Tiger McKee [via tacticalwire.com] writes:
You would never leave home without your electronic “I-thing,” yet the majority of those who carry pistols never consider the need for a secondary or back-up pistol. Fights, especially defensive confrontations, never go as planned. You’re presented a unique problem. There’s a very short amount of time to come up with a solution and apply the skills necessary to solve the problem. Having a pistol is a good start. Having two pistols is even better . . .
A big reason for carrying a spare pistol -this applies to flashlights or anything else that your life may depend on – is that anything mechanical can stop working. If you have a malfunction you can clear it, provided you have time and distance. The problem with malfunction drills on the range is that you’re setting up a stoppage in a pistol that doesn’t really have a problem. You clear the stoppage and continue firing. In real life when a malfunction occurs it could be a problem with that one round of ammo, but it may be a mechanical problem with your pistol. That means you clear the stoppage, fire a shot, clear another stoppage, fire a round, clear the stoppage – – you get the idea. A spare pistol allows you to transition to a working weapon.
We often refer to primary and secondary weapons. The pistol on my side is my primary. The one on my ankle is the secondary. But, the primary/secondary roles can change. When I’m curled up on the ground in the fetal position or sitting in my truck the weapon on my ankle may become the primary because it’s quicker to get to. I’m injured in my strong hand or arm. The secondary pistol may be easier to acquire than the one on my side strong side.
A back-up weapon allows me to arm a friend or partner. I’d rather have an armed partner, an exponential advantage, than an unarmed partner, although they could still assist me with the problem.
What type weapon is a good secondary choice? That depends on you. I like “J” frame revolvers in .38 Special. The ol’ .38 is a good round, especially with the advances over the past few years in ammo design and function. I carry a “K” Frame .357 a lot on my side. I carry spare .38 ammo, which fits both weapons.
After you decide on what type back-up pistol and where you’re going to carry then it’s time for training, practice, and consistency. You train to get an introduction to the techniques required to use two pistols. Practice is mandatory to learn these skills. Consistency is mandatory. Once you start carrying a back-up pistol you always carry it. Training, practice and knowledge won’t do any good if you don’t have the secondary weapon on you. Learning to work effectively with multiple weapons requires more training and practice than carrying one pistol. It’s worth it.
Carrying two pistols is not being paranoid. It’s being prepared. Self-defense is a personal responsibility. Invest the time and effort required to ensure you’re ready.
———————–
Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama. He is the author of The Book of Two Guns, writes for several firearms/tactical publications. He’s featured on GunTalk’s DVD, Fighting With The 1911
I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll never scorn a BOGO gun deal again, unless it involves Ring Of Fire-manufactured small caliber pocket automatics.
Kudos to you sir! Well done!
Gun “control” means nothing to criminals and parents that are too stupid to secure their guns so their kids can’t get at them. Every time we hear about a kid dieing because a dumb ass parent didn’t do THEIR JOB it makes me sick.
We’ve got got a lot of Gun “Laws” now. Having more will do nothing.
EDUCATING kids and honest, law abiding people about gun SAFETY is what will help.
And aside from professional hand-wringers and psychotic obsessed billionaires, I think the true grief-stricken parents and relatives should be given space and time instead of an international megaphone. That does no service to the memory of the deceased and just aggravates the grieving process.
Here come the copycats.
If I am going somewhere I may need it I carry 2 BUG’s My main would be my 45 BUG 1 my M9 Bug 2 my 38 snubby.
was it “Afluenza”
A backup gun can also add functionality that your primary does not have.
While the .410 derringer gets short shrift here, carrying one as a backup
also gives you a flexible platform with capabilities that other handguns simply
do not have.
While one does have to draw the line somewhere, carrying a backup gun does
make sense for many, especially as weapons are getting smaller and lighter.
Colorado makes some great headway with the recalls and now this…
Cannot wait for further details on this one. Surely a “military style high powered assault rifle” will come into play.
If we must have 2 guns, why aren’t we all slinging rifles or carbines over our shoulders, and using the handgun as a backup? Because that would be overkill. Yet somehow 2 gun John Woo style is perfectly acceptable.
How are those new gun control laws helping you now Colorado? Bet you wish you had armed guards now instead of stupid laws…
Well said Jay! I echo the sentiment that Tiger is a little over the top. I’m not law enforcement and don’t live in Detroit. I’ll pass on the BUG.
Gun.
Knife.
Flashlight.
Keys & wallet.
The rest is in the car/truck.
BOHICA.
Mainstream Media sighted off of port bow!
Set Condition One Across the Ship,man defensive RKBA talking point Battle Stations.
THIS Is Not A DRILL!
I fail to see how this could be possible with the new gun control laws the state just passed.
Hmmm… There seems to be some head-scratching as to how the kid was able to bring the gun into the school, as there are “strict security protocols ™ in place” to prevent that.
Here’s the NBC feed:
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nbcnews.com/53823304
The magazine ban worked!
This is the school shooting gotham liberals got, but not the one they needed.
My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and I carry my G19 IWB at 4:30 and that’s the way I likes it.
I should point out that responsibility for administring the Firearms Act is that of the Police. They supervise training courses run by Mountain Safety, and an experienced Firearms Officer interviews the applicant and their referees, which have to include relatives and neighbors. There has been spectacular success with this system, with only occasional hunting accidents resulting in death by firearms. We have gangs who sometimes take potshots at each other, usually with cut down shotguns, but there are rarely fatalities from this. They, of course are outside the official system. The mental health problems resulting in school shootings are usually detected well before a license is issued. Immature idiots do not get licenses, and habitual drunks and criminals also miss out. The irony is that the demonstration of safe operating of a weapon is usually done with a Lee Enfield, the military rifle of NZ forces in WWII and Korea, but this 10 round rifle no longer meets regs with a 5 round limit! I think shows where politicians have intruded in the process, and the demonstration may be intended to reinforce this point.
Dude. We should ban Denver.
When are you guys gonna announce the winner of the 2nd contest pistol? With all the quality entries, I’m anxious to see who won!
Great article. Clearest and most complete summary of the numbers vs. the arguments I’ve ever seen in one place.
Also, props for humor. “Maybe I can somehow shoot my way to work, circus clown style…” That made my afternoon.
BOHICA, folks.
I have a regular blur inbound. I have a ZT350 that I always carry but I’ve had many Kershaw blades. I used to carry a lowly Clash and I haven’t found that the clash needed to be sharpened that much more than the ZT and it was much easier to do so. I was wanting an s30v blur but I found a standard blemish one for half the price.
“Why is it when a nearly unique 15 y/o White kid shoots someone it is national news. When a 15 y/o black thug with a criminal history gets what he deserves it is a horrific example of racism?”
Because GUNS. And race-baiting.
well said, beginning to end, thank you
I am sure I will get flamed for this but, why don’t these parents (or any parents for that matter) with kids in the house lock up the guns?
Here in CA, if you have anyone under 18 in the house, you must have safe. And if anyone under 18 gets a hold of a weapon and causes a problem, you can kiss a good 10 to 20 years of your life away.
Most parents think their kids are NEVER capable of such acts, little Johnny is always an angel….he showed no signs…etc etc. Personally, if we have any kids come over to the house, everything is locked up. The only time a gun is out is if it’s on my hip and I am home.
Meh, perhaps I have lived in CA too long. Flame on!
Does anybody think Henry might make this in a .357 or .44 magnum?
The last photo of the famous Stage Coach robbers Jane “Muppet-Eyes Hat” Watson and John Emmett “Hooker Boots” Smith.
I invite anyone to take a stab at the comments from user “Darque Wing” who has so many posts in the comments section that you have to wonder if he’s a Mother Jones employee.
Long Beach, you are correct; the victims tend to be overlooked unless the anti’s seize upon their deaths or injuries to make them involuntary martyrs for the anti gun cause.
I guess we here have become conditioned by the anti’s and their media mouthpieces; all they see is the gun; all we hear is the bogus rhetoric, leaving the victims to fend for themselves in this unrelenting war on guns and the law abiding citizens who happen to own and use guns.
Consequently, the victims get overlooked or lost to the battle just like any civilian casualties of war.
To me personally that’s a sad reality and result of the politics of this sensless war on guns.
NBC news tonight listed the names of 173 children under 12 that died from “gun violence” in the last year. Where were the names of the children under 12 killed by “hands and feet”, which is three times as many? Or the other hundreds of child deaths caused in other ways? It doesn’t fit the agenda.
Who is the cute dog in the hallway watching Dan play pinball?
The Republicans needes no help losing the last election. I don’t think there is anyone that would argue that.
A woman can always lean on her man for help. A man can always lean on his gun.
Concur with you guys about the, ummm – price vs goodness issue. There’s a pretty cheap way to try it with just a piece of tape. Get into your shooting position, and without moving the gun or your face, reach up with a non-permanent ink Sharpie and put a tiny dot of ink on your shooting glasses in line with the sights. Poke a hole around 1/16th inch in diameter in a piece of blue masking tape and put it on the glasses on the side of the lens next to your eye, centering the hole over the dot. Wipe off the dot on the outside and go try it.
If you decide you like it, pick up a pair of clip-on sun shades that fit your shooting glasses, paint or tape the lens over your shooting eye and drill a hole through the lens aligned with the hole in the tape. Used one of those for many years. An outfit named Merit something used to make a clip-on device with an adjustable aperture that also worked well if you can find one.
Not too useful in poor light, but in broad daylight it’s quite a revelation. The advice about focusing on the front sight is simply the best option you have once you can’t focus on both sights and the target anymore.
Note that using such a device might tend to mislead you about your capabilities in a real-life situation when you won’t be wearing it.
Pat
I use a pair of clip-on reading glasses in +1.00 I got off ebay for $6. Works great for pistol sights. I can see the front and rear sight clearly but the target is blurry.
Kellermann’s study found that having a gun in the home was not associated with any increased risk of non-gun homicide, only with gun homicide. There are two plausible mechanisms to explain this:
1. Guns make violence more lethal
2. People at risk of homicide acquire guns for defence.
If “2” is true we would expect non-gun homicide to be just as strongly associated with gun ownership as gun homicides are. It isn’t, which suggests that “1” is the more probable explanation. That’s why Kellermanns was right.
Wake up California.
“I am not Newtown. Newtown refused to properly defend their children, and to take care of their community members, and I am not to blame simply because I own guns similar to those used in that incident. I am NOT Newtown.”
I posted this to FB a few days ago. Anti’s lost their damn minds.
In other news, you can also buy heroin on the internet. And order a hit. We should crack down and make it harder for people to buy illegal drugs on the internet.
Stop the presses!
That kid- that one in the middle of the conveniently diverse trio.
Is he?
Could it be?
OBAMA’S SON?!