A rare event, but it does happen. It seems more common for a citizen to disarm an attacker, and to use their firearm against them. Criminals face legal sanctions, while the law protects homeowners defending themselves. From deseretnews.com:
KEARNS — A homeowner confronted a burglar Tuesday and fired a shot at him, but the burglar took away his weapon and ran off, police say.
(snip)
"The suspect tries to get up and leave, the homeowner tells him, 'No.' They get into an altercation," Richardson said.
A fight ensued with the homeowner ending up on his back and the alleged intruder on top of him. That's when the homeowner, "in fear of his life," fired a shot at the burglar, Richardson said. The shot missed. The intruder responded by taking the gun away from the man and running out the door.
There are real dangers in getting too close to a person that you are holding at gun point. Action beats reaction, and it takes long fractions of a second to react to someone attempting to disarm you.
How close is too close? Volumes have been written about this question. If the perpetrator has any type of contact weapon, the classic answer from the Tueller Drill, is "about 21 feet or less". Others have suggested a minimum of 5 feet, if the perpetrator has no visible weapon, and you are intensely aware and in a good defensive stance.
Do not stick your firearm out where the perpetrator can easily grab it. A long gun is easier to take from a person than a small handgun, because the barrel and the stock add leverage to the assailants grip.
There are many retention techniques that are available on the Internet, such as here or here .
A person attempting to disarm you is a serious threat. You cannot count on them running away, as the burglar in the story above did.
©2013 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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