Rules of Thumb for Handgun Carriers

The following assumes that the reader is a licensed handgun carrier, and is my opinion only.  My strong opinion, but only my opinion none the less.

1.  Carry a semi-automatic.  This is for a number of reasons.  Generally, revolvers only have a six round capacity.  Magazine fed weapons almost always have a greater capacity.  Better to have a few left over than to run out before the bad guy does.  Even if you do run out before he does, semi-autos are much faster to reload.  Also, a semi-auto allows you to drop a magazine and lock the slide to the rear, allowing anyone (read: police) to immediately know that the weapon isn’t an immediate threat (see number 7 below).

2.  Never carry unless you are prepared to draw the weapon.  A weapon that stays in a holster or purse during an attack is worse than no weapon at all.  It can get you killed just because you have it.  Same thing (potentially) with open carried weapons.  The perp enters the area intent to commit his dastardly deed and sees you are carrying.  Guess who gets the first round?  No, better to carry concealed.  But, if you won’t draw the weapon, you should ask yourself why you are carrying anyway.  Some people carry for ego.  They want to feel important.  Others carry because they are looking for a fight.  These people should not carry.

3.  Never draw a weapon unless you are going to shoot it.  Don’t be the guy who thinks that a handgun is a tool to use to get attention or to gain some level of authority around others.  You want a sure way to get shot in an altercation?  Draw a weapon and give the bad guy some sort of warning like “stop, or I’ll shoot.”  If what he is doing can be stopped with a warning, you might not be in as bad a position as you might think.  If you can get out of a situation by talking, you are not in a situation where shooting a person is necessary.  If you are not in a position where talking will get you out of it, then draw away.

4.  Never shoot a weapon unless you intend to kill someone.  This means you should aim center mass (middle of the chest).  Do not even think about “shooting them in the leg to wound them.”  Legs and arms are small targets, hard to hit even without an adrenaline rush.  Besides, bad guys have been known to sue good guys who disabled them in the process of committing a crime.  I know it sounds stupid, but it happens.  Especially in more “left leaning” communities.  Which brings me to the last things to remember…

5.  Be careful to only shoot the bad guy(s).  Not only would it be horrible to live with accidentally killing an innocent person while protecting yourself, it could put you legally liable for the death or injury.  More than anything, this means you should take some classes on how to use the weapon.  Ideally, you should look for some IPSC clubs in your area.  Not only are they a lot of fun, but you get good at immediately identifying targets only shooting them.  IPSC shoots put you in life-like scenarios you might find yourself in.  Also, you get to hang around with a really great group of guys. 

6.  Keep shooting them until they are dead, but then stop.  This is because you don’t want to be labelled as some sort of John Wayne vigilante.  Unfortunately, when the shooting is over, you are probably going to jail.  Hey, you just killed someone, and until all the details get sorted out, you are just a guy who put a few bullets in another guy’s chest.  You don’t want to over do it.  Oh, and here’s another piece of advice: learn draw to center mass and to fire more than one round in rapid secession.  That way, you don’t find yourself in front of witnesses trying to get your shaking hands to line the sites up on the chest of a guy who is begging you to let him live.  For one thing, he might be trying to trick you into putting the weapon down long enough for him to get a bead on you.  For another thing, you end up looking heartless.  Remember, this is about protection, not vengeance.  Some of the witnesses might be friends of the perp, or even worse, left-leaning anti-gunners who will be more than happy to tell a jury that you could have just talked nice to get out of the mess you were in.

7.  Immediately drop the magazine and ensure the slide is locked to the rear.  Don’t worry about calling the police.  Someone already did that.  The last thing the police want to do is arrive on the scene of a gunfight and see a guy standing there with a gun in his hand.  Until an investigation is started, anyone with a gun is a threat to them.  Be courteous and make the scene seem as safe as possible for them.  That will make it safer for you.  When the shooting is done, drop the magazine in the open, lock the slide to the rear, ensure the weapon is unloaded, and proceed to step 8.

8.  Find a wall and get into the “you are about to be arrested” position.  You probably are.  That’s unfortunate, but you should prepare for it.  Unless you are in your home, you will probably be arrested, or at least taken “down-town” until they have an idea what happened, and who you are.  Like the weapon rendered obviously safe, being in an immediate surrender position renders you “obviously safe” to the police.  Of course, make sure the perp doesn’t have any friends around.  A good rule of thumb is to wait until you hear the sirens.  That’s usually the sign for perps to un-ass the A.O. (area of operations for you civilian folks).  It is also your sign to do what you can to set the “ambiance” so to speak.  Let’s keep the police as comfortable as possible when they arrive.

9.  Follow every instruction the police give you when they arrive.  Take a few deep breaths, and try to concentrate on the present.  The police will arrive and start issuing commands to you.  “Keep your hands up.”  “Walk backwards 4 steps.”  Stuff like that.  Do exactly what they say.  As soon as they feel reasonably comfortable with the situation, you will have an opportunity to explain what happened.  Until then, and until you accomplish step 9, all they need to know is who you are, and that you are a licensed handgun carrier.  Wait until they ask for ID before you reach into your pocket for anything…remember, our main mission here is to aviod getting shot by the “good guys”.

10.  Lawyer up.  Let’s face it.  Not all police officers are thrilled about people being allowed to carry weapons.  The reason is obvious.  Any cop would like to know he is the only armed person on a fresh crime scene.  But, for the most part, law enforcement agencies across the nation support law abiding citizens’ second amendment rights because they recognize that communities that have more liberal carry laws are communities that have less violent crime.  That make their jobs easier and safer.  Unfortunately though, what you say is entered into the report just like you said it.  Don’t make the mistake of entering information that the defense can use in a trial against you.  Let a lawyer help you accurately say what happened in a way that protects you.  “I was forced to use deadly force in order to protect myself.” is a lot better than “That rotten sombitch needed killin.”

Well, that’s all for now. Thanks for reading!