USA -(Ammoland.com)- Â If the only option you have to stop a deadly threat is to shoot someone in the back, do it.
But be ready to explain exactly why it was the only thing you could do under those circumstance to stop an imminent deadly threat.
As with any use of deadly force, you need to be 100 percent certain of your actions. If the only course of action is to shoot someone from behind then you need to take that action to stop the threat.
About the USCCA:
The U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) is the first and largest, member-owned association designed to educate, train, and insure responsibly armed Americans. USCCA members receive access to a wealth of industry information and insurance protection through its Self-Defense SHIELD program. The USCCA also provides expert advice, product information, and the latest news centered around the concealed carry lifestyle via email, social media, Concealed Carry Magazine, and their nationally syndicated radio program Armed American Radio.
If you are a good shot, then you could shoot them in the buttocks or legs to bring them down. Explain then, that you are a good enough of a shooter that you could have shot them in the back, but didn’t.
If the attacker presents ‘a real and present danger’ to you or the general public (others with you) it is perfectly legal and even preferable, to shoot them in the back. “Never give a sucker an even break.” Are you going to let them turn around so that you shoot them in the front? Idiocy. The big thing is being able to explain (articulate) the ‘real and present danger’ posed by the attacker. A scenario posed by my instructors: 1. A guy robs you at gunpoint. He runs away. Can you shoot? No. Who is he ‘a real and present… Read more »
If someone exhibits deadly force against you, and turns 45, 90, or even 180 degrees, that does not mean that you are out of danger. The perpetrator can still turn his deadly force against you… and quickly. Thus you feared for your life when he first exhibited deadly force, and you continued to fear for your life as he turned to run because he could still turn the deadly force toward you.
How about if he was reloading?
If someone grabbed my wallet and turned to run you can bet your ass I would try to bring him down.
Morally? Yes. Legally? No. At least not unless you could prove that the guy was about to use lethal force against a family member of yours. Maybe.