I’ve been hearing the “striker fired guns don’t need a safety” repeated over and over so often over the years that I’m convinced it is just people repeating what they hear and read so they sound experienced. Add in the inevitable “my safety is between my ears” and “keep your booger hook off the bang switch” and I’m convinced of it.

What is it about a striker gun that makes a safety such a travesty? I’m aware of how striker fired guns work. They have a striker block. So what? Hammer fired guns made within the last 50 years aren’t gonna fire if dropped either. If anything, safeties are MORE advisable on a striker gun. 5 pound trigger and no hammer to thumb as you holster? Safety for me, please. I have and sometimes do carry DAO hammer fired guns with no safety. No hesitation at all. Same goes for TDA guns with safety off. No problem. No way I am sticking a striker fired gun without a safety in my waistband. I used to carry a Glock 19 and a Glock 26 so I’m not afraid of them. There just weren’t any other light and slim striker guns with safeties at the time. Now it’s either a Shield Plus or a Ruger LC9S. Both with safety and carried safety on.

A manual safety prevents the trigger from being pulled when you didn’t want it to. Striker or hammer fired, the safety does the same thing. We’ve all probably seen the video of the guy carefully holstering his Glock in his appendix holster and then even appearing to check it seated. Then he bends and shoots himself in the groin. Even when I do carry my Shield or Ruger, the gun does not get holstered with the holster still in the pants. I have no such aversion holstering my 3953 while the holster is still in my pants.

As I said, I wish S&W would make a smaller and more positive clicking safety in their M&P’s. I’d replace them all. And it is cheaper to buy the plugs from S&W in case you want to take the safety out then it is to buy the parts to put it in.