...Oh yeah, one more thing. We don't shoot to kill, we shoot to stop the threat. Once the bad guy is no longer a threat we stop shooting.
...The best way to stop a threat, is to kill them.
If I have to resort to shooting someone, they are trying to kill me, or one of my loved ones. I will stop the threat, permanetly. I shoot to kill.
...
And you wind up in gaol charged with murder!...
As opposed to a gaol for an Assault with a deadly weapon charge?
I never said walk up to them if they are down and finnish them off. My point is to shoot to kill. If they fall and don't die, OK fine. Long as they aren't still shooting, job done....
I give lectures on firearms law, and aside from being an attorney, I'm an NRA certified instructor. In the NRA course, we can't use the word, "weapon". But my Virginia "lethal force" seminar isn't an NRA course, so I can say whatever makes sense in Virginia. And what I tell people surprises them, because I start out with the comment that there's exactly one reason to have a handgun, and that's to kill, to take the life of another human being. It's a horrible prospect, and anyone who isn't willing to do exactly that should not be in possession of a handgun - it will probably get them killed.
There are very limited situations in which it is appropriate to take a gun out and kill someone with it. And you have to know what the rules are where you live. That's the point of my seminar, but it takes about three hours for me to explain it.
But one important point is that if you do not have a legitimate reason to kill, don't even think about the gun; don't touch it, don't get it out, and don't make any reference to it. Don't threaten, don't "brandish", don't coerce, don't intimidate. Unlike the movies, getting a handgun out and pointing it at someone in order to make them obey is likely to get you shot or arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.
If you reasonably believe, based on objective facts, that you or an innocent third party is faced with the threat of imminent serious bodily injury, then the use of deadly force is excusable (in Virginia). Stopping a serious felony (rape, robbery, arson, burglary, and murder) by the use of deadly force is excusable homicide (in Virginia). But pulling a gun out and telling someone to stay back, and possibly to get out of your house, may be assault with a deadly weapon, and showing someone a gun, even one still in its holster, with the intent of intimidating them in order to coerce behavior ("Don't come any closer, I've got a gun.") is "brandishing a firearm."
If you have a good reason to take a human life, shoot to kill (in Virginia). If you do not, don't even think about the gun (I think that's true everywhere).
It would be a good idea to find a "gun friendly" lawyer in your area who does defensive litigation, and get him to be "your lawyer". Don't wait until you're in the pokey to start thinking about finding a good lawyer - you won't, and what you get may well get you sent "down the river" - lawyers, like everyone else, come in three flavors: some are really good, some are really bad, and most are average. Use the time you've got to find one who's "really good" and who will be understanding about your preparations for the use of deadly force.