Are defensive shootings changing?

[PNWguy]

I have no idea.  But I thought maybe those who pay more attention to such things could chime in.

The old adage for the "typical" self-defense shooting has been, for the past 50 years or so, a single assailant at less than 7yds and only 2-3 rounds fired.

That has been the reason cited for decades by people that only carry snub-nosed revolvers with 5-6 shot capacity.  They won't need any more capacity if they need to defend their lives or the lives of others.

Heck, I carried a 6+1 XDS for a while based on the same logic.

But it seems the world is changing and the likelihood of multiple aggressors and the need for 10+ rounds is increasing.  I have nothing to base that on, however.  Just an impression I get from seeing publicized shootings lately. 

Anyone have any actual data to bear that out?

[PATCHMAN]

The whole dynamics of active-shooting scenes has changed. 

In the past (days of revolvers), shootings were basically mano-a-mano, face-to-face, where you knew exactly who your foe was because he/she was that person in your face, trying to kill you.  In today's age of mass shootings at venues where the victims are the crowd and you're not necessarily the direct target as yet, it can be difficult to figure out, in the heat of the moment, who's the BG with the gun in hand and who's the law abiding citizen (ie CCWer) with gun in hand trying to flee or trying to stop the carnage.    

 

OK, so what's my point? My point is that there's no right or wrong answer regarding revolver or high capacity pistols.  But keep in mind that psychologically, the bullet capacity of your handgun is, generally, more important mentally comforting than anything else.  I'm sure there are exceptions, but I've wondered if anyone who actually got into gunfights thought in their mind, as it was happening, that they wished for a smaller gun or a gun with less ammo capacity?

 

And as you know, confidence in your abilities and confidence in gear can be the difference between success or shirking away.              

Edited December 6, 2018 by PATCHMAN

[SevenSixtyTwo]

Y'all been watching too many westerns. I have no doubt the reality wasn't much different than today. Just less firepower.

[Silentpoet]

Right now I have an 8 round capacity single stack 9.  I am comfortable with the capacity because it is highly accurate for me.

[M&P15T]

Violent crime rates are very low in the U.S., 1/3rd that of Great Britain, for instance.

Only 24/7/365 infotainment gives a negative impression, turning every bit of criminal violence into a news tidal-wave of negative imagery.

[Moeman]

5 hours ago, SevenSixtyTwo said:

Y'all been watching too many westerns. I have no doubt the reality wasn't much different than today. Just less firepower.

And six shooters were normally loaded with five for safety. The old LC 45 loads were weak. Then again a lot more murder back then... mostly cause booze and guns or white on black crap.