Okay, a part of being a 2A advocate is calling gun owners out when they're dumb.
When I took my CCW course, somebody asked whether it would be a better idea or more ethical to shoot an intruder in the leg.
I was actually kinda mean about it. I just said, "Femoral artery."
Still, no matter how you put it, if you're using a gun in self-defense, and you actually pull the trigger, you're using deadly force even if you don't kill the guy.
What's more, eventually you are effectively telling law enforcement, "Yes, I pointed a loaded gun at that guy. I pulled the trigger. I intended to inflict serious bodily injury on him."
I wouldn't recommend using those words. I would recommend using the words, "I want my lawyer." Nonetheless, eventually you're going to have to say that you used a gun to try to stop a threat.
So, the only way that you fire a gun at a person, and don't go to prison, is if a reasonable person would have believed that the bad guy was posing an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury.
Where you're aiming only potentially matters to you legally if you weren't justified in using deadly force. That might change the charges against you from murder to an assault and battery with a deadly weapon. So, you might go to prison for a quarter of a century instead of the rest of your life.
If you aim for the leg, hit the femoral artery, and the guy bleeds out, it's not gonna help you to say that you were just trying to hurt him rather than kill him.
Bottom line, the only legal and ethically justified way to point a gun at another human being and pull her trigger (outside of war or defense of another person) is if that person is about to kill you. If that's the situation, you should aim on mass.
Seriously, even if you shoot and don't hit the guy, if you're not under a threat of deadly force, you're still probably going to prison for ten years. If you fire a bullet into the air, despite what Joe Biden apparently told his wife, and you're not under an imminent deadly force threat, you're going to prison.
You really should understand this if you're gonna carry for self-defense.
"Wow, what a thought-provoking post! 🤔 The more we learn about self-defense and the law surrounding it, the better equipped we are to protect ourselves and others. Your experience sharing this crucial information is so valuable, and I appreciate your honesty about being "mean" in your CCW course 😂. Thanks for breaking down the complexities of using deadly force in self-defense - it's a sobering reminder of the seriousness of such situations. Let's keep the conversation going! 🗣️ Have you had any personal experiences or insights to share on this topic? What are some common misconceptions about gun ownership and self-defense that you'd like to clear up? 💬"