Ok... my
from a medical perspective...
I agree that 7 yards is an appropriate personal protection distance as most defensive uses will be within 7-12 feet at the most.
In regards to groups, being able to shoot tight groups is great and should be a part of training. However, from a "shooting to cease further aggression" viewpoint, a larger group would be better for defensive purposes. My rationale is that if you put a nice tight 2" group in the chest you may only impact one organ and thus not cause cessation of aggression as quickly as if your group is larger and thus impacts multiple organs.
IMHO, if a person can put a number of hits in the center section of a standard paper plate at 7 yards that would be accurate and effective fire under stress conditions (hold a paper plate over the center of your breastbone and you will get an appreciation for this).
Here is a series of postings I put on INGO a few months ago with anatomical illustrations which goes to my point if anyone is interested:
http://ingunowners.com/forums/tactics_and_training/28173-can_you_out_draw_yourself-6.html#post314051 http://ingunowners.com/forums/tactics_and_training/28173-can_you_out_draw_yourself-6.html#post314134 http://ingunowners.com/forums/tactics_and_training/28173-can_you_out_draw_yourself-7.html#post314185
But, that's just my opinion... I could be wrong!
Regards,
Jim