oh shit and head out the other way? Don't lie.

I think it's wrong to have an attitude that if you draw, you're committed to shooting.  Committed to shooting [b]if necessary[/b], yes.  You can't be that guy who draws and then has the gun taken away by the bad guy.  To me, drawing would be an intermediary step - you're in a life-threatening situation, and you draw.  You then have to assess the bad guy's reaction; if it's anything other than desist and run like hell, then you might move on to shooting.  

The point is to stop or prevent a criminal attack on yourself.  If you've done that by displaying the gun, then mission accomplished.  The original post about "you'd better shoot, because now they know you've got a gun" is just flat-out wrong.  If someone comes up on you with a ball bat, and you draw, you are completely unjustified in shooting if they drop the bat upon seeing the gun.  Telling the responding LEO that "I shot him because he now knows I have a gun and it's possible that he'd come back better armed at some unidentified later time" is going to guarantee you a trip to the pokey.  

Lots of good posts here, and some that are misinformed.

Bottom line, get some knowledge about CCW BEFORE having to use your weapon. I read the book "The Concealed Handgun Manual" by Chris Bird. I have not even yet bothered to get the permit so I can carry. But I wanted as much knowledge as possible BEFORE I get into that situation.

One major point that is always made in these books -- keep your mouth shut if you have to shoot someone. Just tell the cops that you were "in fear for your life or of serious bodily injury" and that you need to have your lawyer present to answer ANY further questions. That's THE MAJIC phrase that MAY OR MAY NOT keep you out of long-term incarceration. The adrenaline in your system will make you want to spill your very confused and hyper-active guts to anyone who will listen. DO NOT do that. You WILL be arrested (in almost all cases) and you most-likely WILL be a "guest" of the legal system for a while. You may not get your gun back for some time eiter (IF you are not convicted of something). Shooting someone is a VERY BIG DEAL in the legal sense. You'd better be sure your life was really in immediate danger. Because your life is going to suck for a while. This is one scenario where you most definitely do NOT want to play "cowboy".

[b]If you draw...SHOOT; do not draw to intimidate  [/b]



This sounds a little on the Gunkidish side![:D]

"Nothing ever happens to LEO's because of their actions" ?????  How the hell would you know?  Do you know FOR A FACT that the persons involved in the few sensational examples you list didn't face any repercussions for their actions?  
I recommend that since reality seems to slip by you, you should just stick to your Dagorhir fantasies, Ragnaroc.

If I feel the need to draw I will shoot.

BigDozer66

A lot of people's concerns seem to be how the police will react when they report the shooting. Frankly, if someone tries to mug you, and you shoot him, why not just walk away, go home, and have a cigarette? Certainly, if the police somehow connect you, it would seem suspicious, but the guy you shot was probably kind enough to make sure that there weren't any witnesses around.

Some interesting points made.  Somebody alluded to continuum of force used by LEO's, but nobody connected the dots.  I NEVER carry a concealed firearm without also bringing some pepper spray (and a cell phone for that matter).  In this way, I'm basically prepared for the spectrum of situations that could occur.  If I see something happening, I can call the police.  If I"m threatened with non-lethal force, I can pepper the guy.  Before you roll your eyes, the Baltimore PD had above a 90% one-shot stop rating with their issue pepper spray (2m SHU rating)- this is better than most handgun rounds!  Should the perp shake off the non-lethal weapon and, Jason-like, continue to advance on me, I will then have a pretty strong argument that I did all I could to avoid using lethal force.  Just a thought...

This is the one part that nobody else seemed to comment on. Unless you're talking about some ongoing situation with gangbangers or something, I don't think any criminal that you draw on will be coming back. Those guys became criminals for easy money or a feeling of power, not so that they could risk being shot to get revenge on someone. Why would they go after someone they know has a gun when there's scores of unarmed sheep to rob, beat, and generally intimidate?

BTW, the 10-20-Life law in Florida refers (respectively) to drawing a gun, firing, and shooting someone [b]during a crime[/b].