It happens every time there is a concealed carry class taught. Someone will ask, “Why can’t I just fire a warning shot or shoot to wound the attacker?”
Great question.
The concept of firing a warning shot and shooting to wound an attacker are both problematic. This says nothing about the fact that these acts can be illegal. It is important for you to think before you shoot. Prat of your practice with the pistol should be thinking about the consequences of shooting someone. You should be ready. Folks who have carry permits have to be aware of the law and what are the consequences of breaking it.
Having a concealed pistol that you can use when you want to certainly will increase your confidence. Even further, if you have to draw your pistol in a dangerous situation, it is possible that just having the pistol and making it seen by an attacker can defuse a situation. This does mot mean that you should not be ready to use the pistol if you need to.
In most states it is a misdemeanor to discharge a firearm. If the willful discharge injures someone then that is a felony.
If you check the law in your state you will discover that a concealed pistol is intended to be a weapon of last resort. When you draw your pistol it means that you have exhausted all the other options and you are down to the point of last resort to eliminate the danger.
If you had the time and mental capacity to fire a warning shot, you likely had the time and mental capacity to employ another means of defusing the situation — such as calling for help or moving to another location. The police will likely determine the same, and you’ll be placed under arrest for illegal discharge of a firearm.
Shooting to wound is not recommended, as it is not your decision to make whether or not your target is wounded. Bullets are unpredictable, and in an environment not meant for gunfire, their trajectory can be even more unpredictable.
Therefore, it is crucial that you enter into a mindset that you are determined to practice employing your pistol for protection. Having a carry purse with a pistol is great for protection, but great responsibility goes along with it. When you are faced with a life or death situation, you need to have put serious thought into how you will handle it, as it is not a reaction that you want to have to perform without understanding all the ramifications.
Think of a quarterback throwing a football and a player on defense managing to reach up and touch the ball after it’s in motion. What happens? The redirected ball goes where the quarterback did not intend. The exact same thing happens to bullets.
From a blade of grass to a human bone, anything can redirect a bullet’s trajectory and send it flying in dangerous, unpredictable directions. There are countless stories of soldiers on the battlefield being shot in one place and the bullet exiting somewhere completely unexpected. You cannot predict where a bullet will go after it has hit something in its path.
If you intend to just wound an attacker it may kill them regardless — or cause grievous, long-term injuries leaving you legally exposed.
Bottom Line: If you’re not truly prepared to kill your attacker, don’t pull the trigger. Period.
