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Why I Carry A Loaded Gun, And Why You Should Too

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concealed carry holster

Carrying an unloaded gun doesn’t make anyone safer, except for the bad guys.

When it comes to self-defense, there is almost nothing that boggles my mind more than when I hear people carrying an unloaded gun for “self-defense.” I see it in forums all the time, and there are plenty of these types of sayings in the comment sections on some negligent discharge articles.

They usually sound something like this: “Carrying a gun with a round in the chamber is stupid and unsafe.” Or, “he never would have shot himself if his gun wasn’t loaded!”

While it is true that you cannot have a negligent discharge if you’re not carrying a loaded weapon, the chance that you’ll successfully defend your life against an attacker also diminishes for each extra step you need to take, while your life is on the line.

In a moment, we’re going to discuss the psychophysiology of a gun-battle.

But first … Let’s clear up what a loaded weapon is, and is not:

When a firearm is carried for self-defense, but there is no round in the chamber, you are carrying an unloaded weapon–even if your magazine has 16 rounds in it.

In order for a gun to be considered “loaded,” no matter what the local laws in your state may say, there needs to be a cartridge in the chamber. 

Furthermore, when your firearm needs to be manually charged, it takes precious seconds away from you that you cannot afford to lose.

When in a life or death situation, mere seconds are all that matters as we’ll see, below. Here’s a self-defense scenario:

Let’s say that you’re walking your little dog down the street late one night because he needs to get his legs moving in order to take care of business. Out of nowhere, your dog starts losing his mind, barking and carrying on.

Out of character for him, for sure, but instead of taking in your surroundings trying to figure out what’s going on, you shush him in an attempt to not wake the neighbors.

Out of nowhere you’re attacked by a bigger, hooded person. He hits you from behind, not like that matters because you weren’t paying attention to begin with. You fall to the ground, and in an attempt to defend yourself, you pull out your pistol, point it at the bad guy, and pull the trigger.

At first, the big man is visibly shaken, but once he realizes that nothing happened when you pulled the trigger, he took your gun, pulls the slide back, and points it back at you.

Before we move on to the psychophysiology and what your body goes through in a gunfight, let’s analyze a few things about Mr. Dog Walker, here. Where did he go wrong in his failed attempt at self-defense?

His first issue is a lack of situational awareness. Many attacks can be prevented, but only if you’re aware of your surroundings. This past SHOT Show, for example, I was without a car the entire time I was there.

My hotel was 1.2 miles away from the Convention Center, and I walked each way. Each time I walked, I passed by some questionable people. Some of them spoke to me, some did not. On my last night there, someone tried to start a fight with me–accusing me of touching his stuff (he did not use the word “stuff” but I want to keep this family friendly).

Always taking in my surroundings and watching their movement to see if they would attempt something, my head remained on a swivel.

Thankfully, nothing bad happened because I remained aware of my surroundings.

Let’s move on …


Another thing Dog Walker got wrong, was not listening to his dog. If it is out of character for the dog to bark, that should have snapped him back to an awareness-reality to take in his surroundings. If something seems out of the ordinary, that’s probably because it is.

Finally, his gun was not loaded. He should have been able to pull that gun from his holster, put the squeeze on the trigger, and put that bad guy down. He couldn’t because his gun was unloaded, and he had no time to react appropriately.

I do want to say here, that this is an updated article, and while I still always carry a loaded gun on my person, even in my home for self-protection, the most important thing is that you practice your method of carry. If you don’t have a round in the chamber, you must practice putting one in there under stress so that you’re ready when the time comes.

Speaking of time, let’s take a look at how quickly an attack can happen, and how long it takes for the average person to react to one:

You’ve likely heard of the 21 foot rule, when discussing police officer training. While there are variables in place when discussing this, and in shape bad guys can certainly make up that distance really fast, what I want to talk about here, is your (as well as my) reaction time.

Studies have shown that the average person realizes that their life is in danger in about .5 seconds. It then takes another full second to make the decision to act appropriately for an average reaction time of 1.5 seconds.

While that isn’t an insanely long time, it is a really long time when your life is on the line.

As if those 1.5 seconds weren’t long enough, your body immediately starts dumping adrenaline making you not think straight, have tunnel vision, elevate your heart rate, and have auditory occlusion.


To make matters even worse, your breathing will be erratic and you’ll begin to lose blood to your extremities making it more difficult to manipulate your firearm.

Will you even remember that you don’t have a round chambered in your weapon? If you do remember, are you able to pull the slide back to send one home?

Will you have the time to?

Let’s visit the 21 foot rule for a second (which says that a determined bad guy can make up 21 feet in 1.5 seconds). It’s even fair to say that most defensive scenarios happen at much closer distances than that which take even less time.

So, if an in-shape bad guy can make up that distance during the same 1.5 seconds it takes for you to register a threat and react (or quicker because he’s already made the decision to hurt you and you don’t know it’s coming), what happens if he’s even closer than that and you still need to get your gun out, pull the slide back, aim, and pull the trigger at an advancing target?

This is the main reason why carrying an unloaded gun is never a good idea. Whenever you need to add an extra step to anything, it’s a bigger cause for failure.

It’s also one of the main reasons why training yourself with your gun is so important. If you’ve never practiced pulling your weapon out of your holster, you’ll be amazed at just how bad you are at it. Guaranteed.

And, getting your gun out even with years of experience proves to be difficult when someone is right on top of you.

Carrying a a loaded gun (with a round in the chamber) will help you save time, and be that much closer to effectively defending yourself with your gun. If you must carry your gun without a cartridge in the chamber, make sure you practice accordingly so you can be effective at stopping a threat.

Now, there is something to be said about negligent or “accidental” discharges. We must each remain vigilant whenever we handle our guns, no matter how much experience we have with them.

Always practice the 4 basic rules of firearms safety, and check your gear often to make sure nothing can snag the trigger. Finally, most NDs happen on the re-holstering of your firearm.

While it’s acceptable to quickly and safely pull your gun in self-defense, there is no race when re-holstering it. Take your time, and make sure it’s done properly.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comment section.

Finally, all this talk about self-defense and shooting, makes me want to point out an article I wrote highlighting what I believe to be the top 20 9mm pistols. Give it a read, and let me know your thoughts on it.

The Importance Of Gun Training At Every Age Cannot Be Overstated

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improvised shooting position
Practice with different shooting positions, including improvised ones, for better defensive readiness. (Team HB photo)

We’ve discussed in great length the importance of carrying a self-defense weapon, or having access to one, at all times. The truth is, we never know where tragedy will strike when at home, in the car, on the road in a hotel, etc. Such is the case for an 82 year old man who needed his firearm to defend himself against an intruder who broke in through the window air conditioning unit.

Nothing is sacred; nothing is safe. Criminals intent on hurting you will stop at nothing to make sure that their goals come to fruition, no matter the cost to you. One of the most important things we need to remember, is that if a criminal is brazen enough to break into your home, they are likely willing to eliminate any traces that they were ever there, including your life.

That is one of the main reasons why it is imperative that you’re willing and able to defend yourself against all threats, and understand that you’ll never actually be ready for an attack. And, when I say that you’ll never actually be ready for it, I mean that you won’t know when an attack will come.

Our 82 year old man from a recent Defensive Gun Use was clearly willing to defend himself against an intruder, to which I commend him for. However, after looking at this story in more detail, he wasn’t as able as he could have been.

Of course, we have to take the age of this man into consideration. At the age of 82, fine motor skills aren’t what they once were, and even gross motor skills are likely not tuned up and running in tip-top shape. That, coupled with the fact that even younger, healthier people have a hard time hitting their target when presented with a tremendous amount of stress, we have a recipe for disaster.

Thankfully, he lived. But he didn’t land either of the two shots he fired on his attacker, so it could have turned out very differently.

Getting old is a part of life. Try as we may, we’ll never be able to avoid this basic truth: We are all born, and we will all eventually die. In that process, called life, we get older and witness our bodies deteriorate. Again, nothing we can do about that.

What we can do to ensure our survival against someone who is bigger, stronger, younger, faster, smarter, etc., than we are, is to have the upper hand with a great force equalizer known as a self-defense firearm. The mere owning of a gun is not enough, though.

We cannot just go to the local gun shop, put some cash down on the counter, walk out with our new 9mm pistol, and expect ourselves to be John Wick with it. Now, I’m not saying that this is what our senior citizen did, because I’m all about honesty and I have no clue how much training this man has under his belt.

What we can all learn from this example of a defensive gun use nearly gone wrong, is that no matter our age, no matter our gun training level, no matter our experience or shakiness with our hands, nor how unhealthy we are, we can–and should–all still go to the gun range and practice with our guns on a least a monthly basis.

Period.

Further than that, if we suspect that there is even the slightest chance that we’ll have a break-in occur while we are at our homes, we need to practice maneuvering through our house, unloaded gun in hand, so we know what it’s like should the time ever come when we need to defend our homes from an intruder.

The thing is, while we continue to grow old, we are never old enough to practice our skills to get better. In fact, I’d argue that as you get older, it becomes even more important because your skills may decrease with time, naturally.

I’m much younger than this senior citizen. So, I cannot offer up much in the way of advice for how to train as an elderly person. What I can offer, however, is this: never stop going to the range, and even taking classes from time to time to refresh your skills to make sure you don’t develop any bad habits.

No matter your age, your life is important to someone. Which somehow brings me to my next point …

I cannot highlight how important it is to check your home out for vulnerabilities. I can all but guarantee you that at some point, this man never thought he’d have someone break in through his A/C unit. And yet, it happened to him.

I strongly suggest you check your windows, A/C units, doors, basement, and anything else that someone could exploit to get into your house, because the chance is always there. You may one day end up the victim of a break in if you’re not making sure that everything is secured.

In conclusion, we must never stop our gun training or proficiency in self-defense skills. No amount of training or experience entitles us to grow complacent. Be aware of your surroundings and make sure your house is secure. If your home utilizes window A/C units, secure them in with something. Make sure your doors are locked, and always have a way of defending yourself handy (like a gun) so you may equalize whatever force your are presented with.

If you’d like to read about the old man in greater detail.

Giveaway: American Gun Law Package

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gun lawyer
American Gun Law Attorney

I’m a huge advocate of knowledge, and this is especially true with firearms ownership for self-protection. You need to have a solid understanding of what to do after you pull the trigger for self-defense, which is why I figured it’d be a good idea to offer the American Gun Law Package up for my next giveaway.

This giveaway actually offers up three different knowledge-based items, with a total value of $126.99.

The items are sponsored by our friends from Concealed Carry, and are as follows:

American Gun Law Package

So, why did I decide to give this package away? It’s really simple, when you think about it. There is a lot of misinformation out there concerning firearms ownership, where you can travel, or not, with your firearm, etc.

The problem is that if you’re not careful, you could find yourself turned into an accidental criminal just because you got bad info from someone you never should have listened to. The key, is that we all need to hear it directly from an attorney’s mouth.

Love them or hate them, lawyers have actually studied law and it doesn’t make sense for us to listen to anyone else about the law, other than a practicing attorney.

Even police officers, a lot of the time, are clueless when it comes to things like code 926A which has to do with traveling with a firearm.

I hope you’ll enter to win the gun law package. And, if not, I hope you still try to learn the guns laws either by seminar, or hiring an expert gun law attorney. Let me know in the comments what kind of giveaways would you like to see in the future?

How To Survive In A Post Jihad America:

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AK-47
AK-47

How to survive a terrorist attack in the post terrorism America.

In a world where ISIS claims responsibility of London’s most recent Terror attack, people remain shocked, once again, that such an atrocity could happen in their town.

We shouldn’t be surprised, though, because murder is just a means to an end for a terrorist. In a moment, we’ll discuss how to survive an attack. First, though, let’s talk about how we even got here.

Terrorism is more prominent now than it has been in past years. The reason why is obvious: Terrorists have grown bolder, ever increasing their ingenuity and willingness to destroy life to increase their agenda. In fact, there is a likely chance that any of the western countries can be attacked by radical jihadists, at any point in time without warning.

I’m not trying to scare you, just deliver the cold, hard facts.Federal agencies do what they can to stop it, but some attacks slip through the crack, as is growing more obvious with each terrorist attack.

European countries, like the one where an attack has just occurred in London, seem to have already fallen to radical Islam, with no inkling that its spread will stop. It’s likely too late for Europe, but there are some things that we, here in America, can do to prepare for the inevitable.

How is it inevitable? Listen, I can’t predict the future. But, I can look around and see what’s going on. Let’s backtrack a few years to get a handle on what I’m saying …

Back on September 10th, 2001, many Americans would have thought it crazy to think they’d ever witness two jets fly into an iconic set of buildings the very next day.

But, it happened and our world was forever changed.

And it continues to happen in places like Orlando, San Bernardino, Berlin, France, London, and the list continues. Europe, in particular, is really up that proverbial, paddleless creek, without the ability to protect themselves.

They have been disarmed to the point where even many of their police are unable to carry a firearm. And, as a result when terror strikes, they are able to do nothing. Zilch. Zero. Nada.

They are forced to wait for special police to arrive, who are authorized to use weapons to stop a terrorist threat.

In America, we are blessed by a Constitution protecting the individual right to keep and bear arms.

 

That, my friends, is the only reason why the United States hasn’t turned into a giant heap of molten fecal matter. Make no mistake though, because that is exactly what our opponents want: A disarmed populace.

The second that happens, we will find ourselves up the same creek that the UK, and the rest of the world, is in.

While all of this may sound purely like it’s just an opinion of mine, a lot of this actually comes from folks who call the UK “home.” Many of them look up to us because the only weapon they can get their hands on is a knife. And, even then, they can get into a lot of trouble for having one outside their home.

There is no force equalizer, in many other countries, like here in most of the United States. I say it that way, using the word “most” because as we found out, if a couple of terrorists open fire at a Christmas party in California where people cannot defend themselves appropriately, people are going to die.

It’s that simple. So, to the gun grabbers out there, I’ll keep my guns. Thank you.

 

So then, how do those of us who live in free America survive a terror attack?

First, never has there been a more important time to keep your head on that proverbial swivel. What this means is that we all need to be aware of our surroundings at all times.

You needn’t be worried about a terrorist attack to know what’s going on around you, however. We should already be doing that.

Why? Because crime happens in this country, no matter the cause and who is performing the transgression. Certain places are more prone to crime than others, and even more caution needs to be taken when in these places.

Keeping your head on a swivel is a three part deal.

  1. The first key in surviving a terrorist attack is to know your surroundings at all times. We’ve already covered this in the past, and in detail but it bears repeating : You have to know what’s around you to survive.
  2. If you see something out of the ordinary where a threat is not yet imminent, it can’t hurt to say something to the police.
  3. If you see an imminent threat, you must act.

I know this all sounds simple at first, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Let’s tackle the second one, first.

 

The neighbor of the San Bernardino terrorists thought some things were out of the ordinary. Yet, she didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to be labeled as a racist. Please read what I’m about to say next very carefully:

Her political correctness got a lot of people killed.

I don’t blame the neighbor for that attack, but our society as a whole. When everyone walks on eggshells to protect feelings, nobody is safe. Hopefully, the PC culture is out the door with a new president who is the epitome of anti-PC culture.

Again, I say to you, if something seems strange, can it really hurt to notify someone who can do something about it? Sure, if you’re wrong some feelings might be hurt and your relationship with that neighbor may be permanently damaged.

But, if you’re right? Do you want that on your conscience? I know I don’t.

Next, if you see an imminent threat, meaning that someone just pulled out an AR-15 at a Christmas party, you must act.

I want to stop for a second, and talk about how terrorists hurt people. It isn’t always done with guns. Sometimes they use bombs, and, if that’s the case, there isn’t much you can do.

Other times, they use trucks. Here me on this … if you’re walking down the street minding your own business, and you suddenly hear screaming behind you with crashing sounds, don’t stand there.

Seriously. If you start to hear screaming, there’s a 99.99% chance that something is wrong. People don’t just start to scream bloody murder for no reason. Assess the situation as quickly as you can, and get out of the way. Your first response is going to be to run away.

 

Don’t run away, get out of the way. Running and getting out of the way are two different things, and you stand a better chance of living if you get out of the way. Now, I feel inclined to say that when you act, you must act as quickly as you can, so running is a part of the equation.

What does this look like? If you’re walking down the street where there are buildings, jump in one of them and run to the back. Again, your instinct will tell you to run, but unless you’re a cheetah you can’t outrun a speeding truck. You run a great risk of being ran over if you’re running away from the truck, down the street.

Anyway, I digress …

Now, what does “must act” mean? I suppose that answer is different for everyone, but to some degree you need to do something. When terror strikes, or you’re facing an active shooter situation, you’ll find yourself doing one of four things.

  • You’re going to freeze, dead in your tracks (likely literally dead if you do this one).
  • You’re going to run. (acceptable if this is your choice. Just be prepared to run faster than whatever projectile is being fired).
  • You’re going to take cover (which would be my first step, more on this in a moment).
  • You’re going to fight back (which would likely be my second step unless I needed to defend myself immediately, in which case it’d become my first step).

First and foremost, for me anyway, is to take cover. You won’t be able to do anything if you’re dead. But, where did I take cover? Ah, that’s where having a good sense of situational awareness comes into play. I already know what’s near me at all times, so finding a spot to take cover in is easier.

I’m also aware of any ingresses or egresses to make use of, should the stinky stuff hit the fan when my family is around, and I feel it’s safe enough to move them.

This is probably a good time to point out that you’ll never know for certain if an attacker is working alone or has an accomplice. Has the other person started shooting yet? Or, are they waiting? Heck, have they already started and you just didn’t realize it because of the fog?

This is one of the reasons why running towards an exit can be a bad idea. Ultimately, it’s up to you, and you alone know whether the risk is worth the reward.

Moving on …

Getting out of sight is important. If the bad guys don’t know you’re there, they may not go looking for you. Then, while I’m behind cover, I can further evaluate the situation. At this point, I need to make another decision:

Do I try to protect everyone else at the potential cost of my own life? Or, do I stay where I’m at to only defend myself if the attacker comes near me?

While I can’t speak much about this because every situation would be different, I can say that if you don’t have a way of stopping a threat, like with a gun, you should stay hidden as much as possible, until the threat can be stopped by someone else.

Otherwise, you’ll just be in the way, ending up dead.

That does not mean that you should not try to locate a weapon, if you don’t have one. It’s safe to assume that if an active shooter incident happens, that he/she won’t stop until everyone is dead, or he/she dies. You should immediately come to the conclusion of “it’s him or me.”

In other words, if the threat approaches and sees you, you should never assume that he’ll let you go if he’s already killing other people. Chances are good that if you’re seen, you’ll be dead.

Therefore, if you don’t have a firearm on you, try to locate another weapon without leaving your cover. Just about anything can be used as a club or a pointy object that you could stab an attacker attacker with.

What about my gun? Should I use it? The answer to that depends upon several factors, many of which I will not cover here because this will turn into a book. Instead, I’ll cover the most important factors to consider:

First and foremost, how much training do you have?

In other words, if you just bought your first gun 3 weeks ago and you’ve been to the range twice, you should stay put until you are approached or your life is in immediate danger. Once your life is in immediate danger, your only option is to do what you must to survive the attack regardless of your training. 

Remember, if the attacker is already killing people, it would be foolish to assume that he’d let you go for any reason.

At this point, you have to make split-second decisions. What you need to come to the realization of, is this: Is this attacker wearing body armor? This is important because your defensive strategy changes from one scenario to the next.

If he’s not wearing body armor, center-mass shots are always best to bring an attacker down. I would not unload an entire magazine/cylinder into one person, however. Remember, there may be more than one terrorist, and you may need your ammo.

Two or three well-placed shots should hopefully do the trick.

If he is wearing armor, the game changes a bit. Let’s say that he’s got a vest on that looks like it may be bullet-proof. Your first instinct would be to go for a head shot. However, unless you’re a pro shooter, the chances of you making a head shot under so much stress are slim, at best.

You always want to aim for the biggest portion of body you can see. So, if an attacker is in front of you, getting ready to shoot you but has body armor on, shoot at his groin.

Also, don’t just put one shot on him and hope for the best. I, personally, would send 2 or 3 shots to his groin, and then another 2 into his chest in case it wasn’t body armor I saw.

Chances are good that an attacker would be momentarily stunned by 5 shots depending on the quality of the armor, even if it didn’t pierce it. This is especially true if he’s wearing groin protection. Shooting a man there will hurt like hell, regardless, and you’ll need every advantage you can get.

Don’t ever just think that shooting him a few times ends the debacle, because it might not.

If you do not have a gun, but were able to rip the leg off of a table, or obtained some other weapon, be prepared to strike quickly if an attacker presents himself close to you.

Where do we go from here?

That’s about all I’ve got this time around. There is a lot more I can say, but I’ll end on this note. Your mental state and the amount of training you’ve got under your belt will decide if you live or die in any situation when you’ve got to defend yourself against another.

It’s important to get to the gun range to practice target shooting, drawing from the holster, and different types of drills, so you know your limits before any defensive situation presents itself. Knowing your limits and what you’re capable of before any sort of critical incident happens, will save your life.

Furthermore …

The amount of training you’ve got under your belt is directly related to how successful you’ll be when you need to defend yourself against any threat. 

Get to the range and train as often as you can. Your very life could depend on it.

What I want to know now, is how you prepare for such an event. Let me know in the comments below.

London Terror Attack.

What Is The Justified Use Of Deadly Force?

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justified use of deadly force
MK Arms

An explanation of the justified use of deadly force:

Have you ever actually read a law? If you have, you’ve probably marveled at how so much could be said with little chance of understanding what it really means. I sometimes wonder whether that is intentional so that you have to hire a lawyer to interpret it for you.

Before we get started, let me first say that I’m not an attorney, and nothing I say here should be perceived as such. I’m a retired Pennsylvania State Police Corporal, Army veteran, and certified instructor. All I want to do is give you my understanding after years of experience and talking to attorneys in law seminars.

Let’s get started …

Perhaps it would not be a waste of time to do a search on criminal laws in whatever state you happen to live in and read one. I would start with the portion of the criminal law that deals with the use of force and what constitutes the justification for using it.

First, it is only fair to ask the question: What is justification?

Legally speaking, it is a legitimate excuse to basically commit what would otherwise be considered a crime. For the most part, a law specifically states what constitutes a crime, or what is illegal. Generally, and as a rule, it will not be the other way around.

In other words, the law never really states what isn’t illegal.


So, a law will first explain what is to be considered illegal, but in some instances, the law will specifically address certain exceptions. Nowhere is this more relevant than the use of force in self-protection.

I believe that we can all basically agree that intentionally causing the death of another human being is illegal. Every state has a law on the books that says so. There’s no shock there. However, these same laws also have exceptions, the most prevalent being, for the purposes of self-defense.

This obviously makes sense because other rights don’t mean much without having the right to protect your own life, or the life of another for that matter. Another important aspect of the principle of justification is how it works in a courtroom.

If you are charged with murder and you are pleading self-defense, does that mean that you must prove that you shot the piece of garbage in your living room during the wee hour of the morning because you were legitimately in fear for your life? The answer is resoundingly, “No!”

To the contrary, the burden of proof is on the prosecution. The prosecution has the responsibility to prove that you DID NOT act reasonable or that there was no justification for your actions.

Keep in mind, this sounds like the same thing, but it is not. Especially when you consider that, at trial, the prosecution must prove their case beyond a “shadow of a doubt,” or in other words, there is absolutely no doubt that you did not act in self-defense before a jury can find you guilty of murder.


This is very important. Understanding this principle and how it works dovetails with knowing why it is important to remain silent when being questioned by the police following a self-defense related shooting.

Here’s an example of justified use of deadly force going bad:

Let’s say that you are awakened one night to a loud noise that seems to be coming from your front door. You grab a firearm and move downstairs to investigate.

As you approach the door, you determine that it sounds as if someone is about ready to burst through it. As the result of this fear you fire three rounds through the door and it sounds as if you’ve hit someone.

After a few moments, you open the door and there lies one of your neighbors that you recognize.

Apparently, it is known around the neighborhood that this guy is drunk most of the time and you quickly deduce that he was just trying to get into the wrong house. You could reasonably determine that, once the incident was over, the circumstances were not as you thought them to be when you first approached the door.

Obviously, this is going to have a profound effect on your mental state, but does what you know now as compared to what you knew then change the legitimacy of your actions? Not really, but here is where the issue gets complicated:

When the police arrive, you are completely distraught over how things turned out. Thus, you are emotionally compromised to the extent that you state repeatedly that it was an accident and that you did not mean it to happen.

This statement to the police, like any other statement, can and probably will be used against you in a court of law.

This is key when considering a justification defense because using deadly force in self-defense is an intentional act.

Telling the police that it was an accident will undeniably destroy your case for having intentionally fired your weapon in self-defense, which may be a more accurate way of portraying the events, given what actually happened.


Making those emotionally charged statements change the perception of what your actual state of mind was at the point in which you fired at what you originally perceived was a threat: Which was someone at the point of unlawfully entering your home and placing you in fear of death or serious bodily injury. As you can see, nothing in the language of the law stands on its own.

Each principle and definition shares a symbiotic relationship with the others, like a complex machine in which each individual part has a specific purpose and design that can be explicitly defined and its purpose explained as an individual part of the whole.

Yet, its true function can only be completely understood in the context of how the entire machine is meant to work to understand its true function and necessity. It is important to keep this in mind when we talk about the justified use of deadly force, more commonly referred to as Justification.

Make sure you stay tuned, as we continue to cover topics like this. Also, make sure you get caught up on the others before moving on. Here are some links to other articles I’ve written about different laws:

Definition of deadly force, and why shooting to wound is bad. 

How the reasonable person standard applies to self-defense. 

Gun Review: Magnum Research Baby Desert Eagle 3

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baby desert eagle 3
Magnum Research Baby Desert Eagle 3

The folks who brought us the venerable Desert Eagle have also given us a smaller, tamer version of that monster in the form of the Baby Desert Eagle. The one Magnum Research sent out to me is the polymer-framed version of the full-sized pistol, with a 4.43 inch barrel chambered for .40 S&W. This gun came to me in a hard case, two 13-round magazines, and some cleaning gear.

The 28 ounce gun fit great in my hands, but I tend to like finger grooves. While the one I was sent was chambered in .40 S&W and is not the best self-defense cartridge for recoil-sensitive people I can imagine it would be a dream to shoot in 9mm for any recoil hating shooter. Also keep in mind that this isn’t as snappy as most other forty cal pistols are, so take that for what it’s worth.

As far as accuracy is concerned, it is center-mass accurate out to my max testing distance of 15 yards in rapid fire drills. Please keep in mind that most defensive shooting takes place at much closer distances than that, making this polymer, hammer-fired gun more than sufficient for home and self-defense.

Again, the one they sent me was polymer framed, but there are other Baby Desert Eagles available, to include those full-size and semi-compact pistols and an all-steel framed version. You can purchase the steel Baby Desert Eagle 3 model in three different calibers: 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. As a side note, the steel version does not have finger grooves.

Those of you who prefer a hammer fired pistol in SA/DA (single action, double action) will appreciate these Baby Desert Eagles, complete with de-cocker. Speaking of the de-cocker, it did take some getting used to, at first, because it’s the only thing to grab onto when pulling the uber thin slide to the rear.

When I say “uber thin,” I’m talking about the overall height of the slide, not the width. Magnum Research decided it was time to make this model look more like its big brother and redesigned it, ultimately thinning out the slide considerably. There just isn’t that much to grab on to, and if I had to come up with a main complaint, that would be it.

The overall smaller size of the slide forced me to grab the de-cocker, itself, in order to pull it back which was not ideal. Also making things a bit more interesting, are the virtually non-existent slide serrations. What little bit can be seen are nearly useless because of the shoddy location of the slide mounted de-cocking mechanism.

Baby Desert Eagles
Take a gander at the de-cocking mechanism!

All of this isn’t really a big deal, once you figure out that it isn’t what you’re used to, and need to adjust for it and train hard with your new carry piece. As far as reliability is concerned, it doesn’t get much better. I had this Baby Eagle for several months and can’t report on a single malfunction. It ate everything I threw at it like a starved animal.

As tested, the Baby Desert Eagle 3 has an MSRP of $646, with the steel framed models ranging up to $691. And, in contrast to the polymer framed gun, the steel one weighs in at nearly 10 ounces more at 37.9.

Baby Desert Eagles have a smooth trigger without any noticeable grit or stacking, with a 12 pound pull in DA, and 4 pounds in single action. While the trigger is a gripe for some folks, because it’s long, I really had no issues with it.

The disassembly is easy, the three dot sights do what they’re supposed to do but are nothing special, and the Baby Desert Eagle comes with an accessory rail if you are a fan of mounting lights and lasers to your handgun. If you’re in the market for a new gun that isn’t your average Glock or 1911, this hammer fired pistol may be just what the doctor ordered.

If you need more information on this, or any of the products Magnum research offers, you can visit their page here. Otherwise, let us know what you think about this handgun in the comments below, and make sure you check out our article about the top 20 best 9mm, to see if yours in on the list.

5 More Gun Safety Rules

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gun safety rules
Sig 938

5 More Gun Safety Rules That Everyone Should Know

Paramount on every gun owner’s to do list whether a beginner or more experienced, is safety whenever a firearm is in hand. We all know the four rules of firearms safety, right? Here are the 4 basic gun safety rules, in no particular order:

  • Treat every gun like it’s loaded.
  • Don’t point your gun at anything you don’t intend to destroy.
  • Know your target and what’s around it.
  • Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you intend to fire.

That’s the basic stuff. Then, moving on from those, are the more advanced, sort of unwritten gun safety rules which also need to be followed.

Because I can’t be sure where we are all at in our training, it’s good to sometimes start in the beginning with everyone. And hey, if you know all of this, a refresher can’t hurt. Right?

Let’s get going …

Never hand someone a loaded weapon.

This is true for people who work in a gun store, in the military or police, or just showing a gun to one of your friends. It tends to give peace of mind to the person on the receiving end of the gun, assuring them that it isn’t going to go bang if the switch is accidentally pressed.

Going a step further than this, I always tend to hand someone a gun with the action open. Please note, that the word action, may be described as a slide, pump, bolt, etc. Whatever it may be, open it, and then hand that person the firearm.

If, for some reason, the action cannot be locked back it’s a good idea to open it, inspect it visually, and announce that the “weapon is clear,” verbally.

About two years ago, I was handed a loaded .22 revolver from a friend’s kid. Sadly, neither the friend nor his teenage son knew that this was an unacceptable practice. I taught them why this was a good idea in quick fashion, and then proceeded to hand the revolver back to them with an empty cylinder.

The problem, and the reason why this is so important, is because you can never be sure of the other person’s firearm training, or their state of mind. Handing someone a loaded gun is just asking for problems.

Know the limits of your firearm, and what it is capable doing.

All too often do I see people who have never fired their gun before, carry that un-fired gun. First off, you will not be successful at self-defense until you’ve actually shot your gun multiple different times, hopefully in differing scenarios.

Even though the circumstance you practice for will be totally different than your defensive gun use will be, you need to have a solid understanding of what your gun is capable of doing, how it handles, and its limits.

What if you pull your gun out to defend yourself but totally miss the bad guy, hitting an innocent, because you had no idea how to handle the gun in your hands? It could happen, especially if you’ve never fired your gun before.

Hear me: If you have not fired your carry weapon, you are not qualified with it. If you are not qualified with it, you are unsafe with it. Period.

Your gun needs to become an extension of yourself while in your hands, and the only way you can do that, is if you actually go to the range with it.

Never trust your manual or passive safeties.

You should never trust your safeties if you use a gun equipped with one. In addition to not trusting them, you need to fail test them to see how and if they work. If they do not work, your gun is defective and you need to have someone look at it.

However, even if they do work 100% of the time you test them, mechanical things break, and so do gun safeties. While it has never happened to me, I have had friends experience safety malfunctions.

It happens, and this is one of the reasons for the four basic rules for firearms safety. Never assume your gun’s safety will do what it is supposed to, always treat every weapon like it’s loaded, pointed in a safe direction, and with your finger off the the trigger.

Here is an example of someone’s M&P15 firing when switched to safe:

Furthermore, you’ll often hear people say to keep your weapon on safe until you intend to fire. I, personally, don’t use a safety on my firearm even if it is so equipped. If I remember correctly, keeping the weapon on safe until I intend to fire is something I learned while in the Marines.

If you do use a safety on your carry gun of choice, that is totally fine. The most important thing is for you to train with it. The last thing you would ever want while in a firefight is to forget that your safety is on, and not turn it off.

Again, because it bears repeating, train with your weapon in the manner that you carry your weapon. If you use a safety, go to the range and practice drawing from the holster, clicking the safety off and firing.

Never assume someone knows as much as, or more than, you do.

This is a huge deal, because you’d think that people who staff gun store counters actually know a thing or two about guns. Sadly, many of them don’t, especially if you go to one of the bigger box stores where you can buy a gun.

Some of these people are just filling a position, and have just barely enough firearms knowledge to actually lock the slide back on a 1911. Some of them may even be unable to field strip a gun to clean it.

Again, never assume that someone has firearms knowledge. And, if you ever see someone doing something unsafe, make sure you correct him/her immediately. This is the only time you should ever give someone advice. If someone is doing something that could get someone killed or otherwise hurt, it is your duty to say something to them.

Here’s a video of some idiots helping a poor lady do something she shouldn’t have been:

Always point your gun in a safe direction.

Wait, isn’t this one of the basic gun safety rules?

Well, yeah. But, let’s travel back to the subject of the gun shop really quick.

Quick question for you: Have you ever been muzzled while walking around a gun shop or show? I know I have, and it pisses me off to no end. Seriously, it’s unsafe. Remember that video up top where the cop shot himself in the gun shop? It happens more often than you’d hope.

Point the muzzle up toward the ceiling so that you don’t make someone an unintended target. And, before you criticize this one, saying how stupid it is, go watch that above video again, where a cop shot himself in the hand because nobody cleared the weapon first.

Can you imagine if he did what many unsafe gun handlers do at the counter, putting two hands on it, lining up the sights, and pulling the trigger?

Bad news.

Okay, let’s recap in case you were too lazy to read the entire article …

  • Always follow the four basic rules of firearms safety, first and foremost, whenever you have a gun in your hands, or intend to.
  • If you have to pass a weapon to someone, make sure it is unloaded first, and show the person on the receiving end that it is clear. If you ever need to pass a loaded weapon, which is outside the scope of this article, make sure you announce that it is, in fact, loaded.
  • Make sure you know how your gun operates and handles to ensure that you can safely defend yourself and not hurt others around you should that time ever come.
  • Never assume that your gun’s safety will work how it is supposed to, because they do fail.
  • Never assume that someone else knows as much or more about guns than you do.
  • Always point your gun in a safe direction, even at the gun store.

If you’re looking for more info, the NSSF does a great job of explaining gun safety rules.

The Gun Economy During A Donald Trump Presidency

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The state of America’s gun economy during a Donald Trump presidency will continue to change.

Donald Trump
Photo: Gage Skidmore

Some people fear that, while things will undoubtedly get better for gun owners as an entity, there is no longer the need to buy massive numbers of firearms, inevitably causing the gun market to come tumbling down.

The argument can be made about former president Obama (HA! I love saying “former”) that he is the best gun salesman of all time.

And, now that there is room to breathe with a pro-gun president in the White House without having to fear that our guns will be confiscated, the gun economy is doomed. In other words, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Or, can you?


Personally, I think cake is delicious, and, truth be told, if President Trump is smart about this, and he actually does support the people who put him over the top in the election, he could actually boost the economy even further than before.

Believe me … believe me …

Let’s dive into this, head first.

Imagine, if you will, a world where the Hearing Protection Act is law. Imagine going to the gun shop, filling out a form 4473, and leaving with the suppressor of your choice. Imagine not having to jump through NFA hoops with exorbitant fees just so you can protect your ears …

… personally speaking, I don’t own a single suppressor because of the principal of having to jump through said hoops for one. How many people are out there in the country like me who would love the option to own a suppressor for their gun but choose not to?

Or, better yet, who’d have a suppressor for multiple guns? If I didn’t have to pay exorbitant fees and wait several months for one, I would. But, here’s the beautiful thing:


None of my guns are set up for a suppressor, because I’m currently unwilling to buy one. If things change, and I’m suddenly willing to, which I’m crossing my fingers for, I’ll make that plunge.

But because none of my guns are set up for suppression use, I’d have to either buy more guns that are ready, or buy the accessories to make them ready. Therefore, it wouldn’t just be the suppressor companies who would benefit, because gun makers and accessory makers would also benefit.

And, in an effort to help people buy more suppressors and accessories, prices would have to come down. The days of overpriced goods is likely over as more companies wake up to the smell of freedom, realizing that they’ll have to compete on price to sell any.

The suppressor thing is just one of the ways President Trump can keep the firearms economy strong.

Let’s move on to another NFA item, Short Barreled Rifles and Shotguns. Why is there so much regulation on such a useful firearm? Oh, silly me for forgetting. It’s so the government can make more money.

Besides that, though, what’s the point? While pistols, rifles, and shotguns work just fine for home defense, they don’t compare to a short barreled gun with a butt stock on it. Current law allows for a rifle with a barrel of 16” while a shotgun must have an 18” barrel.


Anything less than that (in addition to overall length, etc.) requires additional steps to purchase.

Asinine.

Can you imagine if gun companies were given free reign to build and sell SBRs and SBSs? They could sell to everyone without needing the consumer to jump through government hoops. All that’ll be needed is a simple background check, which most of us are already doing.

My guess, is that we’d buy them like crazy.

If we didn’t buy them direct from the factory, the accessory companies would flourish. In all reality, if President Trump made it easier to acquire these useful weapons, the firearms economy would boom.

Why? Again, companies like FN America and the like would be able to sell their Short Barreled Rifles.

Or, if you already own an AR pistol without a butt-stock, but want to put one on when it becomes legal, you can buy one and shoulder that puppy without worrying about the ATF knocking down your door.

If you own 6 AR-15s and want to purchase 12 inch barrels for half of them, Or, better yet, an even shorter barrel with room for a suppressor, the barrel company will be able to sell you and everyone else in the same boat, that barrel.

Oh, let’s not forget the gas system, handguard, grips, butt stocks, and all the other stuff people will need (and want) to buy when they go to complete their perfect home-defense gun.

Ah, I hear what some of you are thinking right now. “But, we’ll put so many of the ATF employees out of work.” Well, not necessarily.


While we are at it, why don’t we reorganize the BATFE, the nice folks who regulate such stupidity, into what we’ll simply call the BATT. Instead of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, it can be known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Terrorism.

Rather than worrying about what law abiding citizens are doing with their firearms, they can work on what actual criminals are trying to do next. Instead of making our lives harder, maybe they can help us out a bit by helping the overwhelmed FBI by keeping more eyes on the suspected terrorists.

Just a thought.

But, what about the money the government collects from the NFA items? That’ll leave a big hole won’t it?

Maybe.

A part of the burden can be relinquished by offering up some more guns for sale. What do we want? Military issued 1911s!

When do we want them?

Yesterday!


Seriously though. How many people were lined up to buy old, beat up 1911s from the CMP? I know I was. I bet you were too. There is money to be made there, if the government can get off its arse, and sell them to us.

Personally speaking, if just these things are done, it will do wonders for the firearms industry. Then, when you take the rest of what we are hoping Trump will do and put that into the pot, the gun industry will stay strong for many years to come.

Only time will tell, at this point, just how far President Trump is willing to go for the silent gun-majority who voted him into office. We know what we want, and it’s now time to deliver.

Have you liked Down Range Daily’s Facebook page yet? If not, you’re missing out so make sure you do it.

Colt’s New Snake Gun: 6-Shot Cobra .38 Revolver

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I had the chance to catch up with Paul, one of the VPs of Colt, who agreed to go on camera and talk about their new double action revolver, the Colt Cobra.

Colt Cobra
Colt Cobra

I first saw this .38 Special +P, 6-shot revolver at SHOT Show. Sadly, I didn’t have time to shoot it at the range, but I wish I had. At first glance, while walking around their booth in Vegas, I thought that it was just another .38 revolver as if the world didn’t have enough of them already.

I had some misgivings about it, like why isn’t it polished up for its demanded price tag? Where is the .357 Magnum revolver at? Why not give us what we really want, which is another .357 Magnum Snake Gun? (think Python, Anaconda, etc., not those guns designed to kill slithering serpents)

I do have to admit, though, that my thoughts changed after talking to Paul about it and really getting my hands on it. This isn’t just another .38 revolver …

First, let’s get the price out of the way. $699 is a decent chunk of change, especially when there are plenty of others on the market for a lot less than that. Then again, this is a small-framed 6-shot .38 revolver capable of handling the extra pressure the +P cartridges provide.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe any of the other major gun makers currently offer .38 revolvers in a 6-shot platform in a gun of this size. This, by itself, is a huge benefit of the Colt Cobra that seems to fill a gap in the market.

After all, if given the choice between five or six cartridges in my self-defense gun, I know I’d pick six all day long.

Revolver VS Pistol, which is better?

Let’s move on.

One thing that drives me absolutely nuts about most revolvers, and why I don’t own as many of them as I’d like, is the overall small size of the trigger guard. Most of the revolvers out there right now offer a very narrow gap between the trigger and the steel that protects it.

I have huge hands with sausages for fingers so you can imagine why this would be a problem.

In fact, I can barely get my finger inside those small guards, and the size of the gun doesn’t really seem to matter because even the bigger revolvers tend to have a very narrow guard.

Extended shooting periods, especially where rapid fire is involved, tend to chew my trigger finger up on the only revolver I have right now, a Charter Arms Off Duty.

Compare the guard of the below picture, with the Colt Cobra above, and you’ll see what I mean:

Charter Arms Off Duty
Charter Arms Off Duty snub in .38 Special

The Cobra is a bit bigger than many of the other revolvers in this category. It’s got a snubby 2” barrel, but Colt extended the grip out a bit more, increasing the overall length enough that you wouldn’t want to stick the Cobra in your pocket holster.

Overall length is 7.2 inches with a height of 4.9 inches, and it weighs in at a hefty 25 ounces (empty). I say “hefty” because the average snub nose revolver is in the 14-17 ounce range.

While the Colt Cobra seems heavy, remember that you’ve got a cylinder that’s a bit bigger, with all steel construction. Most others are an alloy.

Here’s another offering from Colt, while at SHOT Show 2017:

Plus, when it’s all said and done, that extra weight will only help the operator manage the recoil of the higher pressure +P self-defense cartridges.

While I wasn’t impressed at first, I’m currently pleased that Colt decided to offer this small snake gun up. The next step for me, is to actually get my hands on one to solidify my argument for it. What do you think? Is this a home run for Colt? Or, should they have gone in a different direction? Let us know in the comments below.

Then, make sure you have subscribed to our YouTube channel because we’ve got some great video content coming your way.

They also just released their newest snake gun, the King Cobra in 357 Magnum. Check it out.

Benefits To The 9mm, And Why It’s The Go-To Caliber For Many

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The endless debate about which caliber is best, rages on. Here is why many people concealed carry 9mm parabellum guns.

ammunition
Some common ammunition.

Let me start by saying that, regardless of what you read elsewhere, all the popular self-defense cartridges are all good, with their own set of benefits. When I say “all” I mean those from .32 magnum up to .44 mag in revolvers, and .380 ACP up to .45 ACP in semi-autos, along with a few outliers.

This article is simply meant to explain why I think 9mm is best for everyday carry. If you have anything to add, please feel free to do so in the comments below the article. Also, keep in mind that this is just my opinion, and that I own several guns in varying calibers.

Cost:

Round for round, I can afford to shoot more 9X19 ammo than I can just about any other of the bigger self-defense cartridges. Because I can afford to shoot it more, I can practice more. As the saying goes, practice makes progress.

FNS9-C
My FNS9-C. That’s a link to the review.

There is a direct correlation to your ability to defend yourself and the amount of time you spend with your gun in your hand, drawing from a holster, etc. The more you do it, the better you’ll get, as with anything in life.

Abundance:

One of the most important things, in my opinion, is the abundance of any given round of ammunition. I, personally, own several 9mm handguns. I have other calibers, as well, but I have far more guns chambered in the parabellum cartridge, than I do any other.

As a side note, I even have a carbine in 9mm sitting by my desk right now (with a 30 round mag inserted), just in case some nut-job decides to pick my house to break into while I’m typing this up. There has been an uptick in the amount of break ins, as of late, and I aim to not be caught off guard.

MP5K varaian
Zenith Z5k

What do I mean when I say abundance? Well, without securing my tinfoil hat on too tightly, in a SHTF scenario, 9mm ammo and guns are ideal because of their popularity with police officers, military units and plenty of concealed gun carriers.

While not ideal for hunting, 9mm will suffice in a pinch, and still be used for self and home-defense.  

Performance:

Modern technology has closed the gap between the 9mm Parabellum and .45ACP considerably. While the 9mm Luger will always only be able to open up a hole so big, other things have changed, bettering terminal ballistics.

Here’s an excellent video someone else did on 124 Grain Jhp Hst :


Does it perform as well as its bigger cousin? Well, in terms of bullet hole size, no, and it never will. But, it performs in other ways, like penetration and the ability to reach (and damage) more organs.

Terminal ballistics and proper cartridge choice are important things to consider. It’s never a good idea to just go to the sporting goods store and buy whatever 9mm NATO they have in stock, unless it’s just for target practice.

I personally tend to use 124 grain Jacketed Hollow Points (JHP) in my concealed carry gun of choice, as seen in the above video. 

Ease of shooting:

This is another way of saying 9mm recoils less, and therefore allows more follow up shots than a similarly sized handgun of a larger caliber does. This isn’t a big deal for everyone, me included, but it’s a good reason to carry the 9 mil as a defensive weapon for many people.

Magazine Capacity:

Of course, it depends on the state you live in, because some states cap the amount of rounds you carry, regardless of what you think. However, it should be noted that if you live in a state where there is no magazine ban, 9mm is a great choice because many of today’s guns come with a capacity of 16 or 17 rounds in the mag, with one in the pipe.  

I live in North Carolina. And, as such, I don’t suffer from a magazine capacity ban. So, if I chose to, I could walk around with a 30 round magazine in my pistol and, while that’s not the best idea for carrying a gun, nobody could say anything to me.


My Springfield XD-9, which I no longer carry but still own, comes with 16-round magazines. I have a holster with three built in mag pouches. With those three, a mag in the well, and a round in the chamber, I can carry around 65 rounds of 9mm Luger ammunition with me wherever I go.

Is that a little overkill? Maybe. But, then again, terrorists shooting up Christmas parties and nightclubs is also a bit overkill, and it’s an ever growing occurrence these days.

Pardon me if I feel the need to be over prepared, rather than underprepared. I always believe it’s better to have more ammo than you need, than need more than you have.

There are the benefits to carrying a 9mm concealed carry gun. Why do you carry 9? Why do you dislike it? What’s your personal reason? Let us know in the comments? Then, make sure you like Down Range Daily’s Facebook Page.