Choose a Firearm for Personal or Home Defense

Note: The article below was posted at 1523 (3:230 p.m.) Friday, 14 December 2007, from the Pacific Time Zone (NOT on Shabbat)

From the Blogmaster: This information is posted as a follow-up to the preceding article on Domestic Terrorism and my recommendation that you buy and learn how to use a firearm. It provides excellent, basic information that will assist you in selecting the proper weapon for your defense.

Choose a Firearm for Personal or Home Defense

Selecting a weapon for personal and home defense is a crucial decision for any prepared person. The available selection of firearms is staggering and many less-experienced firearms owners, or people looking to buy their first firearm for such a purpose, may need some guidelines to find the weapon to fit their purposes. There are two major types of firearms which are intended for two completely different types of use. The two types are handguns and long guns. Handguns are designed to be held with one hand, are small and portable, but they lack most of the stopping power of the second category, long guns. Long guns include anything from shotguns to rifles to submachine guns. Depending on your intended use, you will need to first choose which of the two major types you need.

Handguns

There is an inherent problem with handguns, their size, weight, and general design forces them to use relatively weak cartridges to allow the user to be able to fire the weapon repeatedly, with relative ease for follow-up shots. The pistol's size, weight, and design also makes them the most common choice for personal defense as they can be carried on your person with minimal discomfort or exposure.

The concealability of handguns lends them to be the most used weapon for gunfight. If you aren't expecting trouble, you bring something easy to manage.

Caliber selection in pistols is a hot subject for most tactics-minded handgun users. While the general stopping power of a pistol is measurably low compared to almost any long gun, you want to make a choice to give you the best advantage.

Small calibers generally allow for fast follow-up shots, higher capacity magazines (or smaller guns), and higher velocity bullets.

Large calibers mean slower bullets but with much greater frontal area. The heavier bullets and generally high muzzle energies mean slower follow-up shots and the diameter of the cartridge means lower capacity magazines.

An analogy of the choice is: would you rather get hit by a small sedan at 120MPH (9mm) or a dually pickup truck at 80MPH (.45)?

Semi-automatic

Reliability is the number one aspect to look at when selecting a personal or home defense weapon.

In the past 20 years reliability of semi-automatic handguns has come an incredible distance. But no handgun is perfect.

For personal conceal (or open) carry defense, a light polymer framed firearm is often preferred as the weight of the firearm can become burdensome over time. Smaller handguns are also handy as they can be hid in more location on your person.

For home defense it makes sense to have the largest pistol you can practically use. You want a large caliber for a better advantage, but a large, heavy pistol gives you better control and better stopping power than a small concealable weapon.

Semi-automatic handguns have a couple big advantages over revolvers.
They are magazine fed, which means that after you have depleted anywhere between 5 and 33 rounds, you can quickly change magazines and get back into the fight.

Additionally, the recoil reduction from the slide operating on the firearm makes them much more desirable for multiple-shot encounters as follow-up shots are quicker and more accurate.

Revolvers

Revolvers have been the handgun of choice since they were invented. They allow you to fire between four and eight rounds in succession without reloading. If a round fails to fire, all you must do (on a double-action revolver) is pull the trigger again and a different round is loaded into the chamber.

is the most attractive feature of a revolver. A standard shooter would have a hard time making a spurless (hammerless), double-action revolver not shoot when the trigger is pulled. The design is simple, and the use is even simpler: pick up the gun, pull the trigger, and it will fire (if loaded).

Revolvers also generally are chambered in more powerful calibers than their semi-automatic counterparts. .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum revolvers are extremely popular and pack a great deal of energy when fired.

Reloading a revolver is a very dexterous operation and it may take some time. Even speed loaders take much practice and still are not as fast as a magazine reload.

Handgun Conclusion

For first time handgun owners revolvers are the ticket as they can be easily learned in minutes and maintenance and reliability are never a problem under normal conditions.
For slightly more experienced users a semi-automatic handgun makes more sense as more rounds can be lobbed downrange in less time. Operation takes a bit more learning and a bit more practice, but there is a good reason why the vast majority of all law enforcement and military personnel carry semi-automatic handguns instead of revolvers.
When hunting a large personal defense revolver may still be recommended as many dangerous game have tough skin and muscles which require a higher power cartridge to penetrate to vital organs, and many lower-power cartridges may only make many shallow holes.

Long Guns

It has been said, "You always have your handgun on you for unexpected confrontations, but if you know you are going to end up in a gunfight, without question, grab a bigger gun!" The inherent problem with handguns is their lack of power. To give you an idea, a high-end .44 Magnum from a pistol will produce about 1,000 ft/lb of muzzle energy; a traditional "varmint" caliber, the .223 will produce about 50% more energy, and it only goes up from from there (a high-end rifle cartridge can produce over 10,000 ft/lb)!
Long guns' main advantages are power and accuracy. While a beginner can pick up a handgun and reliably hit a stationary man-sized target at 5-yards, and beginner could pick up a long gun and hit a stationary man-sized target at 20-yards. With a little bit of practice both those distances could be 10x higher.

Precision with a long gun comes much easier as long guns require less dexterity and the longer sight radius allow for better accuracy.

Shotguns

The biggest benefit of shotguns is their ability to shoot pellets (and just about anything else). Pellets (or "shot" as it is better known) allows a larger area to be hit with each trigger pull reducing the requirement for precision shooting.

Shotguns also have the ability to shoot bullet-type projectiles (known as "slugs"). This allows them to have the characteristics of a rifles, but also the option to use shot depending on the specific use and situation.

Shotgun analogy would be: would you rather get hit by hundreds of small rocks, 10 boulders, or one semi-truck?

Shotguns are also very customizable and very versatile. Most modern shotguns can be outfitted with different length barrels, different stocks, different fore ends, different sights, and an mass of other accessories to fit your every need.

Another benefit or problem of shooting shot from a shotgun, is the inherent lack of penetration. For home protection it is a welcome idea as the shot will likely become less than lethal once it goes through a couple layers of drywall.

Rifles

Rifles still require a good deal of precision, but the dexterity of the use of a pistol is not necessary, and stopping power is much improved.

To continue the analogy: would you rather be hit by a golf cart at 340MPH (5.56mm NATO), a pick-up truck at 260MPH (7.62mm NATO), or a bus at 300MPH (.50 BMG)?

As with any long gun, maneuverability it greatly reduced due to the overall length of the weapon. Some home defense situation may require you to place the stock below your shoulder which will reduce your accuracy, but also reduce the chance of someone being able to grab the rifle.

A rifle is not a common choice for home defense because while a shotgun has some of the problems inherent with any long gun, it has many benefits that the rifle does not have.

Rifles are also known (rightly so) for "over penetration". This is where the bullet hits an object and continues through and past it. 5.56 rounds, and to an even greater extent 7.62 rounds can penetrate light earthworks (1-2 bricks, a cinder block, etc), not to mention drywall and 2x4s and still be quite dangerous, risking injury to other people in the home.

5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington rounds (all the same dimensions, but different pressure specifications) have a bullet which is weighted heavily at the rear. This causes problems when a round is fired through an object as it tends to tumble after it exits and make the round much less deadly. But in a residential setting this may be desired.
Semi-automatic, carbine (shorter), magazine-fed rifles would be the optimal choice, as it allows many shots, and retain some maneuverability.

Submachine Guns

Submachine guns are (in some states) very hard to come by, and when they aren't hard to come by, they are very expensive. Ultimately though, they are one of the best close-quarters weapons you can have.

Submachine guns are questionably labeled as a "long gun" only because they are not handguns, but the majority of submachine guns are more similar to a pistol than anything else.

Take H&K's MP5 for example: MP stands for "Machine Pistol" (or it's German counterpart).

Submachine guns are essentially longer, semi-automatic or fully-automatic pistol that are fed with high-capacity magazines.

This hybrid firearms are great for personal defense as they are compact (compared to shotguns for rifles), light, and many use common pistol rounds such as the 9mm or .45.
You must choose between getting hit by lots of small sedans at 170MPH (9mm) or lots of dually pickup trucks at 120MPH (.45) in succession.

Conclusion

Choosing a long gun is difficult, but the effectiveness of the bullets fired is much greater, which means that compared to handguns, almost any long gun would be better. But you must also take into account the size of the weapon and it's portability.

A weapon which doesn't over penetrate is more preferred than it's alternative, and powerful rounds that don't over penetrate are easily available. Shot from a shotgun will not go through more than a few sheets of drywall, and is very unlikely to go through a person (even if it does go through either one, the potential lethality is greatly reduced).
Submachine guns are very versatile and carry many of the benefits of the handy pistol, and much of the stopping power of a rifle or shotgun, but they come at a great price (if they are available at all).

The decision is difficult and there is no single best answer else everyone would have the same firearm. You must evaluate your needs and decide for yourself which type of firearm suites you, then find the right brand and model.

Tips

The correct firearm is the one that works perfectly for you. Even if other people may not like it, the best firearm you can use, is your firearm.

Warnings

Safety first! Firearms are very dangerous. Only use a pistol or other firearm if you are an experienced shooter or have a very experienced shooter directly supervising you.

Any firearm should only be shot in a safe and legal location. Be aware of state and local laws on use and transportation of a firearm and follow them carefully. Laws change drastically between states and can change between counties or even cities.

All practicing should be done at the shooting range obeying all safety rules, or in a legal and private location with an unloaded gun (or you can replace the rounds with snap-caps).

Related wikiHows
How to Handle a Firearm Safely
How to Clear a Building With a Firearm
How to Read the Color Code of the Tactical (Combat) Mindset
How to Become a Marksman (Snipe) With a Pistol
How to Do a Tactical Quickdraw With a Pistol
How to Reload a Pistol and Clear Malfunctions

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Letter from a Virginia Tech Graduate

A Brief Letter from a Virginia Tech Graduate

My reaction to the Virginia Tech massacre:

I graduated from Virginia Tech in 1987. So did my wife. Before her, two sisters and one husband. After them, two of my wife's' cousins. Every one of us walked that campus with little to fear in those days, except midterms and finals. I just cannot imagine the dark blanket of pain and sorrow that now envelops VT. I just have to say something.

Here is what I feel, and what I think:

1. Revulsion. We have no pictures of the crime scene, but we really don't need them in order to form the gruesome images of the carnage in our minds . The senseless, disgusting, mindless slaughter of some of the brightest young people in the country is abhorrent and sickening.

2. Grief. All those dead kids. All the hundreds of grieving friends, parents, and family. Hundreds of people now thrust into the unimaginable agony of that event.

3. Anger. Sheer, shaking, quaking rage at:

A. The piece of shit who executed those students. If science would allow, I would revive him, and execute him 10 times with the most painful method known, for every life he took. His screams would last for eternity. Alas, this is the realm and purview of God, not me.

B The anti-gun, anti-self defense crowd who forced those students to live in a gun-free zone, where they were virtually defenseless. These madmen never attack the sheepdogs who can defend themselves; they only attack the defenseless sheep. The blood of these students is on the hands of the anti-gun crowd, who behind the scenes are dancing with joy at the prospect of enacting more horrific gun laws which will render even more people defenseless. Madness to the Nth degree.

C. Those who talk of forgiveness. They do NOT understand the concept of forgiveness. First, the transgressor must ASK for forgiveness. Then he must atone and pay for what he has done, and make restitution. Then, and only then, can forgiveness be granted. How can forgiveness be possible in this case? It is much too soon to even be discussed. The killer will ultimately stand in front of God one day, however, and I would not want to be in his spiritual shoes.

This horror touched every single classroom in every single school in America. How do you explain the inexplicable to these students? You cannot. You can only teach them or remind them that there is evil in this world, and that they should never forget that truth. We can also teach them that in this world there are sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. I would also make this essay on the subject required reading (see article below):

Keep yourselves safe from the wolves. .

John Glatthar
Semper Firearms Training
www.semperfirearms.com

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On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman

By LTC (RET) Dave Grossman, author of "On Killing."

Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always,even death itself. The question remains: What is worth defending? What is worth dying for? What is worth living for? - William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me:

"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf."

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.

But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.

The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."

Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.

Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.

There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population. There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.

Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.

Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.

There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke

Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.

If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.

For example, many officers carry their weapons in church.? They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs.? Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.

I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"

Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.

Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"

It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.

Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear helplessness and horror at your moment of truth.

Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling."

Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level.

And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes. If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself...

"Baa."

This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

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