Using a Firearm in the defense of oneself or others, is like throwing a Football during a game, three things can happen and two of them aren’t good.
# 1. You use it to neutralize the threat, which is why you own or carry a Firearm, for your personal defense and to stop the “threat”. You never “shoot to kill but to stop” and ALWAYS AS A LAST RESORT!
#2. You use it missing the threat, which could lead to you being injured or killed. Often because people never rise to meet the threat but fall to their level of training.
#3. You use it and miss your threat striking someone else, who is totally innocent causing them to be injured or killed. Known under the law as “Transferred Intent” you will be both criminally and civilly liable but also have a moral responsibility for that as well.
Regardless of your intent, once you pull out and use your “Firearm” you are totally responsible for every round which is fired. All three of you could face both criminal and civil litigation. Owning a “Firearm” regardless of if you carry it or not you must train to be able to use it safely and responsibly it is not only knowing how too, but also “if I have too”. If training was so arbitrary we wouldn’t waste it on Police Officers, we would just let them watch a lot of “Cops” television series and give them a badge and gun. Or with our Military, let them play “Call of Duty” and give them a uniform and a gun. Even if you have “shot a gun” will be able to use it under a highly stressful and likely a life-or-death situation, that is the question you need to ask yourself.
I always try to instill on all my students, if you must use your Firearm. You need to use it like the third monkey trying to get on Noah’s Ark and it’s raining. You need to fight for your life, because you are! This is why it will ALWAYS BE A LAST RESORT!