Shoot to Wound-Shoot to Kill
- 6 years ago
https://www.tngun.com/should-you-shoot-to-wound/
Should you shoot to wound? I talk a lot about lethal force, and one concept comes up almost universally. I call this idea the leg shot syndrome. The leg shot syndrome is expressed by the statement "I wouldn't aim to kill; I would shoot the robber in the leg". I believe I know where this thought comes from.
As propponents of self-defense, it is very important that we answer the question "Should You Shoot to Wound".
It comes from the fact that everyone I give firearms classes to comprise the "good guys". Good guys don't go around killing, robbing, and raping people. They believe that everyone has redeeming qualities. Good guys don't want to kill people, they didn't start the encounter, and if they had their way, the bad guy would just leave. Now before I get tons of hate mail, let me say that I understand the reason people think this, and I wish everyone in the world felt that way. If there were no bad guys, there would be no crime. I could then put more energy into my primary job of preparing for natural disasters instead of diverting energy to preparing for criminal disasters.
While understanding and admiring this idea, I want to emphasize that this is not a good way to apply this concept. There are many reasons why this philosophy is not sound in the lethal force arena. Some of these reasons are legal, some tactical, and some, yes, are even moral.
I will jump into what I hear as the most widely use reason why the leg shot syndrome should not be used, legal. A handgun is a lethal weapon. Unlike a baseball bat, a butcher knife, or a policeman's baton, there is no less lethal way to use a handgun against another human. The law does not distinguish the difference between shooting a person in the head, and shooting a person in the chest. If there is not legally defensible motive and the person dies it is still murder. A bullet cannot be recalled once it leaves the barrel, and what it does upon entering a person cannot be decided by the person who fired the bullet. There is a major artery in the human leg, which if severed, can kill a person as quickly as shooting them in the chest.
Tactically manipulating a firearm under lethal force pressure is extremely hard. Quite a few books, and statistics from a vast amount historical data show that only about 1/3 of the rounds fired impact on the target. This doesn't seem to be that bad, until you look at other statistics that show approximately 90% of gun fights happen under 7 yards and comprise less than 3 shots total.
How realistic is it then that when most people can would be lucky to hit their attacker, you are going to hit one of the smallest areas, and an area that is most likely to be moving. Tennessee (and every other state I have found that has a defined handgun training curriculum) specifies shooting center-mass with the intent to stop. This involves two concepts. The first being center-mass, this means aiming your projectile to impact inside t
Should you shoot to wound? I talk a lot about lethal force, and one concept comes up almost universally. I call this idea the leg shot syndrome. The leg shot syndrome is expressed by the statement "I wouldn't aim to kill; I would shoot the robber in the leg". I believe I know where this thought comes from.
As propponents of self-defense, it is very important that we answer the question "Should You Shoot to Wound".
It comes from the fact that everyone I give firearms classes to comprise the "good guys". Good guys don't go around killing, robbing, and raping people. They believe that everyone has redeeming qualities. Good guys don't want to kill people, they didn't start the encounter, and if they had their way, the bad guy would just leave. Now before I get tons of hate mail, let me say that I understand the reason people think this, and I wish everyone in the world felt that way. If there were no bad guys, there would be no crime. I could then put more energy into my primary job of preparing for natural disasters instead of diverting energy to preparing for criminal disasters.
While understanding and admiring this idea, I want to emphasize that this is not a good way to apply this concept. There are many reasons why this philosophy is not sound in the lethal force arena. Some of these reasons are legal, some tactical, and some, yes, are even moral.
I will jump into what I hear as the most widely use reason why the leg shot syndrome should not be used, legal. A handgun is a lethal weapon. Unlike a baseball bat, a butcher knife, or a policeman's baton, there is no less lethal way to use a handgun against another human. The law does not distinguish the difference between shooting a person in the head, and shooting a person in the chest. If there is not legally defensible motive and the person dies it is still murder. A bullet cannot be recalled once it leaves the barrel, and what it does upon entering a person cannot be decided by the person who fired the bullet. There is a major artery in the human leg, which if severed, can kill a person as quickly as shooting them in the chest.
Tactically manipulating a firearm under lethal force pressure is extremely hard. Quite a few books, and statistics from a vast amount historical data show that only about 1/3 of the rounds fired impact on the target. This doesn't seem to be that bad, until you look at other statistics that show approximately 90% of gun fights happen under 7 yards and comprise less than 3 shots total.
How realistic is it then that when most people can would be lucky to hit their attacker, you are going to hit one of the smallest areas, and an area that is most likely to be moving. Tennessee (and every other state I have found that has a defined handgun training curriculum) specifies shooting center-mass with the intent to stop. This involves two concepts. The first being center-mass, this means aiming your projectile to impact inside t