Here is a very interesting article about
Allowable uses of Lethal Force, and seriously anyone interested in the issue should at least look at it.
This is not law itself but it looks into moral, legal and civil aspects of using a firearms.
One sad, excerpt from that article:
...."The statistics are more than frightening. Only four criminals go to prison for every hundred reported crimes. And the FBI estimates that 60 percent of all crimes are not even reported. For every hundred prisoners with life sentences, twenty-five are freed before their third year; forty-two are out by their seventh year; and people acquitted of murder by reason of insanity spend an average of only five hundred days in the mental hospitals before being released." (Armed & Female, P. 4)
"Over half of all robbery victims are attacked, and female robbery victims are more likely than men to be attacked and injured. Also, one in twelve robbery victims experiences serious injuries, such as rape, knife or gunshot wounds, broken bones, or being knocked unconscious." (Armed & Female, P. 21)
"Although hard to believe, the D.C. Supreme Court (Warren vs. District of Columbia) has upheld the decision that police are not responsible for the safety and defense of the individual citizen. The police and other law-enforcement agencies are responsible for the safety and protection of the general population in the districts they serve. That means that, if your life is threatened by a trespasser, an intruder in your home, and you summon the police, there is no legal requirement for the police or sheriff to respond to your call." (Armed & Female, P. 64)
"So the situation is this: the police cannot completely defend us from predator crime; the courts cannot keep the predators off the streets or otherwise occupied in noncriminal activities; and the gun is the most effective deterrent to crime available." (Armed & Female, P. 108) 
