I should be clear that when I said "showing a gun" I didn't mean in the Homer Simpson sense. I meant in the "Crap, I might need to use my gun" sense. Which could be anything from moving the hand to the top of the holstered gun in case you need to draw because of imminent threat, to actually drawing and pointing with intent to defend yourself from imminent threat.
Understood. I was responding to MechAg94:
Legally speaking, firing a warning shot is often considered deadly force.
I'm pretty certain that firing a warning shot
IS considered to be use of deadly force in every jurisdiction in the United States. I'm pretty certain that drawing a gun and pointing it at someone or threatening to shoot them (even if done in self defense) is considered to be use of deadly force in every jurisdiction in the United States. Where it becomes less certain is "brandishing," which is not even defined or addressed in the statutes of many states. To me, "brandishing" means taking a gun (or any weapon) out and waving it around in a threatening manner -- like the kid in Ben's video clip. But in some states, merely placing your hand on the butt of a holstered firearm in a threatening manner, or just sweeping back your cover garment to reveal the gun in the holster in a threatening manner, is considered "brandishing" and is deemed to be use of deadly force.
We have fifty states plus the District of Columbia to deal with. Each has its own laws. There are no one-size-fits-all answers on questions like this.