See the problem with that statement "someone who is not a law enforcement officer"...requires you to have a belief that the Law enforcement officers are ANY better than your average person. Most LE's are power happy and abuse their power anyways. We just had an issue at College Park in Maryland where police got caught on tape beating down some students, unprovoked. If these power happy pricks can have guns, the average person should be able to have some form of protection as well. If someone swings at you with their fists then YES it is excessive force to then shoot them, but if they are beating you to the point they are trying to kill you, they are swinging a knife at you, or yes, smashing you with a baseball bat, you probably WONT HAVE TO SHOOT THEM, but pulling a gun on them, if they dont have one, will probably make them stop and run away. Most of the time, once the people learn that you can easily end things, they will either stop, surrender, or run. Just because you have to PULL your gun, doesn't mean you have to fire it. Obviously you should never shoot someone that is running away, shooting someone in the back is one of the most cowardly things you can do. If all criminals know that EVERYONE is an easy target and that no one can fight back, it would be a happy place for all criminals, they would really have no worries. Giving the people a right to protect themselves in this day in age is almost a requirement in some places.
-Legacy