I tend to like magazine safeties, for many of the reasons stated above. It's not a deal killer for me; I've owned and used 1911's for more than 40 years and they don't have them.

I do however have a problem with removing magazine safeties from guns which were designed with them. If you do so, you are changing the manual of arms of that weapon in a way that is not obvious to casual inspection. That is a safety issue.

This issue probably arises most often with Browning Hi Powers. The magazine safety does affect trigger pull and prevents the magazine from dropping free (this, by the way, is not a bug, it's a feature). If you are familiar with the type, you can tell almost immediately if this modification has been done and you would probably know how common it is. That's one "if" and one "probably", which might be one too many of each. On other types, it is not obvious. Of course, you can always test by absolutely clearing the pistol, pointing the empty pistol in a safe direction, removing the magazine, and pulling the trigger, and seeing what happens. Well and good, if someone thinks to do it.

You will note that I have included what amounts to a safety lecture/disclaimer in a forum posting directed at people who are probably much more aware of safety issues than the general public. A little paranoid? Perhaps, but this stuff, like e-mail, never goes away, and I have no control over where it might end up. Like wise, I have no absolute control over where my guns might end up. I have heard people say "It's my gun and I know how it's been modified and no one else is going to use it. If I sell it I can always reinstall the mag safety". Probably. Maybe. But you can't be totally sure under what circumstances that deadly weapon will be used or by whom. Things happen that no reasonable person would expect. They will happen with or without your permission. If nothing else, when you die, your control over your guns ends; doesn't matter what it says in your will.

I know many people will disagree with this, considering the removal of a magazine safety to be a useful and reasonable modification. That is certainly their choice to make. For me, if it came with one, I'll leave it in place.

Charles