I don’t have a family to protect, so I’m okay with taking some risk to avoid killing someone, even though it’s legal in many states with ‘stand your ground’ laws.
I’ve seen people mention pepper spray guns and other less-lethal options.
Are these actually useful if someone with a gun breaks in? Or are there other non-lethal weapons worth considering?
If you have to use a firearm, people say aim for ‘center mass.’ Is that more like the abdomen? Does that give a better chance of wounding someone instead of killing them?
Firearms are always lethal. The idea of shooting someone in the leg to just ‘stop’ them is a movie myth. Center mass means the torso because it’s the biggest target and gives the best chance of hitting. Even an abdomen shot can be deadly. At a distance, no non-lethal weapon is as effective as a firearm.
Jessie said:
If you’re not willing to use a gun, your best option might just be to get out of there as fast as you can.
This is what we do. My wife doesn’t like guns, so we keep a rope ladder by the bedroom window. We also have bear spray, a bright flashlight, and a small bat. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing and gives her time to escape.
@Vail
You’re brave for setting all that up to protect her. But it’s funny how you’re willing to stand up to an intruder but not to her about having a gun in the house.
If someone has a gun, you need something stronger, not weaker. That’s why police don’t use non-lethal methods against armed suspects.
Center mass is about hitting the torso, not the legs or arms. Abdominal shots can be less lethal than chest shots, but they’re still dangerous. It’s more about maximizing your chance of hitting the target than choosing where to wound.
If you’re defending your home, you should respond quickly and with overwhelming force. If they have a knife or handgun, you need a shotgun, for example. Nobody wants to take a life, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. Leave the consequences to a higher power.
In the moment, you won’t have time to aim perfectly. You need to stop the threat as fast as possible. Why feel sorry for someone who broke into your home and put you in danger?
You’re underestimating how tough someone can be when running on adrenaline. If you’re in danger, you shoot until the threat is over. You might end up in court, but it’s better than losing your life. Look up the 21-foot rule and think about how close an attacker will be by the time less-lethal methods even work.
No, don’t try to fight someone with a gun unless you can completely catch them off guard with something like a hammer or your own gun. If they’ve already drawn on you, trying to fight will almost always end with you getting shot.
I teach scenarios like this, and there’s always someone who thinks they can stop an attacker. They can’t. Your best bet is to give them what they want and hope they leave.
And about center mass—it usually means aiming for the chest. Forget the talk about different parts of the body. It’s about stopping the threat as quickly as possible.