Do recent events alter your perspective?

[Fastbolt]

After having carried one or another handgun with an active badge of one sort or another for about 34 years, and now only a "retired" badge for the last couple of years, I've listened to all manner of "ups & downs" discussed regarding carrying "enough" handgun for duty, off-duty & retirement.

What I haven't heard nearly enough is how concerned folks expressed having considered whether their skills needed any "updating" or "upgrading" when they were debating some perceived increased threat assessment in their lives.

I always try to keep in mind the inherent constraints and practical limitations of whatever handgun I may be carrying, whether regarding caliber, capacity, size, weight and whether it can be accurately fired at a variety of distances, as well as how easily it may be fired using 1 or both hands.

Nothing's really changed for me. I still try to keep up on "current events" when and where I'm engaging in my daily activities and consider the nature of daily threat assessments.

I may be pocket holstering one of my LCP's or J-frames, or belting on one of my larger revolvers or pistols, depending on my anticipated needs.

I presently only own ONE pistol that even uses standard magazines that hold more than 10 rounds (12rds), so it's not like I'm a "high capacity enthusiast". I'm much more interested in reliability, controllability and practical accuracy.

I don't really trust listening to "predictive" weather reports when choosing my daily clothing. I still look out the window and check the current weather conditions. Why should I let the 24/7 news cycle and the news media's desire to attract viewers/advertisers by putting emphasis on running horrific crime and tragedies unduly influence me to make my own decisions? I've been trained to think for myself and use good judgment, after all.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Yup. But I've got an umbrella in the Jeep and the backpack, and if the forecast looks iffy, I put the roof panels in the back instead of leaving them in the garage . . .

I don't really trust listening to "predictive" weather reports when choosing my daily clothing. I still look out the window and check the current weather conditions. Why should I let the 24/7 news cycle and the news media's desire to attract viewers/advertisers by putting emphasis on running horrific crime and tragedies unduly influence me to make my own decisions? I've been trained to think for myself and use good judgment, after all.

 

[Mister X]

There was a real good article about 5 years or so ago by Gary Roberts about why the 5 shot J frame was a poor choice for personal defense after he had an interesting encounter with a group of miscreants while walking his dog. I don't recall the details of the incident, and he may have put on line in LF.

I've read it. He was out walking his dog and 7 drunk teenage boys supposedly blocked his path. Nothing happened, but his conclusion was that a Glock 19 would have been a better choice choice than a J-frame had there been trouble. If anything, he put himself in a bad situation due to poor judgement and awareness and should have focused more on that than weapon choice. A software problem rather than a hardware one as they like to say.

At conversation distance, if they were determined to take him out, it wouldn't have likely mattered what gun he had. They would have simply overwhelmed him. A G19 does hold triple the rounds, but a J-frame would be more retainable and likely to remain operational when under physical assault by multiple people. You'll likely run out of time before you run out of ammo against that many determined attackers if you lack the required athleticism and physical size and skills. However, they weren't determined attackers and were scared off by his dog.

Lone determined attackers are extremely rare in civilian encounters, let alone multiples. Plus, I think Doc Roberts refers to the G19 as a 3 person gun, so it's still inadequate capacity wise by those standards. Deterrence is usually possible in civilian self-defense since criminals would rather live to fight another day and will usually move on to easier victims. In his encounter, a J-frame would have worked as well as a G19. Maybe even better since a stainless revolver would likely be more visible and immediately identfiable as a gun than a black G19 on a dark night. Had they jumped him, it's a trade-off, but I'll probably take a snub over an auto in that situation. And just because a gun is reliable for you in range conditions doesn't mean it will be in a real fight at contact distance.

I don't carry a revolver due to nostalgia or for comfort, but because I believe it's the best tool for the job. There are possible circumstances where it could prove inadequate, but those are extremely rare. It's a great, if not the ideal tool for what I'm likely to encounter. In a contact scenario, a Glock 19 might prove inadequate if you lose control of it or can't keep it running. You have to determine what the job likely is before you can decide on the right tool. Being randomly attacked by 7 teenagers who are not deterred by me drawing a weapon isn't likely. Nor is having to engage an active shooter.

 

[Doug M.]

It's also that he lives and works in a sub-optimal part of the country, chock full of unpleasant people doing unpleasant things.

O/C folks: it's legal here. I don't see it often, and even I pay a bit more attention to it. The problem I have seen is that most of the sheeple don't understand the concept of being armed, do not perceive it as a civil rights issue, and really truly not only FEAR but HATE us. Most of the sheeple have the same response to us as many members of the forum have to Iggy's picture of the writhing mass of rattlesnakes.

I have dealt with such a complainant as a part time cop, and I can tell you with confidence that the O/C dude (who was, by all indications innocuous and not doing anything wrong or extreme, and we did not even look for him because we had no reason to) made us an enemy that day. A loud, whiny, sniveling enemy, but one determined to complaint to his legislator. (He did not have a 509 area code, which told me from the start what he was likely to be, and I was right.) It took everything I had to be polite and professional in the face of his drivel - my natural response to such is blunt and unkind. Same as a prosecutor.

I taught on the issue for the Washington Association of Municipal Attorneys last year (an hour for a 4 hour combination of topics). We have a case here that is really unkind to O/C, coming of course from the Idiocracy of the I-5 Corridor (tm, me) - it was clearly the result of crud work by ignorant lawyers and I was brutally critical of it. However, the case exists and it exists mostly because someone had a party with the Good Idea Fairy and decided to do walk his dog with an open pistol (no big deal, although I would not do it) AND a rifle that was characterized as an AK (which as we all know it could not have been; a true AK is select fire and a collector's item) and sheeple called the police.

I cannot compare it to the Civil Rights era, Stonewall, etc., especially in today's bitterly divided political environment. We are better off politically with discrete carry and harsh litigation. (One guy's opinion ... circumstances dictate tactics.)

 

[diyj98]

Regarding assault rifles. I'm a vet and former marine law enforcement. This is no longer about the 2nd amendment "if they take those, they'll take this"..this is about families getting massacred by weapons that make it easy to do so...the right to blast targets rapid fire at 100 yards, or the 'need' to have a loaded assault rifle by the bed 'just in case', does not override the right for good Americans to live their lives without getting mowed down at the mall.

Good point. Of course some thug to take a Glock 17 with multiple magazines and mow down a pile of people. Those good Americans would be much safer if we put a sensible ban on magazine capacity. Better yet, let's ban all automatic firearms. Of course then we get into those evil speedloader and speedstrips and revolvers could be used for killing mutiple good Americans as well. Maybe take all the guns and so we feel perfectly safe at the mall. But then we have knives.....

 

[fredj338]

My apologies. When I mentioned knife ambush I was speaking generally, not about this specific case.

No isse, just wanted people to understand this was bold & preventable if someone were armed & paying attention.

 

[fredj338]

As I see it...
It's not the fact the young man was legally armed, it's the fact that his action(s)
caused such alarm among the public as to result in panic and a mass exit of persons
in such a manner as to endanger said public.

His lit'l so called 'social experiment' was conducted in a manner (in light of recent national events) that
would have or could have put his own life in serious jeopardy.

I guess this is all just conjecture on this subject anyway,
we'll just have to see how it plays out in the up coming proceedings.......

.

Or he is a nut job & he was gaging response at a location he was anticipating killing people. We just dont know.

 

[fredj338]

Regarding assault rifles. I'm a vet and former marine law enforcement. This is no longer about the 2nd amendment "if they take those, they'll take this"..this is about families getting massacred by weapons that make it easy to do so...the right to blast targets rapid fire at 100 yards, or the 'need' to have a loaded assault rifle by the bed 'just in case', does not override the right for good Americans to live their lives without getting mowed down at the mall.

This is misguided thinking.
First, we dont have assault rifles, we have semiauto, mag fed rifles. The hew & cry for a nan is really misplaced. Yes in the hands of even a novice, a mag fed semi kills a lot of people quickly. Yet over the last 20y, total death by so called AW is about 400 people. Sounds terrible but twice that are beaten to death annualy with hands & feet. Twice that annually with edged weapons.
Make no mistake, this is the lefts boogie man. In the 60-70s it was concealabe handguns, so called satnight species. Today it is the so called AW. If they ban that it will be semiauto pistols next, after all even with 10rd mags, 100s of rrds can be delivered very quickly. A sawed off 12ga pump will deliver 45 lethal projectils in less than 4sec with an addl 9 every 2-3sec, no magazine, just a pocket full of shells.
Yes it is about the slippery slope because the real issue is mental health & that isnt being addressed adequately. The recent machete attack out here is just one example. I am sure the 4 people dead wouldnt be any more so had the attacker used an AR or pistol or revo or even a good ole framming hammer. Gun owners need to stick together on this or the left will take everything & things like the machete attack will be very common place.

 

[ladder13]

These type of threads are real eye openers, at least for me. So, you in general, don’t like (and clearly some have no issue with gov’t interference) OC, “large capacity mags”, bumpstocks, black rifles, Ruger 10-22 “assault rifle”, etc.
What else? AR pistol braces next on your list?
Let me know when you’ve had enough in giving up to get along.

 

[t4terrific]

I’m thinking about a backup gun. But I say practice, practice, more practice, from 25 yds to 100yds. My cz 85db in 9mm will shoot accurately out to 100yds with three feet of Kentucky windage. I practice it all the time at different distances.

Windage is side to side.

 

[kthom]

Like I’ve said many times “why not carry the 365 with 2x+ the load in the same package”(size) over a J. I like J’s too but “why not” ?
I have over 1300 rds thru my P365, reliability is a non starter.

I like mine so much that I just ordered me a second one. Two is one? I dunno for sure, but I sure won't mind having a second one for a backup. I'll probably break in the second one to the point where it's good to go for me to carry, continue to shoot the snot out of the first one at the range, and carry the second one. Since I've owned the first one, my EDC rotation is down to one. Now I can rotate without changing my EDC carry!

 

[DevilDog72]

It is a wonder to me in light of the goings on that the nut in MO. wasn't shot by the good guy with a gun... remarkable. He needs to buy a lotto ticket.
I started years ago carrying 1911's and now I find myself at full circle.... go figure.

 

[fredj338]

It is a wonder to me in light of the goings on that the nut in MO. wasn't shot by the good guy with a gun... remarkable. He needs to buy a lotto ticket.
I started years ago carrying 1911's and now I find myself at full circle.... go figure.

My 1911pd is still a fav. I just make sure to carry a spare mag.

 

[Walkingwolf]

It is a wonder to me in light of the goings on that the nut in MO. wasn't shot by the good guy with a gun... remarkable. He needs to buy a lotto ticket.
I started years ago carrying 1911's and now I find myself at full circle.... go figure.

How is that possible? a handgun is no match for an AR.

Very heavy sarcasm alert.

 

[RoyM52]

How is that possible? a handgun is no match for an AR.

Very heavy sarcasm alert.

this is probably what will bring about either a ban on AR type guns or a ban on High Capacity Mags.

All the general public won't want that kind of difference between what they can carry and what some shooter can access. The pause to reload can make a difference. It would be bad enough to face a rifle, with a handgun. Much less one with a drum.

The same thing happened with the Thompson. Too much difference in firepower. And yours at home will do no good if you didn't bring it.

 

[Walkingwolf]

this is probably what will bring about either a ban on AR type guns or a ban on High Capacity Mags.

All the general public won't want that kind of difference between what they can carry and what some shooter can access. The pause to reload can make a difference. It would be bad enough to face a rifle, with a handgun. Much less one with a drum.

The same thing happened with the Thompson. Too much difference in firepower. And yours at home will do no good if you didn't bring it.

Did you notice the sarcasm alert? AR's do not make anybody a bullet proof superman. I really wish some would stop perpetrating this myth.

ETA I do not believe there has been any proof of zombies either, dead is dead even if they have a AR.

 

[fatcat3]

Why wear a seatbelt?
Why get vaccinated?
Why lock your doors?

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

I don't do any of these, but i do ccw.
To the O.P. I thought about it( maybe i need more than 2 shots) but haven't done anything about it and most likely wont. pollyanna i guess or maybe just fat dumb and lazy.

 

[ralph7]

Windage is side to side.

Maybe it was real windy that day...

 

[fredj338]

I don't do any of these, but i do ccw.
To the O.P. I thought about it( maybe i need more than 2 shots) but haven't done anything about it and most likely wont. pollyanna i guess or maybe just fat dumb and lazy.

You do not lock your doors but carry a gun? Seems a bit odd. I would think if you were concerned enough about your personal safety, locking your doors would be kind of a first step??

 

[biku324]

Well, a jihadi murderer attacked the House of Parliament in Ottawa in 2014. He killed an unarmed soldier, then wounded an unarmed policeman. He didn't fire 50 to 100 rounds; he nearly emptied his rifle before dying - it was an 1894 Winchester 30-30.

Factually, different weapons in the hands of murderers get different results. And not theoretically.