Hey guys, so I heard about how the NRA-ILA archives instances of people using firearms to defend themselves, so I checked out the page:
NRA-ILA ::
I selected WA from the drop down menu and read the stories, and also checked out the stories from Oregon as well.
I'm not someone who knows much about gun fighting statistics, but it was slightly surprising how few shots were fired in many cases.
Generally once the bad guys find out their target is armed and the target fires a few shots the bad guys run away or are wounded/die. This was usually the case for altercations in public and in the home.
I had read on some random forums (because the information found on forums is always accurate and reliable
) that in gun fights the average number of shots fired is around 3, and these anecdotal stories from the NRA-ILA seem to support that.
Yes this may be old news to the tactical, bear killing gurus on this board. For me though this may have some practical applications. I think I have been influenced by the belief system that you need to have "a lot of rounds" that you need 10+ rounds in a carry gun and anything less is asking for trouble, and therefore a double stack 9mm is the best choice for carry. However if the "typical" gunfight only has a few shots fired, it may be better to have a fewer amount of large caliber rounds (ie .45acp) than a high amount of smaller rounds (9mm). Of course there is no substitute for shot placement/accuracy.
This also has has made me think about carrying my extra magazine. When the weather was/is cool enough and I am wearing a jacket I do carry an extra magazine on my belt since I can easily conceal it. However the during the summer the extra magazine prints far too much and I leave it at home. I felt guilty about doing this because obviously the magazine could be useful for the additional amount of ammunition and plus it's necessary if the magazine in the gun malfunctioned or if I had a jam that required dropping it out of the well to clear the gun and inserting a new mag.
But given how few shots are fired, an additional 13 rounds of 9mm probably will never be used and in case of a jam the altercation will likely be so short there wouldn't be enough time to clear the gun and put a new mag in. The criminals would probably have already run away (since I assume at least the first round in the chamber went off) or I would be dead. Yes I will still likely carry an extra mag when it's cold out, but I will feel less guilty about not carrying one during our two months of summer here in the Northwest.
*Caveats
- I'm sure the NRA-ILA does not put on their website instances where people failed to legally protect themselves with firearms and were killed by bad guys. Obviously this would not help their agenda. So of course the stories from their website need to be taken with a grain of salt.
- Most of the bad guys in these stories are burglars/street thugs who are generally just after stuff to steal or quick cash, i.e. their motivation level is low. I think one instance where having a lot of ammo would be very advantageous is in the case of the mentally ill like the virginia tech shooter who have already decided ahead of time their goal is to kill. These types of bad guys would probably be more likely to engage any type of resistance instead of running. Of course no one can "pick" which type of threat will arise but the burglar/street thug is more common than the bloodthirsty gunman.
Anyway, these are just my random musings. I'm sure they are filled with gross inconsistencies and a false portrayal of what happens out there in the 'real world.'
Please enlighten me.
