Please be very careful with that advice. I know there was a time that was the advice given but it can get you into a world of trouble. Most of your top current trainers will tell you to shoot until the assailant stops being in a threat. There are many handguns with 15+ round capacity and if you empty your magazine you could end up in trouble for a variety of reasons:
1) You likely will NOT hit your target 100% of the time. You are responsible for EVERY round you fire. Stray rounds can easily lead to collateral damage.
2) If you make multiple hits that could be fatal you can be charged. I don't remember what they call it but it is similar to an Officer being charged with excessive force.
Please keep in mind that a firearm is a deadly weapon and should only be used if you are
In fear of your life. You then shoot to stop the threat and to more. That doesn't mean you fire a warning shot. If you do that, they will argue you were not in mortal danger. You do not shoot to wound, that is Hollywood BS. Do not try for a head shot as that will be looked upon as you were shooting to kill. They teach now that you should aim for a triangle defined by the nipples and throat. Yes, this is likely to end up as a kill shot, but it is also regarded as the most likely shot placement to stop the threat. If the other person stops shooting or drops his weapon, you stop shooting. If he holds his weapon and appears to try to return fire even after he goes down you may keep shooting until he stops being a threat.
It isn't about how many rounds are fired and we need to understand that Hollywood has made for many myths, including the one shot instant kill. It is about being responsible for your actions even in a stressful time. Remember, everybody carries a camera these days and you never know if you will wind up on YouTube. There will always be a discrepancy between what you do and what you remember but you don't want that to be an egregious discrepancy.
I do strongly recommend that anyone who owns a gun with the idea of self defense spend the money on a quality course. There are a lot of do's and don't's when it comes to self defense shooting and being under fire is not the time to try to figure them out.
@smoothandlow84 , I am not trying to attack you and I do thank you for opening this part of the discussion. This is an area I've had some training and done a bit of reading on and with gun rights under constant attack I do try very hard to counter bad information with good. I will say that I have received the same advice that you have given from Law Enforcement before, but what they deal with is only the tip of the iceberg if you ever have to use your gun. The DA may not prosecute, but not every state has protections against civil suits if criminal charges are not pressed. Remember, the threshold for losing a civil case is much lower than that of a criminal case.
