Stopping the Attack

Sheriff Jim reminds us that stopping an attacker as soon as possible is critical to surviving a criminal encounter.

by
posted on September 9, 2022
Sheriff Jim

Regardless of your state of residence, the justification for using deadly force is to stop someone who is placing people’s lives in immediate, serious danger. Of course, it is up to you to know the exact wording and particulars of your state law and abide by them. But, essentially, if we hadn’t taken immediate action, an innocent person would have been killed or sustained serious bodily injury.

It is important to understand that killing the bad guy is not, nor should be, our goal. We are acting because we want to stop the attacker right now, before any further damage is done. By the same token, if the bad guy dies because of our defensive response, that is unfortunate, but it is something he should have considered before placing others in danger.

And, in order to get him to stop as quickly as possible, we place our shots in what we call the vital zone. Rounds fired to the upper chest area are the easiest to make because the target is large. And these shots rely on the loss of blood and drop in blood pressure to incapacitate the criminal. As most deer hunters know, even a heart shot is not an instant stopper. Activity stops when fresh blood is no longer getting to the brain.

The more immediate stop comes from a head shot that impacts the brain or brain stem. The problem here is that the head is a much smaller target and is generally a moving target, as any turkey hunter can testify.

The current trends in thinking are that caliber doesn’t matter nearly as much as penetration. The bullet has to drive deep enough to impact the vitals in such a way as to cause the criminal to stop the attack. Okay, I’ll buy that, up to a point. A large hole in the heart or a major blood vessel is going to leak more blood than will a small hole in the same location.

For this reason, I still recommend the minimum defensive round to be 9 mm/.38 Spl. in size. And the defensive handgun should be loaded with premium bullets from a major manufacturer to insure that it will expand and penetrate in an appropriate manner. There is really no justification for going to a smaller caliber unless the person has some sort of physical problem that prevents it.

Essentially, the smaller the caliber and the lighter the load means that it is going to be even more difficult to get the crook to stop right now. And, remember, that is our goal. If your attacker dies from all those .22 bullets next week, or even in a couple of hours, there’s still plenty of time to continue this grievous attack. It is that attack that we want to stop ... and we want to stop it right now!

Latest

Rock River Arms Operator
Rock River Arms Operator

First Look: Rock River Arms DMR Rifles

Lots of new ways to take an AR-pattern rifle out to longer distances.

Why Choose A Slim Pistol?

Handgun thickness is dictated by magazine dimensions, which vary based on capacity, construction and feed geometry.

Review: Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 mm

Let’s start with the non-traditional review stuff right now. The new Match Pro ED 5-30x56 mm scope from Bushnell is not earth-shattering.

Red Dots for Old Eyes

It has happened against my will and without my permission, but I got old. Parts of me did anyway. I first noticed it in my late 40s when I had trouble reading the headstamp on a cartridge.

First Look: Vortex Defender-CCW Micro Red Dot

Designed from the ground up with concealed carry in mind.

Shoot United Launches 2023 Nationwide Event Schedule

Twenty events across the country, all designed to introduce people to the shooting sports.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Illustrated delivered to your inbox.