How many times have you had to use a firearm for self-defense?

[ExactlyMyPoint]

For all you non-LEOs, how many times in your life had you had to actually use a firearm for self defense?

This means, you were confronted by an actual BG or BGs, and you had to actually "show" your gun, draw your gun, shoot your gun or shoot someone. This does not include a "bump in the night" where you had your gun with you as you checked the house.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Kerbouchard]

I assume you aren't talking about military experience, right? We have some pretty crusty vets on this forum.

[walvord]

So far I'm throwing a shutout and am looking to keep it that way.

[limatunes]

I'll die a happy woman if I can keep my number at 0.

The only time my gun has ever cleared leather is in practice, cleaning, changing holsters or changing guns.

I sure hope it stays that way.

[kpw]

I wish it was zero but all ended well and quietly.

[f8lranger4x4]

Mine was an animal while scouting for hunting season used the beretta m9 to take it down

[USPnTX]

I have had a couple of tense moments when I was very close but luckily I haven't had to clear leather for anything other than targets!

[David in FL]

Outside of military service, zero.

Hope to keep it that way too!

[Musketeer]

For "use" I include the time I had to draw but then the criminal backed down. Carjacking/kidnapping in FL in 93.

[Cap'n]

0....and hope I can keep it there!

[Impax]

0 times and hope it stays that way.

[Paymeister]

Hundreds of times in my head, thanks to the scenarios and good advice here. Zero times for real. Kind of like... nah, nevermind...

[Ram Rod]

3 actually. Never had to fire a shot. One of these times could actually not be seen as 'self-defense', but to thwart an attack of two on one in the middle of the road.

The two were attacking one young man with a battery drill with a long phillips tip bit. Had him pinned by my vehicle passenger side front fender and down on the ground. Once they saw the nickel plated Colt Trooper, they quit and ran.

#2 was a road rage incident where the guy came to my drivers door while at a stoplight. My Glock was already up on the console and in plain view when he got to my window and tried opening the door. Surprise!

#3--well, it could be a long story. Without much history about one of my former neighbors who owned a nice industrial chemical distributing company in the mid 90's, I'll try to make a short version. One night about 2am or so, I heard his home security system go off. Only time it did that before was when they had it installed and tested. Me? I had to go investigate. I saw a vehicle I had never seen before parked in his driveway. No detectable motion outside the house and the alarm was still going off.

My Norinco 1911 is in SOB just tucked in my belt butt facing strong side and not to conventional thinking (I guess), but I've always liked this method for a quicky. There is a rather steep grade from his property to mine where I am observing the surroundings and such, about six feet difference and maybe a 45° incline. I don't actually know where this guy came from, but all of the sudden I see his head as he's running toward me up the embankment with his hands in his coat pockets about 20 feet away!

Well, there's a blank moment in time for me, but when he got to the top of the embankment and eye level with me about six feet away, he was staring right into the barrel of my 45. This was my first induction to tunnel vision, and I was strangely aware of that. Good thing he started talking real fast even though he was apparently out of breath from the climb. (apparently he had seen my profile from the yard security light my neighbor had in front of his garage) "Hey man---don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

The Good Lord only knows how close, and I thank Him whenever I think about it that it didn't happen. The local police were now arriving on the scene, as the alarm triggers the security company which in turn calls law enforcement. Once on the scene, the perp's got confused and he turned his attention to the units pulling up the drive. He had nowhere to go. The RO had the cruiser spotlight out and going over the terrain, settling on the guy now facing them, two more cruisers right behind. My 45 now down at my side, the would be intruder slowly started back down the embankment from which he had come and apparently more than willing to tell officers what went down and why. He got the royal treatment from the local badges and a free ride downtown.

Two officers came out of the second cruiser and approached me---"how are you this evening sir?" I said alright I reckon. They then asked if they could look around my property for any other possible suspects (realize I'm on 2.1 acres in a rural environment), and I told them to go ahead, but I had already surveyed the site. The officers had somehow gained entry to the house, or the BG had actually broken in, as I saw them enter the dark house and case the joint with flashlights wandering around. They all stayed about thirty minutes then left. One officer asked me briefly what happened, and I told him what brought me outside and how this dude approached me in a threatening manner.

I never had to fill out a statement or anything. They all took of, and a tow truck came to pick up the BG's vehicle like 20 minutes later. I later learned the BG had accused my neighbor of messing around with his wife, GF, or whatever, and thought since her car was there-they must be there at home messin' around in total darkness, and he wanted to catch them in the act. He told law enforcement he thought his S.O. was being held hostage there. WOW! To think I almost shot this guy right between the eyes with a 45. Damn.

I've never been one of those to pry into other people's business, and I still don't. Although me and Jim (then the neighbor) had been neighbors about a year before the incident, we just had a few talks when both of us were outside at the same times. I had cornered his dogs when they escaped his pen once or twice and returned them and repaired the fence. He was gone from home quite frequently for extended periods. After the incident he was my best bud and I got alot of free products his company produced. I also did some electrical work for them at the company headquarters after that. OOOpps! That was long wasn't it? Well, I guess the Good Lord favored both me and the BG that night.

[SIXTO]

I got lots of good stories to tell, but I was excluded from the thread.

[retsupt99]

Not so far...hopefully, never will...