I begin with an important disclosure: I am one of Massad Ayoob’s “Files” survivors. Ayoob wrote about my own self-defense shooting case in the July/August 1991 issue of American Handgunner. I have considerable respect for Ayoob as a firearms tactician and trainer. My disagreement concerns something very different: his advice about what an armed citizen should say to police and 911 immediately after a defensive shooting. In my view, some of that advice can be extraordinarily dangerous. No two shootings are identical, and there is no universal script that safely fits every case. A statement that appears helpful in one investigation can become devastating evidence in another. A traumatized citizen standing over a wounded or dead person should be extraordinarily cautious about making statements before consulting counsel. The 911 Call Is Evidence A 911 call is not merely a request for help. It is recorded evidence. The caller may believe he is simply summoning assistance, but saying, “I sho...