If you carry a concealed weapon, John Russo
or are thinking about doing so, hope- fully you have considered the great responsibility you are shouldering. The purpose of carrying a concealed weapon is to have a tool at your dis- posal to be able to quickly save a hu- man life, probably yours. Without getting into a Second Amendment debate, which I fi rmly believe gives us the right to own guns. Unfortu- nately, society and its lawmakers have determined who can carry a gun concealed on their person and where they may do so. Assuming you are carrying a gun legally, let’s ad- dress a few issues you should consid- er and may experience, some obvious and some not so obvious.
Weapon Selection This is always a hot topic with
RESPONSIBLE T
A startled onlooker quickly summoned the manager, con- cerned there was a man with a gun inside a public estab- lishment in this Southern California town. The manager bravely (though perhaps not wisely) confronted the man about his carrying of a weapon. The embarrassed man quickly identifi ed himself as one who is legally authorized to Carry a Concealed Weapon (CCW). The manager went about his business but the man now felt exposed, realizing his concealed weapon wasn’t very concealed.
he man looked over the pool table, lining up his next shot. As he leaned forward to hit the cue ball, the clear outline of a handgun was clearly visible under his shirt.
everyone wanting to weigh in. Gun manufacturers, fi rearm instructors, police offi cers and even your gun nut neighbor will have an opinion on this one. If you are a gun person, you probably already know what works for you. If not, don’t worry. It isn’t rocket science. Once again, remember the primary purpose of the gun is to save your life or that of a loved one. First and foremost, to do this you must be profi cient with it. That means you have to be able to reliably hit your target when you need to from reasonable distances. This must be balanced with the abil- ity to conceal the weapon on your person. Take note of the story above and remember you want the weap- on completely concealed. Don’t tip your hand and let the bad guys know you have a gun before you have to. Also, most state laws require the gun be completely concealed as part of the CCW requirements. The simple fact is you can become
profi cient with just about any gun as long as you practice, however, not all guns are created equal. Obvious- ly a full-size 1911 .45 will be easier to shoot than a 2" revolver. Too often I see people decide to carry no gun at all because they don’t want to carry a big one. I think any gun is better than no gun, but you must know the limitations. As a rule, the smaller the gun and caliber, the less effec- tive it is at further distances. This is usually not an issue since statis- tically most incidents requiring you to draw your weapon will be within about 12'. If the gun is too small, it may be more diffi cult to shoot. As a rule of thumb, pick a gun you can shoot well and carry comfortably concealed in a way that allows you to draw it quickly. As for caliber,
30 REALITY CHECK • 2011 SPECIAL EDITION
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