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Abraham - I concur with you on this mindset to minimize risk. As a side benefit I save a lot of money by avoiding these places with the prices they charge.

As far as comparing LEO shootings and those of a typical NON-LEO shooting it is nearly impossible to do so unless you compare like situations. If you just look at general statistics regarding LEO vs NON-LEO shootings it is not going to give you an accurate picture of what is going on.

To illsustrate, most NON-LEO shootings occur in a situation similar to a convenience store or home invasion (MOST, not all). In the home invasion scenerio the home owner with the gun has a very substantial advantage in that they know the lay out of the home. In the "convenient store" scenerio the BG would have many more things to be concerned about than the victim. For instance, the BG has to worry about getting what they came for, who is on the premesis when they walk in, who might walk in during the assult and how they are going to get out for starters. As the victim you have a very short list of things to focus on: Do I need to use deadly force? Can I do so safely? What is beyond my target?....all revolve around one thing, the BG. Additionally, you have the element of suprise once your are past the shock of "is this happening to me" you are the only one who knows you are carrying and everyone knows the BG is carrying. My guess is that he will be much more suprised to see you with a weapon than you were to see him with one. Lastly, most NON-LEO shootings that occur result in the BG not getting a shot off because they either flee or were incapaciated or killed before they could get a shot off.

In all those situations they are somewhat controlled (in as much as they can be) or confined giving the person in the position to defend themselves an advantage. Additionally, your goal is only to survive and if the BG gets away that is for an LEO hunt them down.

In an LEO shooting the roles are reversed and the scenerio will likely not be confined to a small area. The LEO is not in a defensive posture, they have to consider several things that the NON-LEO will not have to. The are usually outside and the BG knows they have a weapon thus will tend to go for cover unlike the above mentioned scenerios where you have the element of suprise because your weapon was concealed and likely find a BG in the open making a shot much easier. Additionally, the BG is likely goint to be more intimately familiar with the area in a situation in which an LEO is invovled giving the BG the advantage. Lastly, the LEO's goal is not only to survive but to protect as many others as possible. They are likely to be trying to apprehend and not kill the BG and they are firing in a situation that is more likley the will draw fire and be returning fire which would be infinately more difficult and thus resulting in a much lower hit ratio.

While it is easy to arm chair QB, I can see that the scenerios would be much different and comparing them would not suggest anything but that the circumstances were different. Unless we begin to open carry and make ourselves a target or post signs on our door stating that we had a gun, giving the BG a heads up, we will likely not find ourselves in a comparable situation as it pertains to hit miss ratio's.

Seamus - your observations are likely on target. The information to me seems invaluable as it pertains to training, serving as a deterent (publishing facts that might scare off some of the "not so stupid" criminals) and lastly (and most important) it sounds like the numbers could sway support for our second ammendment rights amongst those on the fence or undecided. In this battle for our rights the value of "numbers" at the polls is critical.

Alright....this is like the cliff hanger at the end of the season. I really look forward to hearing more from you on this subject.

I am absolutely amazed that the NRA or another organization supporting our second ammendment rights has not compiled a database on as much of this information as possible. Even some ANTI out there trying to make a point (of course it appears so far from your small sampling it would not help their cause). The information you are seeking must be kept somewhere, the question is who has it and would they be willing to part with the raw data.

Is there anyway you could start a post with some specific statistics and update them as your research and time allow?