Bastiat says in, The Law [5]:
Each of us has a natural right — from God — to defend his person, his liberty, and his property. These are the three basic requirements of life, and the preservation of any one of them is completely dependent upon the preservation of the other two.
So, maybe you have watched videos like those of Louis Farrakhan urging the black community to, "Rise up and kill those who kill us," [6] and of this black activist saying that, "It’s open season on killing crackers and white cops." [7] You probably say to yourself, "Why aren't they arrested for making terroristic threats? Maybe there really will be a race war." You would like to take the advice of this man, and carry a gun to defend yourself [8], but you don't know where to start, you are too embarrassed to ask your ignorant-gun-freak relative, and you are afraid that if you make your own plan you might end up as incompetent as the NYPD cops are at stopping the bad guy that is trying to kill you [9].
NYPD Cops Fire 84 Shots At Murder Suspect, Miss 83 Times [9]
Fret not, Zerohedge reader, whether you are a, "cracker," or a, "nigger," or other, I give to you, without fee or warranty, hedgeless_horseman's E-Z Internet Guide for Learning to Use a Sidearm to Defend Yourself, Your Loved Ones, and Your Property, Should a Race War Break Out.
Some of what we will cover is also found in my article, Fear we are returning to a time in history where it is a common occurrence to fight for one's life? [10] For example, I recommend that you begin learning to use a pistol to defend yourself by learning to use a knife to defend yourself. Why? Well, first, it is an inexpensive and low-risk way to discover who the good tactical instructors are in your area. Second, the learning curve for a knife is much shorter, and can also serve to shorten the learning curve for a handgun. Third, a knife can be more effective than a pistol in many situations. Fourth, there are many situations when, or where, you simply cannot carry a pistol, but you can carry a knife. Finally, a knife is a good back-up to a malfunctioning pistol, or more likely a malfunctioning shooter.
Brian Hoffner offers a package with very good knife, a matching training knife, and a DVD for $119. [11] Benchmade no longer makes the LFTi model that I have frequently recommended.
Brian explains that when you and your knife go to court, you want a simple-folding knife without an assist (so the DA doesn't claim you have an illegal switchblade), and within the legal-length limit for concealed carry in your specific area. You do not want to be carrying an illegal weapon, or even what is perceived to be an illegal weapon, especially if you are a black man in America, so know the law for where you live [12].
With a knife, just like with a firearm, the best knife is the knife that you know. So, first take a class from a reputable instructor, then either buy or make a matching training knife (blunt) and practice regularly. You should get to the point where you can reliably deploy your knife with one hand in about half-a-second. Carry it with you every day, either in the pocket opposite of your gun hand, or in the middle of your front beltline, and keep it sharp with one of these Benchmade Mini-Tactical Pro Sharpeners [13].
Now...on to the gun!
First, before handling a firearm, it is most important for EVERYONE in the household to know, understand, and follow these four safety rules [14]:
- Treat all weapons as if they are loaded.
- Do not point the weapon at anyone or anything that you do not want to shoot, kill, or destroy.
- Do not put your finger on the trigger until you have 1) target, 2) sights on target, and 3) perception that either A) "serious bodily injury or death is imminent for myself or another person," or B) firing range is hot and training drill is live.
- Be aware of, and take responsibility for, all bystanders that may be behind or near the target.
I will add a fifth rule, to the common four, which is to not be under the influence of any mind-altering chemical such as alcohol or dope when handling a firearm.
I absolutely refuse to be within a mile of anyone that I see not following these rules, which is why I generally avoid public gun ranges, and suggest that you shoot at a nice, lonely, high, dirt hill, way out in the boonies, or pay for a membership at a private tactical range that screens all members and guests and has at least 270 degree bays.
Next, and I cannot stress this point enough, get instruction from an experienced professional. Specifically, take at least two weekends of tactical pistol training. It does not matter whether you are a 10-year veteran of law enforcement, a Marine with two tours in the sandbox, or both, you will still learn much and improve significantly with good instruction. [15] Taking the state's required, "course," to test for a concealed handgun license (CHL) is not even close to adequate instruction. Usually, all the CHL course does is inform you of the laws regarding concealed carry, and assign you with some basic level of proficiency that can be used against you in court.
The worst approach, in my humble opinion, is to buy a pistol and a cheap holster that is, "made for this gun," at the gun store, take the CHL test the next week, and start to carry your weapon as soon as your permit arrives in the mail. If you follow this path, you are a danger to yourself and your loved ones, and not a real threat to the bad guys.
A sane approach is as follows.
By and install (drill and bolts) a Gunvault GV200D gunsafe [16] next to your bedside. I am not necessarily suggesting that you keep your gun LOCKED in the safe at night. However, I am suggesting that you will often need a SAFE and CONVENIENT place to keep your pistol in its holster when it is not on your person. Pro tip: If you keep your pistol in its holster when you take it off and put it on each day, then you are less likely to have an unintended discharge, as the trigger is covered by the holster.
Assess what type and location of concealment is best suited for the clothing you wear on a daily basis. Do not open carry, even if it is legal, as it gives away a significant tactical advantage, and makes you a priority target.
If you are a male, then I strongly suggest that you will want to carry your pistol in a holster, on your waist, on the strong side of your body (are you right or left handed?), somewhere between your belly button and your spine. You will want to carry spare magazines in the same location on your weak side. Some say that an exception to this exists if you spend your day sitting in a vehicle, and then you may wish to consider a cross-draw shoulder holster, but even then, I suggest a seat mounted holster between your legs, and transition to a strong side waist holster when you need to leave the vehicle.
If you wear a shirt tucked in, even with a coat most of the time, then I suggest that you are best suited with an inside-the-waistband-tuckable holster. Tuckable means the shirt tucks over the portion of the pistol above the waistband and belt.
If you are able to wear an untucked shirt, vest, or jacket, 100% of the time, then you have many more options. However, I still recommend an inside-the-waistband-tuckable holster and magazine carriers, but don't tuck the shirt. Do, however, wear a long A-shirt [17]between the pistol and your skin.
Strong-side inside the waist band (IWB) gives adequate concealment with maximum utility. Sure, you can probably hide a .380 pocket pistol in your crotch, but who really wants to drop trou' just to draw your weapon 20+ times when you visit the range, or try to run to cover in a gunfight with your pants around your ankles? Strong-side IWB, tucked or untucked, will allow you to draw and fire accurately in less than two seconds, with practice, and also gives you two fast magazine reloads.
If you are a slim female that either likes to (or is required to) wear fitted clothing, or Bruce Jenner, then you are not going to be able to conceal a pistol on your waist, or probably anywhere on your person. Fortunately, there are many tactical purse options available for women, or men that like to carry a purse...not that there is anything wrong with that. The Galco one's are very well made. [18] You will want to buy at least two identical purses, as one of them is going to get abused during training.
https://www.galcogunleather.com/del-holster-handbag_8_149_1078.html [19]
So, now it is time to decide on a holster and magazine carriers. You will need to choose a material, and really the only two good options are a hard-molded plastic called kydex, real leather, or a combination of the two. Avoid the cheap cloth and neoprene holsters. Most people say that kydex holsters are more durable and leather holsters are more comfortable. I prefer a combination of kydex and leather, like the Comp-Tac CTAC or MTAC Holsters [20]. The C-Clips are less obvious when wearing the holster tucked.
What? You say that to by a holster you need to know which pistol it is for? Be patient. We will get there.
Now, let us assess what caliber is best suited for your concealment choice, hand size, and budget. The reality is that larger caliber pistols are bigger and heavier than smaller caliber pistols. This matters when you are wearing it, concealed, along with one or two additional magazines...all...day...every...single...day. Smaller caliber pistols give you more rounds, which is a very good thing in a gun fight. If you have smaller hands, then you are going to want to go with a smaller caliber, because the magazine fits inside of the pistol's grip. Smaller calibers, in general, have less recoil (kick), which really matters if you are going to select a light-weight gun for everyday carry. Some will argue, endlessly it seems, that larger calibers are more effective at stopping the bad guy. I believe the evidence shows that any truth to this, "stopping power," argument is far outweighed by the, "shot placement," argument, which is essentially that what really matters is if, and where, you hit the bad guy, not how big is the hole that is made by the bullet. The only thing any pistol does is make holes in people; there are no magic-exploding bullets that send the bad guy flying backwards out of the room...even in .45 Long Colt. [21] This isn't Hollywood. Lastly, in regards to cost, usually larger caliber ammunition is more expensive.
With all of that being said, it should be obvious that I favor the smaller calibers for concealed carry, such as the 9mm. Or, for something a little more exotic, the 5.7x28mm (same caliber as an AR-15/M-16 rifle with less powder), if you want high capacity, and light weight, and very-low recoil, and the ability penetrate many types of body armor, and if the higher prices for pistol and ammunition are not a concern, and if you are ready, willing, and able, to come by SS190 carry ammunition from sources other than your local gun store [22] where it is illegal for them to sell it, but not illegal for you to have it, in most places. Know your local gun laws, no matter how unconstitutional, illogical, and draconian: they are for your protection/sarc/
At this point, finally, we can assess what pistols are available in your selected caliber for your concealment choice, hand size, and budget. It is 2015, so I am just not going to consider revolvers for personal defense, even though I am a bad-ass-mother-fucker with my Colt SAA, and I love my precious Peacemaker dearly. My personal recommendations for semi-automatic self-defense concealed carry pistol manufacturers are FNH and H&K, because both make highly reliable DA models that do have a safety lever, and it is not on the trigger. This preference will absolutely infuriate Glock lovers. Oh well. I have several reasons why, but the primary one is that I like to keep the fight cycle consistent for all weapons: pistol, rifle, and shotgun. We are required to knock-off the safety for both rifle and shotgun, so we must train to do it, because it is very bad (potentially life threatening) to not train to disengage and/or engage the safety on a weapon that has a safety. Therefore, I want a safety on my pistol, too, to keep things simple and consistent in my brain. In addition, I believe that it is indeed more safe to have a true safety on a firearm. The Glock-style "safety" on the trigger simply does not count, it does not prevent the pistol from firing when the trigger is pulled, like a safety on a rifle or shotgun do.
Given the choice of single-action, double-action, double-action/single-action, and double-action-only, I prefer the latter, again, to keep the fight cycle simple and consistent with the rifle and semi-automatic shotgun.
When available, I prefer the smaller frame models, also known as, "compact," for concealed carry, as they are easier to conceal. Duh.
I don't have a preference on striker fired, or not, as I have never been a Glock fan, for reasons already discussed, and therefore never had any reason to own a striker-fired pistol.
I do require front and rear tritium night sight. Period. Trying to hit a bad guy in the dark, under stress, without being able to see the fucking sights, is both very difficult and very, very, scary. I don't want my light mounted to my pistol, as it makes for an easy target. I do want to hold my light away from me and my pistol.
Lasers on pistols are essentially useless, unless they are IR, it is pitch black, and you are using Night Vision Goggles, then they are The_Fucking_Shit. So, a mounting rail isn't totally useless on a pistol.
I cannot guarantee it, but I think this leaves me with the following choices for current models.
In 9mm:
http://www.fnhusa.com/products/handguns/fns-series/fns-9-compact/ [23]
http://hk-usa.com/hk-models/p30sk/ [24]
In 5.7x28:
http://www.fnhusa.com/products/handguns/fn-five-seven/five-seven/ [25]
My personnel choice for the last many years is the FN FiveseveN. It is so reliable that I had to make a training magazine that will cause stoppages in order to be able to train myself on dealing with stoppages. However, if you get one, make sure it has the metal magazine release, and not the plastic one that came on the very early models. Use factory FNH 20-round magazines, not the Pro-Mag 30-round crap.
Ok. Now go buy your pistol! Don't worry if you don't know how to buy a firearm. It is easy. Walk into a gun shop. Tell them exactly what you want. Write it down, or print off the web page. They will do the rest. If they must order it, no problem. You can wait. Don't let them sell you some other pistol that is in stock, because nobody else wants it either.
Finally, and most important, complete the following courses in this order:
- One half-day tactical folding knife class; $150.
- 2-3 weekends of Tactical Pistol Courses; $1,000.
- One day of Self and Family Emergency Medical Aid/Trauma Kit Course; $150.
- A series of several two-hour self-defense classes (not martial arts classes); $200.
- Fulfillment of requirements for concealed handgun permit; $250.
You should learn in these classes how to safely conduct dry-fire training at home with your pistol and your dummy knife. Do this on a regular basis, such as once per week for just 5 minutes, and soon you could finally be ready, willing, and able to defend your person, liberty, and property, should you be faced with a situation where, "serious bodily injury or death is imminent," and chances are very good that it will not take you 84 shots to, "stop," the bad guy.
Be safe.
Peace!
