Why They Carry Guns in Alaska

The articles that I post is because I think they are of interest to someone else. By posting these articles doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with every—or any—opinion in the posted article.

This guy lives just outside of Soldotna , Alaska.

King season is over, and since I had a day off before silvers start, I thought I would go for a walk!  This occurred at 11:16 am this morning (Sunday), just 2/10 of a mile from my house. 

 

ON OUR ROAD while walking my dogs (ironically trying to get in shape for hunting season!) for the record, this is in a residential area-not back in the woods.  .  .  No bow hunting.  .  ...  No stealth occurring.  .  ..  I heard a twig snap.....  And looked back.  .  ..  Full on charge-a huge brownie, ears back, head low and motorin' full speed!  Came with zero warning; no Woof, no popping of the teeth, no standing up, nothing like what you think or see on TV!  It charged from less than 20 yards and was on me in about one-second! Totally surreal.  ..  .  I just started shooting in the general direction.    ..  And praise God that my second shot (or was it my third?) rolled him at 5 feet and he skidded to a stop 10 feet BEYOND where I was shooting from.  .  .  I actually sidestepped him and fell over backwards on the last shot.  .    And his momentum carried him to a stop past where I fired my first shot! 

 

It was a prehistoric old boar.....  No teeth......  No fat.  ..    Weighed between 900-1000 Lbs and took five men to DRAG it onto a tilt-bed trailer!  Big bear.....  Its Paw measured out at about a 9-1/2 footer! 

 

Never-ever-thought 'it' would happen to me!  It's always some other smuck......  Right? 

 

Well, no bull.....  I am still high on adrenaline .  .  .  With my gut in a Knot (felt like I did 10000 crunches without stopping)!  Almost puked for an hour after.....  Had the burps and couldn't even stand up as the troopers conducted their investigation!  Totally wiped me out.  ...  .  Can't even put that feeling into words.  .  ...  By far the most emotion I have ever felt at once! 

 

No doubt that God was with me, as I brought my Ruger .454 Casull (and some "hot" 350 grain solids) just for the heck of it.  ...  . And managed to draw and snap shoot (pointed, never even aimed!) from the hip!  Total luck shot! 

 

All I can say is Praise God for my safety and for choosing to leave the wife and kids at home on this walk! 

Now, if either Hillary, or Barry Hussein or anyone else in this administration starts making noises about taking away your right to protect yourself with a gun, we need to let them know where we stand.  Very Quickly!!! 

Guns & Patriots Weekly Digest

The Warrior Mentality Ernest Emerson Now, if you are reading this article because it is of interest to you then chances are you are a protector, a warrior. Otherwise this would be of no interest to you. Do you know who is the toughest son-of-a-bitch to walk the face of this earth... Read More Report From 'The Necessary War' Oliver North Lt. Col. (Retired) USMC American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines became the protectors of Muslim women and children in Kosovo and Iraq. Now the women of Afghanistan are taking charge of their own destiny... Read More Jihad Watch: The Jihad Against A Seattle Cartoonist Robert Spencer Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris has given up her job, her home, and even her identity because of death threats for Islamic supremacists. That Islamic jihadists can force an American citizen into hiding... Read More How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It Survival is more than a box of ammo and some canned food. Here is what you need to know... Read More Soldier Code: Remember The Star From The East Major Gen. Jerry Curry It was the end of the day. The bloated bodies of the dead North and South Vietnamese soldiers baked under the cruel equatorial sun and littered the jungle hillside surrounding Captain Larry McNamara's position like rotting clumps of jellyfish spit up on hot sandy beaches... Read more An Open Letter to Secretary of Defense Gates Phillip Jennings You have a great opportunity to right a long-standing wrong against the veterans of the Vietnam War with the Vietnam War Commemoration event which I understand is being planned... Read more Active Shooter Training for Citizens Dennis Kennedy The shootings at Trolley Square, Virginia Tech and the Omaha Mall remind us that violence can strike at any time and in any place. These types of events are not unusual. They occur everywhere. They happen in churches, malls, schools and workplaces. They will happen again. Have a plan... Read More Congress's 230 Years of Useless Blather Susan Dale Washington was completely intolerant of the useless blather he had just wasted his time listening to. He thus rose with all his great dignity and left the Senate chamber, saying 'that was the last damned time' he was ever going to do anything like that... Read More Reconsidering the Gold Standard Scott Carter The gold standard is a monetary system where a currency is tied to the value of a unit of pure gold. Under such an arrangement, a nation can only print currency equal to the value of its gold reserves... Read More Medal of Honor: John J. McGinty III Mike Piccione "Although he was painfully wounded as he moved to care for the disabled men, he continued to shout encouragement to his troops and to direct their fire so effectively that the attacking hordes were beaten off. When the enemy tried to out-flank his position, he killed 5 of them at point-blank range with his pistol." Please take a moment to read the citation of a hero... Read More The Federalist No. 43: The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered The Federalist Papers As treason may be committed against the United States, the authority of the United States ought to be enabled to punish it. But as new-fangled and artificial treasons have been the great engines by which violent factions... Read More

Obama insults legal concealed carry gun owners

This man needs to go, as he is not representative of citizens of this country and he doesn't recognize our Constitutional Rights! If he is lucky enough to get elected, we are going to be in deep trouble and our basic rights will be out the window. And if he was to make it to the White House, first thing on his agenda should be to get rid of all those Secret Service agents that carries concealed weapons as he has stated that concealed firearms cause innocent people to get shot.

OBAMA SHOULD APOLOGIZE FOR INSULTING MILLIONS OF ARMED CITIZENS, SAYS CCRKBA

BELLEVUE, WA – Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday insulted millions of legally-armed American citizens when he told a Pennsylvania newspaper that concealed carry poses a threat to innocent people, and he should immediately apologize for that remark, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

Senator Obama, quoted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, admitted, “I am not in favor of concealed weapons. I think that creates a potential atmosphere where more innocent people could (get shot during) altercations.”

“American citizens have been responsibly carrying concealed handguns for years in 48 states,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, co-author of America Fights Back: Armed Self-Defense in a Violent Age, published by Merril Press. “These citizens go through background checks, and in some states complete required training courses. Statistically, these armed citizens are far less likely to ever be involved in a crime than average citizens. They have stopped crimes. They have sometimes aided police officers.

“Senator Obama,” he continued, “should not confuse legally-armed, law-abiding Americans with inner-city thugs, gang-bangers and other criminals who carry guns illegally. Thanks to a revealing 1996 questionnaire bearing Mr. Obama’s handwriting from his days as a candidate for the Illinois Senate, it’s clear he has the good guys confused with the bad guys.”

That controversial questionnaire, which Obama originally claimed he never saw, contained answers to questions that indicates he opposes capital punishment and criminal prosecution of juveniles as adults, is against mandatory sentencing and supports “alternative sentencing.” He supported a ban on handguns and semiautomatic sport-utility rifles, and mandatory waiting periods before Americans could exercise their constitutional right to own a firearm.

“Barack Obama ignorantly believes that legally-armed Americans are as reckless and irresponsible as the criminals with whom his political sympathies evidently lay,” Gottlieb said. “He has been insisting for months that he supports the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, but here he is now campaigning in Pennsylvania, stating essentially that he would prefer Americans not exercise that right.

“Legally-armed citizens are also voters, Mr. Obama,” Gottlieb stated, “and you have outrageously insulted every one of them. You owe these good citizens an apology.”

Gun Free Zones Don't Work

Gun free zones simply don't work. They only let people that are not going to abide by the gun free zone know that people there are not carrying a gun, thus allowing it to be a place for them to do whatever they want when they want. If a gun free zone were to be a true gun free zone, then after it was declared to be one a fence should be built around the facility and everyone that entered would go through a metal detector to see if they were carrying a gun. Until that happens, it's only a statement that a facility, school or place of business makes that does not make it a safe place. it's only a place that gives the impression of being safe when in fact it a place that individual protection is a fallacy. Anytime you enter one of these gun free zones, you at at the mercy of anyone that wants to do bodily harm to anyone there.

  BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The tragic shooting
at Northern Illinois University late Thursday is another failure of the
"gun free zone" mentality that has created a false sense of security on
college campuses and other public venues across the country, the Citizens
Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.



 "Gun-free zones have given us nothing but body counts," said CCRKBA
Chairman Alan M. Gottlieb. "This giant loophole in public safety is
becoming a national disgrace and it is time to dramatically change our
perspective on self-defense in this country.



 "This incident is particularly distressing because it happened in
Illinois, one of two remaining states in which anti-gun state lawmakers and
equally-anti-gun governors have repeatedly thwarted common sense efforts to
put law-abiding citizens on a level playing field with criminals and
crazies by adopting right-to-carry laws," Gottlieb stated. "Illinois and
Wisconsin lawmakers have chosen to leave their citizens at the mercy of

Read more about this Here!

Gun Free Zones are Recipe for Disaster

"If you create a gun-free zone, you're liable for any harm it causes."

From Here:

article by Ted Nugent about gun free zones.........

WACO, Texas (CNN) -- Zero tolerance, huh? Gun-free zones, huh? Try this on for size: Columbine gun-free zone, New York City pizza shop gun-free zone, Luby's Cafeteria gun-free zone, Amish school in Pennsylvania gun-free zone and now Virginia Tech gun-free zone.

Anybody see what the evil Brady Campaign and other anti-gun cults have created? I personally have zero tolerance for evil and denial. And America had best wake up real fast that the brain-dead celebration of unarmed helplessness will get you killed every time, and I've about had enough of it.

Nearly a decade ago, a Springfield, Oregon, high schooler, a hunter familiar with firearms, was able to bring an unfolding rampage to an abrupt end when he identified a gunman attempting to reload his .22-caliber rifle, made the tactical decision to make a move and tackled the shooter.

A few years back, an assistant principal at Pearl High School in Mississippi, which was a gun-free zone, retrieved his legally owned Colt .45 from his car and stopped a Columbine wannabe from continuing his massacre at another school after he had killed two and wounded more at Pearl.

At an eighth-grade school dance in Pennsylvania, a boy fatally shot a teacher and wounded two students before the owner of the dance hall brought the killing to a halt with his own gun.

More recently, just a few miles up the road from Virginia Tech, two law school students ran to fetch their legally owned firearm to stop a madman from slaughtering anybody and everybody he pleased. These brave, average, armed citizens neutralized him pronto.

My hero, Dr. Suzanne Gratia Hupp, was not allowed by Texas law to carry her handgun into Luby's Cafeteria that fateful day in 1991, when due to bureaucrat-forced unarmed helplessness she could do nothing to stop satanic George Hennard from killing 23 people and wounding more than 20 others before he shot himself. Hupp was unarmed for no other reason than denial-ridden "feel good" politics.

She has since led the charge for concealed weapon upgrade in Texas, where we can now stop evil. Yet, there are still the mindless puppets of the Brady Campaign and other anti-gun organizations insisting on continuing the gun-free zone insanity by which innocents are forced into unarmed helplessness. Shame on them. Shame on America. Shame on the anti-gunners all.

Carrying a Gun can provide self-defense

I have personally carried a concealed firearm all my life and never had to use it, but it sure made me feel comfortable several times.

From Here:

I can't help but wonder why any time anyone mentions carrying a gun, it's automatically a bad idea. The conversation came up recently when I asked if a kidnapped person had been carrying a gun.

It is still one of our constitutional rights, you know. It has been since the beginning of this country. Why is it such an immoral question to ask if she was armed?

Even though there are now limits to places you can carry a gun, carrying one, and knowing how to use one, is never a bad idea. I'm sure criminals would find others a little more difficult to rob or rape if that someone were armed.

According to the National Rifle Association, the U.S. Department of Justice found that 40 percent of felons chose not to commit at least some crimes for fear their victims were armed, while 34 percent admitted having been scared off or shot at by armed victims. It's verifiable proof - you don't even have to shoot it to lower crime rates - just having one lessens your chances of being assaulted.

The NRA also reported that states with right-to-carry laws "have lower violent crime rates on average: 22 percent lower total violent crime, 30 percent lower murder, 46 percent lower robbery and 12 percent lower aggravated assault."

This is why I think carrying a gun is a good idea, and I'm not just talking about women - the reason the argument originally occurred.

I'm not suggesting we "posse up" and ride into the sunset after all of the criminals in Georgia. I'm not even saying that if someone sticks a gun in your car window at a stoplight and asks for your wallet, you shouldn't give it to them.

I would, however, be damn sure they didn't make it out of sight with my wallet.

Carrying a gun doesn't mean we should all "Wild, Wild West"-it and duel out all of our problems.

But, we've got just as much right to own and carry a firearm as we do to print this newspaper. So, if I or anyone else wants to own or carry a gun, then that's our right.

If someone dies of a bullet wound from my gun, it will only be because I felt my life threatened with no other option. I like living, and I'm not looking to try the alternative anytime soon.

In the end we'll all be judged the same, and I'm sure He'll understand why I pulled the trigger.

A wise man told me recently that he'd rather be judged by 12, than carried by six. This has been my philosophy for as long as I can remember, I'd just never heard it spoken so well.

Gun owner receives apology from police chief

This is how it goes when the police gets over zealous don't know the law and over reacts. Maybe the new training they will recieve will help them when they approach a lawful concealed carry citizen next time.

Trevor Putnam knew the gun laws. The officer who stopped him didn’t.

“When I told him that I hadn’t done anything, he said he’d find a reason to put me in jail,” said Putnam, 24, who works with guns every day as vice president of Coal Creek Armory in West Knoxville.

“It’s not that I have a problem with police officers. I deal with police officers nationwide from Arizona to Maine every day. But I lost my confidence in a legal right that I knew I had.”

Knoxville police officers will get a refresher course on the state’s gun permit laws after an officer who didn’t know the law stopped, frisked and threatened to arrest Putnam for legally carrying a gun inside a Wal-Mart this summer.

Officer Glenn Todd Greene’s actions June 21 at the store on Walbrook Drive in West Knoxville earned him a written reprimand and remedial training for rudeness and not knowing the law, Internal Affairs records show. He’s worked for the Knoxville Police Department for about seven years.

Putnam got a written apology from Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV.

“The officer was wrong I want to personally apologize to you for any embarrassment or inconvenience you may have suffered as a result of this incident,” the chief wrote.

“The Knoxville Police Department takes pride in the training offered to its officers, and the training provided far exceeds state requirements. Unfortunately, officers aren’t perfect, and sometimes mistakes are made. As you can see from the remedial measures taken, we want to learn from our mistakes so they won’t be repeated in the future.”

The trouble started when Putnam and his girlfriend, Samantha Williams, stopped at the store to buy groceries around 10 p.m. Putnam, who holds a gun permit, carried his Colt handgun inside with him, holstered on his right hip.

“It’s like a seat belt or a fire extinguisher,” he said. “It goes everywhere with me. It was warm that night, so I left my jacket in the car.”

State law allows gun permit holders to carry their guns openly or concealed. Putnam said he usually tucks his shirt over the gun but forgot to that night.

As they walked out, Greene, who’d gone to the store to investigate a shoplifting call, told Putnam to stop. Greene asked for Putnam’s identification, grabbed his arm when he reached for his wallet and then asked why he carried a gun in public, records show.

Putnam ended up against a concrete wall being frisked as Greene took his gun.

“It’s called a concealed carry permit. State law says you carry it concealed, not in plain view (with the) hammer back,” Greene said. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years. I can put you in jail for something. It’s called inducing a panic.”

Greene ultimately let Putnam go after talking with another officer but told him to pull his shirt over the gun. He told Internal Affairs investigators he thought Tennessee and Ohio, where he previously served as a police officer, prohibited open carrying. Neither state does.

“There’s an issue there where there could be panic,” he said in a recorded statement. “I’m thinking the law is a concealed law. I’m not going to deal with a guy that has a loaded gun until I secure a weapon.”

Greene said he asked other officers about the law and that they didn’t know, either.

Investigators reviewed video from Greene’s in-car camera and found him in violation of KPD policy. They sustained part of Putnam’s complaint but ruled Greene hadn’t used excessive force in putting him against the wall.

Putnam questions that decision.

“On the one hand, I’m glad they didn’t ignore it,” he said. “On the other, I don’t feel it was a wholly appropriate response to everything the officer threatened to do.”

The department trains all recruits on the state’s gun permit laws, said KPD Lt. Jeff Stiles, who oversees training for the department. All officers will get another dose of training during the next annual session, he said.

“We don’t get that many questions about it over here,” Stiles said. “But we cover that aspect. We go straight to the experts to teach the law. We don’t guess, and we don’t speculate.”

Want to know who recognizes your CCW permit? (concealed weapons permit)

I hear a lot of people wanting to know which state recognizes their concealed carry permit. I just renewed mine the 1st of month and the Sheriff's department gave me a list of states that will recognize mine. But not everyone knows which state will recognize their permit. Look around. The world ain't a safe place like we all want to think. That's why I have a permit to carry a concealed handgun, but where can I carry it? Click on the "Read More" and that page lists all of the states where your permit is recognized.

read more | digg story

Selecting a Pistol for Concealed Carry

I often read and hear a lot of discussions on what pistol makes a good concealed carry pistol. I found this info and it has just about all you need to know on how to choose your concealed carry pistol.

If you are reading this, perhaps you haven't made up your mind or have questions about your selection of a personal defense handgun. There have been many articles written on this subject, most of which boil down to a discussion of calibers and actions. While the caliber and action discussion is important, I find it incomplete and lacking in some important considerations for a person who carries a concealed handgun for self defense. Hence, my point of departure is what it means to live with a pistol every day.

Conceptual Basis

The paradox of the concealed personal defense weapon is that it is something you hope you will never have to use for its intended purpose, but with which you must achieve a level of mastery and familiarity comparable to the other tools you use to survive and get through your day. You wouldn't drive to work in a car that you didn't know how to operate. You wouldn't wear a coat that was three sizes too small or use a carpenter's saw to slice up a pot roast. No, you use the tools appropriate to the job and you learn how to work with them competently. The same holds true with a self defense pistol. You should know how to operate it and have the level of skill necessary to use it safely and effectively. It should fit your hand and your lifestyle because you will be spending a lot of time with it. It should be comfortable to shoot and hopefully to carry, although when asked if a carry gun should be comfortable to wear, master trainer Clint Smith said, "Your carry gun should be comforting, not comfortable." Your pistol should be powerful enough to do the job and accurate enough to hit the target. It should be completely reliable, and its operation should be as familiar to you as riding a bicycle or brushing your teeth. You must also have a clear understanding of the legal issues surrounding the use of deadly force -- when you can and when you can't -- and the methods and techniques of using a gun in a self defense situation. Sounds like a lot? You're right; it is, and if you are unwilling to master the skills and concepts of lethal force, do yourself a favor and just don't carry a gun. (See also The Psychology of Self Defense and the Force Continuum)

Skill and Familiarity

Handguns are not easy to shoot well. The ability to consistently put bullets into a target quickly and in the places which will stop an attacker is a skill that requires a lot of practice. Too many people have the notion that a pistol is a kind of magical talisman and the user need only take it out and wave it around and the problem will magically disappear. Nothing could be further from the truth. A gun brandished at the wrong time and without the fighting skills necessary to employ it effectively will make a whole bunch of new problems, including getting you killed or arrested and charged with some very serious crimes. Hence, making the decision to carry a gun should be made only with the commitment to practice and learn. This may take the shape of attending classes or participating in a practical shooting sport like IDPA. At the very least, a regular practice schedule should be part of the package. This means that you will be spending a lot of time with your pistol. The gun should be comfortable in your hand, have manageable recoil, and be sturdy enough to stand up to heavy use in practice sessions, matches, and classes. The gun should also have reasonable accuracy. You should be able to consistently put all of your shots in an area the size of a saucer at ten yards quickly.

Types and Sizes: Pros and Cons

Pocket Guns

When many folks think of a concealed carry gun, they think of little-bitty pocket pistols that will easily disappear into a pocket or purse. While these may be light and convenient, that's all they are. Aside from that, they're pretty useless. They lack the power to put down a determined attacker and they lack the accuracy to hit anything at more than spitting distance. But even more importantly, most little guns are unpleasant to shoot. Being very light and having small handles, their muzzle flip is very bad. After a few rounds your hand may begin to hurt. Shoot a match or take a class at Gunsite with one of these pocket guns? Forget it. If you don't learn to use it, how much good is it going to do you when the chips are down? In this group, I would include the small Berettas, Airweight snubnose revolvers, Seecamp .32's, Kel-Tek .32's and derringers. There may be a place for these pistols, but they all suffer from serious inadequacies. (I am particularly fond of the Airweight snubnose .38 Special revolver, but it can be an unpleasant gun to fire.)

Medium Frame Revolvers

Even though they have been around for 165 years, revolvers remain an excellent solution. These pistols are simple to use and accurate. They can handle hot loads and larger bullets making them effective personal defense weapons. Examples of this class of pistol are the Ruger GP Series and the S&W Model 66. The ideal revolver would have a 3" to 4" barrel, a six-round cylinder, and a grip that fills your hand. The biggest drawback of these pistols is the speed of reloading, but with practice, a revolver can be reloaded as quickly as an autoloader.

Medium Frame Auto Pistols

The overwhelming majority of professional trainers, operators, law enforcement and military people prefer medium to large framed autoloading pistols. These pistols have the best combination of speed, firepower, accuracy, and power. These pistols will generally load 8-10 rounds in their magazines (or more if you can find the magazines), have full-length grips, and 3.5" or longer barrels. These guns tend to have adequate accuracy and power, and large enough grips to be comfortable. Examples of this type of pistol would be the Glock 17, 19, 21 and 22, the S&W 39xx, 59xx, and 69xx series, the SIG 22x series, the H&K USP and P7, the Kimber ProCarry and Compact, the Springfield Champion, Para-Ordnance P12, and many others.

Large Frame Pistols and Revolvers

I like big pistols. They shoot more accurately, absorb more recoil, and develop greater muzzle velocity due to their longer barrels. I would include in this group the Beretta 92, the Colt Government Model M1911 (and clones), The N Frame S&W revolvers, Colt Python, Anaconda and their copies. Characteristically, these guns have 5" barrels and weigh 36 oz. or more. The biggest drawback of these pistols is their weight. They get heavy and small framed people may have difficulty concealing them.

Autoloader Action Types

There are four types of actions around which semi-auto pistols are built. It's important to understand the differences:

Single Action - M1911 Colt .45 ACP and Browning Hi-Power 9mm

This is the oldest autoloader design still in service, designed by John Browning (with the help of the Army Ordnance Board) during the period between 1905 and 1911. The hammer must be cocked, generally by racking the slide, for the gun to fire. This design in .45 ACP, .40 S&W and .38 Super is favored by competitive shooters, FBI SWAT, FBI Hostage Rescue Team, and many special forces units because it has the best trigger, outstanding accuracy and is very fast. For the gun to be carried in a state of readiness, the hammer must be cocked and the manual safety applied, "cocked and locked" (see "The Conditions of Readiness"). This looks scary and is not recommended for novices or those suffering from attention deficit disorder.

Double Action/Single Action - Beretta 92F (Armed Forces M9), most Smith & Wesson autos, SIG, Walther, and some Rugers.

This has been the standard design for most autos for the last 50 years. These pistols are cocked by the first trigger pull, but subsequent shots are cocked by the action of the slide cycling back. Consequently, the first trigger pull is long and harder (Double Action) since it is also cocking the hammer. Subsequent trigger pulls are easy (Single Action) since the hammer is already cocked. These guns have an external safety lever which puts the gun on safe and de-cocks the hammer. This is generally thought to be the safest design since the long, heavy first trigger pull and the external safety which blocks the firing pin tend to prevent the gun from going off by accident. The criticism of this design is that it forces the shooter to learn two different trigger pulls and accuracy often suffers on the first double action shot. Most accidental discharges with these sorts of pistols are the result of the shooter forgetting to de-cock the hammer.

Double Action/Single Action with De-Cocker Only - Ruger and SIG

This is a variant of the DA/SA which is used by Ruger and SIG. It functions just like a DA/SA except the "safety" lever is not a safety. It only de-cocks the hammer, but the gun will still fire when the de-cocker is applied and the trigger is pulled. I personally do not like this design since the de-cocker looks just like a safety lever but does not put the gun on safe.

Double Action Only - Glock, Smith & Wesson Sigma, some Berettas, some Rugers, Kahr, Kel-Tec, and others.

This is the newest action design made popular by Glock. With these pistols every trigger pull is the same and they have no external safety or decocking levers. The hammers are not cocked by the cycling of the slide (except for the Glocks which are pre-cocked by the slide cycle, and are not true double action). DAO pistols depend on the long double action trigger pull to prevent accidental discharges. In a sense these are autoloaders which fire like revolvers. Triggers vary from model to model. Some, like the Glocks, have very light triggers. Other DAO triggers can be quite heavy and long, and can be very unpleasant to shoot. The advantage of this action is its simplicity and the fact that every trigger pull is the same.

Calibers and Power

Here we get into mysticism and voodoo, and I will just give you my personal opinion and you can take it for what it's worth. I like the .45 ACP and the .357 Magnum the best. Just under them in effectiveness are the .40 S&W, the .44 Special and the 9mm. Below them are the .38 Special and the .380 ACP. There are other cartridges, but these are the most common for personal defense weapons and the ammunition is readily available.

I wouldn't be comfortable with anything smaller than a .380 (actually, I wouldn’t be comfortable with anything smaller than a .45 ACP, but that’s a different argument. See also Jim Higginbotham's "Case for the .45 ACP"). My personal favorite handgun cartridge is the .45 ACP because of its power and accuracy, but smaller cartridges will do the job if you do your part. Like the selection of the gun, the selection of a cartridge should be based on your ability to shoot it well. A good hit with a .380 is better than a miss with a .45. So, as a general rule, your self defense cartridge should be the largest and most powerful load that you shoot well.

The Selection Process

Don't be in a rush to buy the first gun you see. Give it a lot of thought. Ideally, shoot as many pistols as you can before you make a decision. Most gun ranges have pistols you can rent to see how they feel. If you have friends who own pistols, go shooting with them. Most will be happy to let you shoot their guns and share with you their experiences with them.

Be careful about the advice of clerks at gun stores. Some are very knowledgeable but many others are total idiots. Just because someone works at a gun store doesn't necessarily mean that he or she is an expert on personal defense pistols. They will all offer an opinion, whether they actually know anything about the matter or not.

I would also maintain a healthy degree of skepticism toward articles in popular gun magazines. They don’t make money by trashing the offerings of their advertisers.

Consider how you dress and your lifestyle. How will you carry the pistol? Can you adjust your wardrobe to accommodate your pistol? Particular body shapes may present special problems. Your physical strength and conditioning may also be a factor, i.e., powerful auto pistols tend to function better for people with strong arms and hands. How much time do you have to devote to practice? As a rule of thumb, autos require more training than revolvers, so don't pick a single-action .45 auto if you're not willing to learn to use it.

As important as any other single factor is the size and geometry of your hand. Hand size varies greatly between people and it is very important to handle a gun and note carefully the comfort of the grip and the position of the controls on the pistol. If you can't easily manipulate every control on the gun with either hand, then find a different gun. People with short thumbs may have trouble with the safety of an M1911. People with short palms may have difficulty with the thick handles of the double-stack 9mm and .40 pistols. People with meaty hands may be "bitten" by the slide of a small auto when it cycles.

Does the gun feel good in your hand? Is the trigger smooth or is it rough and heavy? Is the frame fairly narrow so that it will conceal well? Does the gun have the right balance of power, weight and size? (Remember, bigger is better for shooting and power, but can you carry it for 8 hours if you have to?)

You will notice that I have said nothing about price. I really hate to hear people making a decision on a handgun based on price. No one wants to pay more than we have to or what is fair, but price should be the last consideration. You won’t remember a hundred or so dollars extra you paid for the right pistol, but you will remember the ill-fitting bargain pistol that doesn’t shoot right or feel good.

To summarize, hold it, feel it, fire it if you can, and recognize that you're going to spend a lot of time with the pistol. Remember also, that it may be called upon someday to defend your life. No, it isn't easy, and you may end up buying two or three pistols before you find the one with just the right balance of weight, power and comfort.

Holsters

The selection of a holster which fits the gun you intend to carry is critically important. For a detailed discussion on this matter, click here.

Reloads

Most of the tactical gurus recommend the carry of at least one reload. If you observe police officers, they often carry 2-4 extra magazines or speed-loaders. If your gun is an autoloader, the second magazine is a good idea for two reasons: (1) you may need the extra rounds (and it's better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them), and (2) magazines sometimes fail and having a backup will ensure that you won't get caught with a non-functioning gun. Hopefully, very few of us will ever need twenty one or more rounds, but the carry of a spare magazine or speed-loader is just a wise practice. One of the reasons I prefer an autoloader to a wheel gun in this role is that the flat shape of a magazine is easier to carry on your belt than the rounded and somewhat bulky shape of the speed-loader used for revolvers.

Summary of Selection Criteria

1. Your personal defense weapon should be as large and as powerful as you can shoot accurately and carry with a reasonable degree of comfort and concealment.
2. Your personal defense weapon should fit your hand perfectly.
3. You should be able to manipulate the controls of your weapon with either hand alone.
4. Your personal defense weapon should be of sturdy construction and be able to withstand heavy use and rough handling.
5. Your personal defense weapon should be accurate enough to consistently hit a target the size of a saucer at 10 yards quickly.
6. Select the largest caliber you can shoot well, and a caliber for which ammunition is readily available.
7. A good quality holster must be available for the model of pistol you intend to carry.

What Pistol Do I Carry? Click Here

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Defensive Marksmanship by Jim Higginbotham

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Recommended Modifications to the Colt .45 Auto for Self-Defense Use by Les Bengtson

The Case for the .45 ACP by Jim Higginbotham

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Chappell handed a teller a few bills, and the teller collected the coins for him. Shots rang out. Chappell glanced up and saw that the teller at the next window, Eva Lovelady Hudson, had been fatally shot.

Merriweather continued firing down the line of tellers, Chappell said, killing Sheila Prevo. Customers and employees ran for cover.

At the counter, Merriweather demanded money and keys. No one is sure whether that demand came before or after he fired his gun, or if it was during the barrage.

Merriweather then dashed behind the counter and grabbed teller LaToya Freeman by the hair and ordered her to open the vault. Another teller, Anita Gordon, tried to protect her co-worker, but Merriweather turned and shot Gordon in the face and neck. Freeman fell to the floor, leaving some of her hair in Merriweather's grip. Merriweather fired shots at Freeman, blowing off the tip of her right index finger.

Amid the rampage, Chappell and at least one other customer fled the bank.

Chappell was carrying his own gun, for which he has a concealed weapon permit. He took cover by his sport utility vehicle just outside the front doors, drew his weapon and waited.

Inside the bank, with Freeman wounded and no longer able to comply with his demands, Merriweather grabbed bank manager Myron Gooding and forced him to open the vault. Merriweather then grabbed a bag of money and exited the bank.

He found Chappell waiting.

"I was prepared to shoot him," Chappell said.

Returned with hostage:

Merriweather threw his hands up and turned to go inside after seeing Chappell. He returned to the doors a second time only to go back inside the bank. But when he returned a third time, he had taken Gooding hostage.

At the same time, sheriff's deputies Ray Sorenson and Randy Davis were passing by the bank when they spotted a woman falling. She fell, rolled, got back up and kept running.

The deputies, who serve outstanding warrants, quickly turned around to investigate. That's when they spotted Chappell standing outside, his gun drawn. Chappell screamed that an armed man inside had shot "two or three people."

"I'm very surprised that the guy he held hostage didn't get his head blowed off," Chappell said.