Originally Posted by Sfury

I'm not familiar with Illinois law in regards to self defense. They do have statutes that reference it, but handgunlaw.us doesn't have a link to them.

Most states have a justifiable defense law that makes them immune to all prosecution if the shooting was deemed justified. That means no civil or criminal charges can be filed.

I would not listen to Dog Killer's advice. Many of the criminals around here are drug addicts that can be hopped up on some serious things, or need a fix so badly they don't feel pain because they need their fix that bad. You want to incapacitate them in the most efficient manner you can. It's your life that may be on the line, and do you want to rely on strictly non-lethal measures to keep it? I wouldn't go that route.

Hopefully you never need to defend yourself, but if the time comes you need to be as prepared as you can be to survive. Do you want to let the criminals dictate your actions, or do you want to have the say in the most crucial moment of your life? Answer that, and you will have the path to follow.