Unnecessary Worry, perhaps even dangerous.

This is from somebody commenting (in another location) about the news item from the previous post. The importance of using the proper shotgun shells.

“For my personal home self defense, I keep a 590 with 6 shells of birdshot and the last shot buckshot. My reasoning is this, I DO NOT want to kill anyone, not for any moral or religious reason, I just don’t want my family to have to deal with that. In every self defense scenario where the perpetrator dies, lawyers arrive, whether you’re guilty or not. Statistically, in almost every self defense encounter , the attacker breaks off when the first shot is fired. Yes the can keep firing, but then again so can I. I would rather they be injured, forced to leave, go to the hospital and get arrested than bleed out in my living room and then I have to deal with the 24 months of hell that comes from that.”

My response:

"Statistically, in almost every self defense encounter , the attacker breaks off when the first shot is fired."

I ain't gambling on that. At least not my life nor my loved ones. They do break off once they are at the end of a hypovolemic shock induced by the proper amount & placement of buckshot.

Legally birdshot and buckshot make no difference: you have engaged another human being with lethal force. You don't get a judicial pass because you used #8 rather than double ought.

In case you are being lazy and have not read the previous post, a critter broke into a business and then used a gun whereas the business owner shot the critter in the abdomen with a shotgun sporting #6 birdshot. Critter was wounded, but still replied shooting several times at the owner but thankfully missing every time. Critter survived and was taken to the local Mending House and probably arrested after patching.

The issues is that truly and verily, you will be investigated by the authorities regardless of what type of ammunition you used for self defense. No cop, no detective will say 10 minutes after arriving to the crime scene: “Oh well, he used birdshot, nothing here to investigate. We might as well go home. Have a good night sir.”

You used a firearm in defense of life against another human being, which means you will be given an investigative colonoscopy and there is nothing you can do about it but keep your cool and follow the recommendations of Massad Ayoob. It can be a short examination or a long one depending on your preparation and attitude, but you won’t escape some level of legal rectal intrusion.