Originally Posted By: Montanero
Guns escalate the situation, rarely do they reduce the threat without killing someone.

If a criminal has put me in a life threatening situation - whether by gun, knife, overpowering me, etc. - I figure the situation is already about as escalated as it can get (due to the criminals actions). I am escalating nothing by drawing my firearm and defending myself at that point. I would not do warning shots, covering fire, shoot-to-wound, etc. I would be defending my very life, and my shots would be aimed to stop the assault as definitively and as quickly as possible. In actual practice, assuming conditions allow, that typically means initial shots to the center chest, and if that fails to stop the assault, additional shots to the head. (I win the "most commas in a sentence" award for that last one!)