Originally Posted by Collects

You should never fire a warning shot.

The law looks at everything from both sides. Look at your warning shot from the other guy's viewpoint.

You fired a shot. Now, the other guy is in reasonable fear of imminent death or serious bodily injury. You are perceived as shooting at the other guy. Now, the other guy may legally apply deadly force to you - he may shoot you to stop your apparent attack.

If you fire a warning shot, you are admitting that you were not in such fear of imminent death or serious bodily injury. You did not use your gun in self defense. You used it to make noise.

What happens to your bullet with a warning shot? Shoot up, and it might fall on somebody's head. Shoot to the side, you might hit somebody. Shoot down, a ricochet might hit somebody.

Finally, when you are under attack, do you really want to deplete your limited ammunition supply making noise, instead of defending yourself?

NEVER FIRE WARNING SHOTS!