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My perspective--after years of reading, researching, serving in the military, speaking with those who've been-there-done-that--is that most people don't give the question enough serious thought. The question is, "Am I willing to do what it takes to stop an attack, even if it means the BG might die?"
Killing your fellow human being is not a normal human behavior, despite what cynics might say. Sure, there are the exceptions like Charles Manson, but those are the exceptions. Even hurting (not killing) someone is not a normal human behavior. If killing and hurting were normal behaviors, we wouldn't have societies.
Realistic training is an aid to overcoming that inherent unwillingness to hurt and/or kill. But it's just an aid. Many people physically engage in all kinds of training, but they don't mentally engage in it. Those are the people who "game" the training. Without the mental engagement, without giving the matter some serious thought beforehand rather than just a superficial "I'll go Bronson on anyone who sneers at me" response, those people are very likely to hesitate if the bad time comes. They will likely hesitate because they will now have to answer the question they have basically avoided for so long.
Even realistic training and some serious time spent contemplating and answering the question are no guarantees that you will respond with lethal force to an imminent and deadly threat. But I think your chances of properly recognizing, evaluating, and responding will increase if you commit yourself to realistic training and contemplation. You will become, in effect, safer for yourself, your family, and your community while at the same time doing the same for them.
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