That sounds good in theory but completely unworkable in practice.
I'm not trying to needle you for coming up with that suggestion, but since we are here info-sharing, I might as well be more straightforward. No offence intended.
That 'shoot the assailant to wound' theory is something we hear all the time from folks who never ever used a firearm under extreme stress (eg. when you are being assaulted).
At various points in my life, I have employed firearms...mainly in sports (hunting, target shooting, and combat style IPSC typ-events). In the last catergory of competition, the emphasis is on self-defence scenarios.
A few points are relevant :-
1. Any reasonably fit assailant and those who are physically under the influence of controlled substances (drugs, LSD, etc) will be able to cover a distance of 20 feet in less than a second. That's faster than a lot of people can clear their gun from a concealed holster. If you don't believe me, you can simulate this yourself. All you need is you, a friend, and a stopwatch. Have your buddy pace out 20 feet distance and have him turn to face you. On your 'Go' signal, have him make a run at you full tilt. As soon as he reaches near enough to shoulder tap you, stop the stopwatch. Any threat with a knife or blunt weapon 20 feet or closer is lethal.
2. Bullets don't stop people dead in their tracks despite what you see in the movies. This is made worse by the fact that the presence of adrenaline or drugs in the body of an assailant will lessen any perception of pain, and in many cases (eg. with assailants high on PCP) the body does not perceive pain in the normal sense and does not react in response to stimuli of inflicted pain (eg. bullet wounds). The only guaranteed instant one-shot stop is a shot to the central nervous system (the brain, the spine). Lung shots are notorious for failures to stop. It can be fatal eventually, but your assailant will have plenty of steam left to kill you before he expires. Generally, they teach a double-tap. Two quick consecutive shots to body centre mass and continue as necessary until target is down This is the largest, most easily aimed target during high stress and where major organs are located (specifically the heart). Hits to aorta or any large vessel of the heart are fatal and will cause an almost instantaneous loss in blood pressure to render an assailant non-effective. Hits to the extremities such as legs and arms are poor stoppers. There are major arteries running through your leg, namely the femoral artery which is potentially fatal when severed due to massive bleeding, but your assailant won't bleed out before he has time to knife you.
3. Most folks can't shoot for shit, much less do it during stress under the threat of life and death. Despite what you might think, not many firearm owners are really proficient with their guns. The standard Malaysian police annual re-qualification course for licence renewal consist of the applicant standing at a peaceful gun range and taking all the time they need to put a full magazine of bullets into an inanimate target (aprrox 2.5' x 2.5' feet) downrange at around 50 feet. As long as you put all the bullets within the target, you pass. It's a piece of cake. By the way, the target does not shoot back, nor does it charge at you with a knife. Under assault, it's understandable that most gun owners do not have the composure to pull off exceptional marksmanship. It's difficult enough to centerpunch an assailant with a double-tap, much less with multiple assailants and with civilian in the background.
Shooting the leg, or shooting to wound is easily said but not something easily accomplished.
In my opinion that lawyer did everything right. I read that case before. He did not escalate the fight. It was the other guy who went for him and did not stop even after he saw the firearm and was challenged to stop. When he continued advancing with weapon in hand, the ingredients for next level of force was met. Notice one important thing...the court never insist on a need to 'shoot to wound'. The court was only concerned whether his response was disproportionate. Under the circumstances, it was deemed justifiable. The consequences of the assailant (whther he lived or died) is not relevant once the employment of a firearm was justified.
---------- Post added at 03:27 PM ---------- 6 hour anti-bump limit - Previous post was at 03:14 PM ----------
It's a retractable baton. There are no other plausible uses for any any baton other than its use as an impact weapon. So it might be tricky explaining to the cops if such an item is found in your possession.
As [Pimpin] suggested, a Maglite will be a more explainable option. Made of high strength aluminium, the longer ones are hefty and durable enough to double as an impact weapon. There is nothing sinister for keeping a Maglite torch in your car...(for breakdowns and illumination etc)
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