[MLeake]

mehavey, you said

Prediction: You're definitely going to jury trial and you'd better be able to convince the a panel of people who've just come from Starbucks w/ their Latte's that you were in reasonable fear for your life from kids w/ toys.

Definitely going to jury trial is hardly the same as

you'd be desperately explaining it [potentially to a jury] if it happened simply because of the pressure

So, for one thing, that's quite a fallback. For another, it's still not necessarily so. Such cases do not automatically go to a jury, or even a grand jury. Some jurisdictions (such as Oklahoma, for recent example) do not require a DA to take a case before the grand jury, if the DA thinks it is not a good case.

Now, in your follow-on post, you say,

No matter what happens at that point, your very expensive [and very needed] lawyer probably owns the 2nd mortgage on your house and your childrens' college savings.

Aside from the fact that this is more or less unlikely, depending on where you are (and whether the shoot was obviously good, notwithstanding the decedent's age), there are ways to deal with that potential problem.

My way, and here's a plug for senior member Marty Hayes, was to join the Armed Citizen's Legal Defense Network. In the event, God forbid, that I ever have to shoot somebody, then so long as the shooting appears good to ACLDN's investigators, ACLDN will front the legal bills, to a variable upper limit; additionally, I will be guaranteed expert representation, most likely by Marty. Additionally, since I've completed a MAG course with Massad Ayoob, I have Mas' guarantee that he will act as expert defense witness if he thinks it's a good shoot.

ACLDN: http://armedcitizensnetwork.org/

Massad Ayoob Group: http://massadayoobgroup.com/

Consider it legal insurance. The training was good, too, both with Mas and Marty.