Just because you can, doesn't mean you should

We're living in strange times.

We're faced with a life fraught with danger at every turn.   Thousands die from cancer every year; none of us are unscathed in some way.   Thousands die and thousands more maimed and injured from automobile accidents.   We lose so many loved ones to suicide.   Domestic violence sends women and children to hospitals and morgues every day of the year.  There are places that good people can't go because crime is so bad that "common sense" tells you its stupid to walk those streets; police won't even go there.  And this is just in the United States.   From Aurora to Sandy Hook, it seem like every day more people are dying from gun violence.

Other parts of the world look on our "problems" as one step shy of paradise.   Canada just apologizes in the hope that its not really their fault after all and goes back to drinking their collective beer.  By the way, it isn't.

Life isn't fair.

But now we have a choice to make, as a country, about some of these issues.

Well meaning people with the best intentions would ban or confiscate our firearms.   This, however, isn't the point of my thought today.   Its the cause of my thought.

There are a lot of people who are afraid that, at some point in time, the anti-gun people will win and the Second Amendment will be repealed.   This has led to a run on guns and ammo.   Prices are through the roof and availability is nonexistent.  This is a basic cause/effect of capitalism (ironically, the very force that so many anti-gun folks take issue with, but I digress) in that when supply is reduced, prices are increased.

Even this isn't necessarily a bad thing.  As I said, its basic cause and effect.  Here's the bad thing.  People are buying guns who are scared and who have never handled a weapon before.  My advice today goes out to them.

If you don't think that you should have a firearm in your house, then don't buy one!  This is not a judgement on you or that you are somehow against the second amendment.  This is you knowing what is best for you in your home.  Trust your instincts.

I've had a few phone calls and emails from friends asking my advice on which weapon to buy, how to store the weapon, should they get a carry permit, etc...   I'm going to give my advice here in the hopes that someone reads it and rethinks their current plan.

First - buy the gun.  Its your right.  You don't need to feel guilty about buying whatever gun you want for whatever legal reason you want it for.   Which gun you ask?  That's like asking me to tell you over the phone which tie to pick out or if those jeans make you look fat.   I have no idea which gun you should buy.   I can make recommendations, but those are just my preferences imposed on you.  But - lets talk guns.

Today we'll focus on handguns, but lets get our terms straight.

Rule number 1: The gun is always loaded.  Always.   Even when you're looking into an empty chamber.
Rule number 2: Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.  Even when it isn't loaded (see rule number 1).

• Safety
• Red means FIRE!
• Some weapons have a safety button or lever.  This is not a guaranty that it will not fire, its only a precaution.
• Some weapons have an internal safety that only allows the firing pin to engage the round if the trigger is physically pulled back.   This prevents accidental discharge by dropping the weapon or some other event where the trigger is not pulled.   This will not prevent the weapon from discharging if the trigger catching on something or if the shooter accidentally pulls the trigger.
• Action types
• The "action" of a weapon refers to what happens when you pull the trigger, what happens to a spent round, and how a new round is loaded into the firing chamber.
• Single Action
• Pull the trigger and, if the firing mechanism is charged (or "cocked"), the firing pin engages the primer of the bullet.  If the mechanism is not charged, the firing pin will not engage the primer and the round will not discharge. Charging the firing mechanism means to pull back the hammer or otherwise put tension on a spring that, when released, will cause the firing pin to engage the rpimer of the bullet.
• The firing mechanism must be charged with some action other than tension on  the trigger (i.e. manually pulling back on the hammer)
• Double Action
• Pressure on the trigger will charge the firing mechanism as the trigger is pulled back.    After the mechanism is charged, the firing pin engages the primer of the bullet.  Manually charging the firing mechanism is usually possible by pulling back on the hammer or by cycling a round (pulling the slide on a semi-automatic and releasing it).
• Pulling on the trigger can easily impact accuracy.  As you pull on the trigger, you may find that the more pressure you exert (in order to charge the weapons), the more your sight shakes or moves.
• Bolt Action
• Image of bolt action rifle
• Usually refers to rifles.
• A handle is manually pulled back which ejects a spent round, charges the firing mechanism, and loads a new round from the magazine.
• Usually this is a single-action mechanism (the trigger won't charge the firing mechanism)
• Pump Action
• Image of pump action shotgun
• Usually refers to shotguns, but can be rifles as well.
• A grip beneath the barrel is pulled back towards the shooter.  This ejects a spent round, charges the firing mechanism, and loads a new round into the firing chamber.
• Usually this is a single-action mechanism (the trigger won't charge the firing mechanism)
• Lever Action
• Image of lever action rifle
• Usually refers to rifles, but can be shotguns as well.
• A lever, usually part of the trigger guard, that extends along the bottom of the stock and is designed in such a way that holding the firearm allows one's hand to naturally fit through the lever, is pressed down and towards the front of the firearm.  This ejects a spent round, charges the firing mechanism, and loads a new round into the firing chamber.
• Usually this is a single-action mechanism (the trigger won't charge the firing mechanism)
• Usually, there is a hammer that can be disengaged manually, and manually re-charged by pulling back on the hammer.  This allows a round to be loaded in the chamber, but the weapon is not able to fire because the firing mechanism is not charged.
• Semi-Automatic
• Bullets are stored in a magazine (not a clip!  A clip is a device that is used to store multiple rounds of ammunition together as a unit, ready for insertion into the magazine or cylinder of a firearm.) and as a round is fired, the energy generated by firing the round causes the firearm to eject the spent round, load a new round from the magazine, and charge the firing mechanism.  Holding back the trigger will only fire a single round.  The trigger must be disengaged before the next found can be fired.
• This is the most popular type of weapon used by civilians in the U.S. today.  This includes handguns, shotguns, and rifles.
• Semi-automatic weapons can be both single-action (eg. Glock 22) and double-action (eg. Sig Sauer P229).
• Fully-Automatic
• Illegal to most civilians in the U.S.  Highly regulated and very harsh penalties for illegal ownership.   If someone tells you that they only want to ban "fully-automatic assault rifles" - tell them that they've been banned since 1936.
• The same as semi-automatic except that there is usually a switch (depending on the model) to allow this weapon to be used in semi-auto (stated above), burst (fires 3 rounds with a single trigger pull), or full auto.  The full auto setting will fire rounds as long as the trigger is depressed and as long as there are rounds in the magazine.
• This is a "military assault rifle".   Semi-automatic "assault rifles" are not used by the military because they lack the full-auto capability.
• Some semi-automatic weapons have been converted to fully automatic, but that requires a physical change to the weapon and is already highly illegal. Fully Automatic Glock
• Handguns
• Derringer
• Image of Derringer
• Really a picture of a derringer
• A derringer is a very small pistol that only holds one or two shots.  Some hold more, but that's not really important.  
• Do not buy a derringer for self defense.  Because of its size, derringers usually don't have a trigger guard.  The trigger guard is that little metal ring that goes around the trigger and prevents things from catching on it and accidentally discharging the weapon.   
• The last thing in the world, when you're under stress, that you want is a weapon that 
• is so small you will fumble with
• accidentally discharging the weapon while you fumble with it
• having the discharge 
• injure an innocent person 
• leave you with 1 or no rounds for the bad guy
• Derringers are, almost always, single action.
• Derringers are fun to shoot.   It isn't fun to protect yourself with a firearm.  Do not confuse the two.
• Double Action Revolver
• Image of standard revolver
• The most famous revolver in the US has got to be the .44 Magnum popularized by Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry "Do you feel lucky?  Well.. do ya?  Punk?" (best Dirty Harry moment EVER!)
• Each time the firing mechanism is charged, the cylinder holding the rounds rotates so that a new round is in the firing position; hence the term "revolver".
• A revolver carries between 5 and 8 rounds in its cylinder.  It is an excellent self defense firearm but has some pros and cons.
• Pros
• They are reliable.  They don't jam.  Pull the trigger and it goes bang.  If you pull the trigger and it doesn't go bang, pull the trigger again.  
• They can be easy to carry since they come in all sizes.  
• Supports calibers (size of the bullet .38 being the smallest I would use for personal defense) of many sizes.
• Cons
• Must expend energy on the trigger to charge the firing mechanism.  Usually, one can "cock" the hammer thus charging the firing mechanism and allow for a "lighter" trigger pull (no energy spent on the trigger for charging), however, this is time consuming in a self-defense scenario and may cost you your life.
• Limited number of rounds.  By comparison, semi-automatic handguns carry between 6 and 15 rounds easily.   You can get larger capacity magazines for semi-automatic handguns, but for daily self defense purposes, those aren't usually practical.
• The smaller the size, the fewer rounds it will hold.
• Reload time can be slower than semi-automatic.  Unless you have put hours of practice time in just reloading a revolver with a "speedy-loader", you will never be able to reload this weapon under stress in a firefight.
• Single Action Revolver
• Single Action Revolver image
• This is the old cowboy style revolver.  Remember those old westerns when the cowboy would use his non-gun hand to slap the gun while he fired?  What he was doing was charging the firing mechanism with his off hand by pulling back the hammer with his palm.   As quickly as he could pull back that hammer, he could fire the weapon.
• Do not buy this weapon for personal protection.   Even if you're a pro - too many things can go wrong.  Lots of fun to shoot, and there are great competitions for them... but you'll get yourself killed if you rely on it for protection.
• Double Action Semi-Automatic
• You'll hear many opinions on this as to whether a semi-automatic is single or double action.   A double action semi-automatic is like the Sig Sauer P229.  If there is a round in the chamber, you can pull back the trigger and charge the firing mechanism before firing the round.  There may be be a decocking lever on this weapon to safely uncharge the firing mechanism to prevent accidental discharge.   
• This is actually my weapon of choice.   By storing a round in the chamber, and the firing mechanism un-charged, I can draw the weapon with reduced fear of accidental discharge while under stress.  I can pull the trigger and immediately fire the weapon.   After I fire the weapon, the semi-automatic action ejects the spent round, charges the firing mechanism, and chambers a new round; ready to fire again.
• Single Action Semi-Automatic
• This weapon is charged either when the weapon is fired causing energy from the round to push the slide back, eject the spent round, charge the firing mechanism, and loading a new round into the firing chamber or by manually pulling the slide back to perform the same function.   Once the round has been chambered, there is no "decock" mechanism since there is no other way to charge the weapon (other than to eject the chambered round for a new round).
• When the trigger is pulled, the semi-automatic function ejects the spent round, charges the firing mechanism, and loads a new round.   This action makes it appear to be a double action weapon (pull the trigger and fire each time), but technically, its single action.
• I prefer not to use this type of weapon, though many law enforcement officers use it as their weapon of choice.  I prefer to have a much tighter pull on the trigger for the first round so that I am more aware of pulling the trigger rather than having my muscles tense from adrenaline and accidentally firing.
• This weapon really needs a manual safety and, if you choose this weapon as a self defense weapon, then you must learn to draw and disengage the safety in a single movement.  Practice this over and over until it is part of what you do - muscle memory.  Failing to make this muscle memory will probably get you killed if you draw on a bad guy.

OK - now... on with the show

If you're buying a defensive handgun, my advice is not to buy anything "smaller" than a .380.  This is just enough power to stop someone if you use the right ammunition and if you hit them a few times (obviously a head shot will stop them, but you can't rely on that shot).   My personal preference is 9mm, but .40 and .45 are both very popular.  If you're going to wear it, be sure that its small enough that you can conceal it under clothing.  Even if open carry is legal, it isn't my preferred method to carry since it draws attention.   I would just prefer that nobody knew I was armed.

If you've never owned a firearm before, and you don't know which one you want, ask yourself what you plan on doing with it.   Do you want a handgun, rifle, or shotgun?  If you don't know, and you just want "a gun" then fine.  That is a perfectly good place to start.   Go to your local gun store or sporting goods store and look around.  Find one that appeals to you aesthetically.  Maybe find one that makes a really big bang, if that's what floats your boat.   Find one that uses cheap ammo!   Maybe start with a .22.  Easy to fire, no kick, not such a loud bang, but same functions as all the rest for the purposes of learning.   Also, less deadly (but still deadly!) than higher caliber firearms.   Doesn't matter - the point is - learn about the firearm you buy before you actually shoot it, and when you do take it out to the range, bring someone with you to train you, hire an instructor, or take a class.

More advice for new gun owners.   Buy the cleaning kit with the gun.   If you don't clean your weapon every single time you come back from the range, your weapon will become untrustworthy.   There is one absolute about firearms.  Untrustworthy guns are dangerous.

More, more advice for new gun owners.   Don't buy any rounds (bullets) with your new gun.   You're not ready for them yet.   Even though you know what you're doing (you're not one of the stupid ones, right?), you have no business bringing live ammo into your home with your new gun when you know nothing about either of them.   You can buy your rounds on the way to the range or at the range.   If you must order the rounds online or in advance, keep them separate from your weapon and never even practice load it.   If you want to practice load, I suggest you buy some dummy rounds.  These are great little fake bullets that don't go bang.  They're just shaped like the real thing so that they'll fit in your gun and cycle properly (if you're using a semi-automatic).   They're great for teaching how to load, unload, and aim.   They are also invaluable for target practice.  Randomly place one in the cylinder or magazine of your firearm while you load live ammo.   When the dummy round is "fired", you will see how your body wants to compensate for the recoil (kick) of the firearm.  This compensation will throw off your aim significantly.   If you're consciously aware of it, you can work to reduce it.

A firearm is always loaded.  It doesn't matter if you store it in your safe unloaded and you're the only one with the combination.   When you open that safe, you use the appropriate method to check the weapon to see if its loaded every single time.  Always.  Period.  Not checking it is how people get hurt or die.

More, more more...ok you get it... advice.   Lock up your firearm.   Some safes are designed to keep kids from getting at your weapons, some are designed for keeping bad guys from getting at your weapons.  You must decide what your needs are concerning your safety and the safety of those in your house, whether they be residents or guests.  If your firearms are not going to be used for personal protection in the home, I recommend a gun safe or key lock system that is difficult for anyone to gain access.  

If your firearms are to be used for defense in the home, then you will want to have a safe or locking mechanism that is easily opened by you, but difficult to open by others.   A great example is this gun safe by GunVault.   Here's what good and bad about this safe...  its great for keeping kids away from your weapon, but its bad to keep your weapon from being stolen.   This is a safe that you want to place strategically in your home, somewhat hidden but easily accessible, so that you have ready access.   Also, note the lack of a biometric lock.   I don't recommend one because if you need the gun, you're probably already slightly freaked out.   If the biometric gives you a false negative (meaning the safe doesn't open), you might panic even more and blow the biometric read again.   Here's my advice.  

• Get the GunVault and open it every single day
• Draw the weapon
• Disengage the safety (or do whatever you need to in order to put the gun in a ready to fire state)
• Look around with your gun at the ready.  Do not point it at anyone while you practice! 
• After the room is "safe", prepare your weapon to be placed back in the safe
• Place the weapon in the safe and lock the safe

There's a really good reason for this type of practice - muscle memory.   Its how Bruce Lee kicked so much butt.   He didn't have to think about what he was doing, he just did it.   When you have to remember the combination to a safe, you will fail if you're under duress.   If you do it every day with a four button safe that your fingers rest on, your fingers will remember the combination even if you don't.   Also, this is why you want to draw your weapon and engage it by releasing the safety, putting the magazine in, racking it, or whatever you need to do to make that weapon ready to fire.   If you don't make this muscle memory, you will forget something and all you will have in your hand is a club.  Worse - you'll have a club that you think will fire bullets when you pull the trigger.  The last part is to look around the room.  What you don't want to happen is your body running on auto-pilot and putting the gun back to safe as soon as you rack it.   Each time you practice, stop and examine the room you're in.  When its "safe", then put the gun back into the safe in the state that you choose to store it in.

If you're new to firearms, there is no substitute for training.   If you've been raised with firearms in the house and can give a squirrel a lead enema at 100 yards, there's still no substitute for training.

Training can mean almost anything though.  I don't necessarily mean professional training (though if you're new to firearms, that's exactly what I mean).  I mean training your mind and your body to use the firearm safely and effectively.    OK - so what does "safely and effectively" mean.

Effective means different things depending on what you plan to use your weapon for.

If you shoot paper targets on a range, then "safely" means that you not only know the range rules, but you obey them.  To the letter.   Every single rule is there because some dumb-ass did what the rule said not to do (or inversely, didn't do what the rule said to do) and someone got hurt or killed.   If you don't follow these rules, even the "lame" ones, someone will get hurt or killed.   There is no gun expert in the world that would not follow a rule because its "stupid" if they're on a range that has a "stupid" rule.   The only people that don't follow stupid rules... are stupid people.  If you think you know what you're doing and that rule doesn't apply to you... you are stupid.

"Safely" also means that you know your weapon.   I had just purchased an MKA-1919 and I was not familiar with all of the action even though I'd read about it, examined the weapon, and dry fired it (pull the trigger of a charged weapon without loading it).   However, I had a jam (when a spent round is ejected and doesn't full clear the chamber on its way out or the new round doesn't slide into the chamber when the bolt closes and the bolt gets stuck half-open on the stuck round) that I couldn't clear.  I wasn't familiar enough with the weapon to correctly eject the magazine while in the jammed state.  So I asked the range master for assistance and he showed me how to clear it.  It is not embarrassing.  It does not mean I'm stupid for not being born with the knowledge.  It means that I learned what I didn't know before so that I could apply it in the future (and I did - several times).  You learn by examining the weapon, reading the instructions that come with it, and firing it.   If you don't understand the basics of firearms, bring someone who is familiar with them the first several times you shoot.  Hire an instructor.   Go to classes.  Whatever.  Don't learn from scratch by yourself.  That's how people get hurt and killed.

"Effectively" means, basically, that when you fire your weapon, you hit what you were aiming for.  That when you load your weapon, you don't fumble.   That when you unload your weapon, that its really unloaded.

If you plan on using your firearm for protection, then I have the following advice.

Most likely, you are not a member of SEAL Team 6.  Most likely, you are like me; just an average guy or girl who doesn't have the hand to hand training that is sufficient to protect yourself from an assailant.  A gun is "the great equalizer".   It makes the wielder as deadly as the attacker - sometimes more so.  However, with great power comes great responsibility (thanks Uncle Ben!).

Take classes on using defensive firearms.   That's my advice.

Nothing I can write here will help you.   Someone has to show you what to do.  You have to turn what they show you into muscle memory.  You must be able to react without thinking.

You must be able to do all of the following simultaneously

• Asses the threat to ensure that the threat exists and it isn't just perceived.
• Asses the surroundings to ensure that no innocent people are hurt
• Draw your weapon without getting it tangled in your clothes or lost in your purse
• Aim your weapon with one hand and/or both hands
• Determine if there's cover and get to it if possible
• Neutralize the threat.   This means that you fire at your target(s) until the threat no longer exists.
• You may need to reload during the firefight - do you have ammo/magazines for reload and, if so, can you reload while you're under duress?  muscle memory!
• Re-holster your weapon when there is no more threat.  

You will not be able to do these things without training.  Lots of training.   

So - what's been my advice through all this?   Learn about your weapon(s) and train!