Everything I've ever read written by guys who have seen the elephant suggests that adrenaline dump occurs right after it all goes down. For somebody like me, the sensation would be pretty strong because well it's never happened to me before. For some of our guys who have been in the service, it won't be nearly as severe.
The main thing I worry about is not physical symptoms per se. One of my texts suggests that the emotional effects on someone whose experience is limited to personal defense, i.e. someone who doesn't expect to fight every day, are not what one would expect.
I forget the author, but he reports that in such incidents where civilians who've never engaged in actual combat before, they report feeling a kind of dull sickness or unnatural calm, or in some cases a kind of mild euphoria that they're alive.
The problem is that in such an emotional state, the police can show up, and find you just standing there somewhat dumbfounded or even in a mildly pleasant mood holding a smoking pistol.
I have to admit I always thought my reaction to actually shooting somebody would be to cry like a little baby and have horrible nightmares the rest of my life, but after reading that I'm not sure exactly how I would react physically or mentally after it happened.
I've heard it said from an old patrolman whose pistol was well worn that no one really understands how they're going to react until it actually happens to them, but that's no reason not to try to be prepared. I think he's right. I don't get in real gun fights every day. In fact I try to avoid them at all costs. I have no idea what it's going to be like and hopefully I never will.
The main thing I worry about is not physical symptoms per se. One of my texts suggests that the emotional effects on someone whose experience is limited to personal defense, i.e. someone who doesn't expect to fight every day, are not what one would expect.
I forget the author, but he reports that in such incidents where civilians who've never engaged in actual combat before, they report feeling a kind of dull sickness or unnatural calm, or in some cases a kind of mild euphoria that they're alive.
The problem is that in such an emotional state, the police can show up, and find you just standing there somewhat dumbfounded or even in a mildly pleasant mood holding a smoking pistol.
I have to admit I always thought my reaction to actually shooting somebody would be to cry like a little baby and have horrible nightmares the rest of my life, but after reading that I'm not sure exactly how I would react physically or mentally after it happened.
I've heard it said from an old patrolman whose pistol was well worn that no one really understands how they're going to react until it actually happens to them, but that's no reason not to try to be prepared. I think he's right. I don't get in real gun fights every day. In fact I try to avoid them at all costs. I have no idea what it's going to be like and hopefully I never will.