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I took my CCW class yesterday, administered by two cops. Among the statistics thrown around in the class(without any citation, however) was that 60% of cops involved in a fatal shooting are off the force within 5 years and a significant number of those (he didn't say what %) kill themselves. This was their way of trying to impress upon the attendees the difficulties encountered if one should be so unfortunate as to have to use one's weapon.

The situation for cops and civilians is also quite different than that of soldiers. As a soldier, when you shoot someone, it is a positive. Neither is there someone (or his family) around afterward who is going to sue you and make you relive the events again and again in excruciating detail. Try three years of lawsuits costings tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars and your marriage, house and car on top of the psychological impact of shooting someone and see how you feel. PTSD becomes a lot more understandable then.

It's a real issue. I would sumbit that the vast majority of people don't want to hurt or kill anyone. I'd rather have people on the police who are reticent about using that firearm.

But, once the situation's developed to the point where one has to shoot, then one has to shoot otherwise one will be dead. This leads to one of the common post-shooting reactions, and that is elation. One will be very happy for making it out of the situation still breathing.

Also, and conversely, we as normal people (not the amoral thug Bad Guys), will wonder if there was something else we could have done. There will be doubt, there will be questions from one's own self (let alone from the police and the Bad Guy's attorney) whether or not it was really justified.

The best way to lessen post-shooting stress is to know about it beforehand. Know that there will be problems. One will be looked upon differently - friends, acquaintances, even family will see the mark of Cain upon you for taking a life, no matter how justified.

Worse, one won't be able to talk about it. Anything one says is supoenable. The only people one can legally feel safe to talk to about the shooting, are one's attorney or physician. Not even the clergy are fully protected under privilige.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I attended two-day defensive handgun training at Front Site (Pahrump), NV. A significant portion of our time at Front Site had to do with the decision to use deadly force, and the aftermath. The gist of it was, even if you win the first battle (the shoot-out), there is a second battle as your decision is evaluated by law enforcement, and a third battle when the "victim's" family sues you in Civil Court for the "wrongful death" of their most wonderful husband/provider/etc., and the noted observations that you carry the Mark of Cain no matter how justified you were, and the financial costs are large. So, you only use deadly force when you and/or your family are cornered, facing death and with no means of escape. At least then you and yours survive, although nothing is ever quite the same. I don't remember the psychological part being covered except for having the decision point in your mind ahead of time. If you aren't willing to set up the rules of engagement before hand, knowing at what point it is appropriate to present, and if you do, knowing that you can shoot, then don't have the gun. Perhaps such prior reflection helps the psychological aftermath, because you weren't presented a situation where you were purely reactive, and then were 100% second-guessing afterwards.