imported post
Captain Nemo wrote:
One .38 caliber revolver.Two extra bullets in my pocket. No need to worry about "stovepipes"and magazine jams. I don't care to carry any more ammo than that. In my opinion it fits better with carrying a firearm for personal protection. Most certainly you folks are entitled to your own opinions. If, God forbid, I ever have to use my firearm in self defense the last thing I want is to have the media paint me as a "Rambo" type. Words like; "He was walking around with a loaded firearm on his hip and carrying 34 rounds of ammunition".
The reality of the situation is that most confrontations take place within 10 to 12 feet. Under Wisconsin's current judicial environment anything beyond that brings into question the requirement to flee from the threat, especially if you have no physical evidence of injury. If I can't neutralize a threat with five shots from 12 feet away I probably will R.I.P.
It isn't what you hitit with, or how many times. It is where you hit the target that matters. Anyone that is an avid hunter in Wisconsin knows that to be true. It is also necessary to minimize the number of shots so as to reduce the risk of collateral damage. When a bullet leaves a gun there is no way to bring it back. It is important to know where each one travels. There is no substitute for practice, practice, practice and more practice.
These are my thoughts on the subject. Everyone is entitled to their own. Each person must decide what is best for their situation. Often the environment may dictate the method. Carrying a 3inch barreled .38 caliber revolver with only seven available bullets, while berry picking in the North woods, is little better than hunting bear with a switch. Likewise carrying a S&W .600 with a 7 inch barrel might be out of place in downtown Anywhere.
I don't disagree with
everything that you've said. But sorry, if I have to use my firearm in self defense the last thing that I want the media to paint me is
dead. I would not let concerns over the media or public perception take precedence over my security.
I just finished re-reading, for probably the 4th or 5th time, Jim Cirillo's book "Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights." For those of you who don't know, Cirillo was a cop on the NYPD's stakeout squad whose career included over 250 armed confrontations including 17 gunfights. In the book Cirillo describes a shooting where two of his fellow stakeout buddies shot ELEVEN rounds of .38 special into the face and head of an armed robber. They were sure they had killed the guy until he started talking to them, blew one of the rounds out of his nose, and then walked under his own power to the ambulance.
Chances are that you will never need to, nor be able to load that 6th and 7th bullet that you carry in your pocket. Why you would choose the slowest possible reload (aside from a muzzle loader) I don't understand. And it's a partial reload at that.
Yes, most confrontations are up close, but there is no magic distance in the self defense law. There is no
duty to retreat under Wisconsin law-- this was settled in 1909 by the WI Supreme Court. If one can safely withdraw, by all means, do it. But
circumstances alone, not a magic distance nor law, dictate whether one ought to withdraw.
Likewise, it is always important to do everything reasonable to avoid "collateral damage" to others, but limiting the number of rounds is, in my opinion, less important than controlling the direction of the rounds--- regardless of number.
Practice practice practice is good... but proficiency is better. Proficiency only comes with
quality practice, not just lots of practice.
So yes, you can make public perception your most important consideration if you wish. And you can play the odds with your life and rely upon statistical facts that you'll probably have only one or maybe two attackers, and that they'll probably be a threat within 10-12 feet (actually even much closer), and that probably 5 rounds will be enough. Mathematically speaking, it's reasonable. As you said, each must decide what is best for their situation.
Other than where noted above, I agree 100% with you.
