I hear too many people talk ( on here and other places ) claiming that the moment they are under any kind of attack they will instantly and automatically draw their weapon and gun down the attacker. Just because you have your fancy little carry-your-gun-around card. Does not mean that the automatic response to any kind of attack is gunning down the attacker. Here is the first time of many I will say this. YOUR GUN IS YOUR ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT. If you kill someone in self defense, your life will change forever ( justified or not ) In the moments after you pull the trigger, your adrenalin will be at a lifetime high. Regardless of how much of a macho concealed carry permit holder you think you are. you will likely vomit and piss yourself. ( I have seen this happen ) Now the police are on their way. Depending on if their are wittnesses or not the call they got will be something like this. a) "I JUST HEARD SHOOTING AND A SCREAM." b) "A MAN HERE JUST SHOT AND KILLED ANOTHER MAN" c) "A MAN IS SHOOTING" The police are going to be coming at you with everything they have. You better stick your hands in the air the moment you see and hear the light and sirens. You are going to get put on the ground, cuffed and stuffed. Regardless of whether you were justified in pulling the trigger. You are going to look like a class A criminal to anyone who is watching ( at this point people will most likely be watching ) If there are family members around you, you can trust that they will never look at you in the same light again. At this point, this is only the start of the nightmare that you will be experiencing. You will be brought to the police station and aggressively questioned. You better be fuc­­king sure that you were so clearly and obviously justified in pulling the trigger. If you shoot someone in self defense. You can still be charged with murder. The prosecutor will be trying to portray you in a bad light. and tear down your credibility. There will be prosecutors and police officers who do not believe your story. They will try to put you in prison. It has happened to other people who have used guns in defense, and it sure can happen to you. At this point, it is most likely the next day. Guess who is on the local news? you are. There is a good chance that they will also show your mugshot that was taken when you were booked. ( this will further make you look like a Class-A criminal ) Let me say this again. YOUR GUN IS YOUR LAST RESORT. Scenario: Someone comes up to you and says "give me your wallet" ( without displaying a weapon ) Your Response: You pull your gun and shoot them in the chest. Likely outcome: Second Degree murder, lifelong felony status, prison term likely. Proper Response: Run away, yup that's right macho gun carriers. You get out of the situation by trying to escape, flee, retreat. The lawyers and prosecutors can do things with definitions and the laws that you simply cannot expect, or follow. Your interpretation of the self defense laws may have indicated that you *were* justified in shooting the would-be-wallet-stealer. You can expect the lawyers and prosecutors to pull out every single little-known technicality and loophole to build a case against you. But what actually will unfold in court is a whole different world. If this was caught on video surveillance. You will look. HORRIBLE. to the jury. from their point of view, they see 1 man approach the other man, the other man then pulls his gun and kills the second man. Its not about when you think you "legally can" shoot someone ( going off of the legal definition will get you prosecuted ) It is about when you [b]Should[/b] use your weapon. You should use your weapon when you are seconds away from death, or severe injury. Had your wallet-thief chased you with a knife and backed you into a corner. THEN would you have a chance of coming away from the situation with a "Justifiable Homicide" outcome. Guns are not cool tools that you can get to carry around and use to kill anyone who does anything against-the-law to you. Getting your name cleared will not be an easy or fun process. your life. Will never be the same. The media, and NRA glorifies this process. They make it seem like you can kill any attacker. explain why it was justified, and then be done with it the next day. NOPE. Chances are your life will revolve around your decision to use lethal force, for at least the next 9 months. with all of the court processes, and things that need to happen. Just look at the Trevon Martin and Zimmerman case. He used lethal force ( In what could turn out to be a situation found justifiable by the court ) the shooting took place on Feb. 26, 2012 its now march of 2013 for a little over a year, George Zimmerman's life has been revolving around the shooting. He is broke as a rock with the legal fees. And he still doesn't know what the outcome will be for him From there you will have to deal with PTSD ( you will likely suffer from this, as well as extreme situational anxiety ) for example. if you shot someone while in the supermarket. You aren't going to have a good time shopping for the next 20 or so years ( if you are lucky ) your weapon is your last resort.