Distances in Real-World Self-Defense Shootings: What the Data Actually Shows
by Jeff Young
For years, many civilian defensive-firearms courses have leaned heavily on police-oriented statistics, especially the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) reports. The problem? Most police shootings involve uniformed patrol officers conducting high-risk activities that armed citizens almost never face—felony traffic stops, responding to hold-up alarms, domestic violence calls, serving warrants, and so on.
Those scenarios are fundamentally different from the environment a concealed-carrying citizen operates in: plain clothes, concealed handgun, unmarked (usually personal) vehicle, and no legal authority to detain or pursue.
So where do we find data that actually mirrors the private citizen’s world?
Better Sources: FBI and DEA Special Agents + Real Citizen Incidents
FBI and DEA special agents work in plain clothes, carry concealed, and drive unmarked cars—just like a CCW holder. Remarkably, in most years roughly half of all FBI agent-involved shootings begin as attempted robberies or carjackings; the bad guy simply picked the wrong “civilian” target.
The FBI periodically audits every agent-involved shooting to keep training realistic. Here’s what their internal reviews show:
FBI Special Agent Shootings
1993–2009
• 0–7 yards: 72%
• 7–15 yards: 19%
• 16–25 yards: 4%
Jan 2012 – Jan 2016
• 0–7 yards: 70%
• 7–15 yards: 21%
• 16–25 yards: 9%
Those percentages have stayed rock-steady for decades.
The DEA’s 2007 review of 44 shootings against armed criminals showed an average engagement distance of 14.6 feet—roughly the length of a typical American sedan.
When we look at actual armed citizens who trained with us and later had to fire in self-defense, the numbers line up almost perfectly:
• Contact to 3 yards: 4%
• 3–7 yards: 91%
• Beyond 7 yards: 4% (specifically 15, 17, and 22 yards)
Yes, a few shots have been fired at longer ranges, so we still train for it—but the overwhelming majority happen extremely close.
What This Means for Your Training
We focus the vast majority of class time on fast, reliable hits to the vital zone at 3, 5, and 7 yards, with the heaviest emphasis on 3–5 yards.
Think about those distances in real-world terms:
• 3 yards = normal conversational distance with a stranger
• 5 yards = about one car length
• 7 yards = across a large living room or convenience-store interior
When you visualize it that way, it’s no surprise that 91% of our documented citizen shootings occurred between 3 and 7 yards.
Bottom Line for Your Practice
Spend your range time where the fight is most likely to happen. Perfect draws, extensions, and multiple hits from 3–7 yards under realistic stress will serve you far better than burning ammo at 25-yard bullseyes.
Train for the fight you’re most likely to get—not the one that looks cool on social media.
Stay safe, train hard, and keep your skills grounded in reality.
— Lone Pine Tactical
