You never, ever, shoot like that. Cop or not, if use of a firearm is justified, you aim to end the threat immediately. That means a kill shot. Center of mass is what cops are trained to do, and for many good reasons.
But, even if you did want to try and use a firearm as a less lethal weapon, you switch ammo, not shoot extremities. For one, arms and legs are plenty lethal, though not necessarily 100% (hell, center of mass isn’t a guaranteed lethality). But, more important, they’re not as sure a target at all. You don’t want bullets going anywhere other than the intended target. Center of mass is much easier to accurately aim for when you’re scared and high on adrenaline. A leg? Good fucking luck unless you’re point blank, and even that’s not a sure thing.
For real, even at a shooting range while relaxed and with all the time in the world, a leg would be harder. A lot of people can barely keep a 6 inch group past 15 feet. Cops tend to shoot more often than the general populace, what with having their own ranges and at least some of the ammo provided for them, but it’s range shooting, target shooting. So even if they’re nailing shit perfectly during their qualification tests, that doesn’t automatically translate to the kind of accuracy needed to pick what part of the leg to hit.
Even on a very muscular dude, you’ve got really small targets that would potentially stop them from continuing whatever you wanted to stop doing. A few inches at most.
Now, staying ready with a taser and using it at the first sign of trouble? Could work, I guess. But that’s got its own risks and liabilities.
But, nah man, if you think pulling a gun and shooting someone in the leg is a good thing, it is best you not carry. Any situation in which you would try that is not a situation in which the use of a firearm is a good idea.
You never, ever, shoot like that. Cop or not, if use of a firearm is justified, you aim to end the threat immediately. That means a kill shot. Center of mass is what cops are trained to do, and for many good reasons.
But, even if you did want to try and use a firearm as a less lethal weapon, you switch ammo, not shoot extremities. For one, arms and legs are plenty lethal, though not necessarily 100% (hell, center of mass isn’t a guaranteed lethality). But, more important, they’re not as sure a target at all. You don’t want bullets going anywhere other than the intended target. Center of mass is much easier to accurately aim for when you’re scared and high on adrenaline. A leg? Good fucking luck unless you’re point blank, and even that’s not a sure thing.
For real, even at a shooting range while relaxed and with all the time in the world, a leg would be harder. A lot of people can barely keep a 6 inch group past 15 feet. Cops tend to shoot more often than the general populace, what with having their own ranges and at least some of the ammo provided for them, but it’s range shooting, target shooting. So even if they’re nailing shit perfectly during their qualification tests, that doesn’t automatically translate to the kind of accuracy needed to pick what part of the leg to hit.
Even on a very muscular dude, you’ve got really small targets that would potentially stop them from continuing whatever you wanted to stop doing. A few inches at most.
Now, staying ready with a taser and using it at the first sign of trouble? Could work, I guess. But that’s got its own risks and liabilities.
But, nah man, if you think pulling a gun and shooting someone in the leg is a good thing, it is best you not carry. Any situation in which you would try that is not a situation in which the use of a firearm is a good idea.