Right Reason on Second Amendment Rights
Springfield, Illinois
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Sangamon
County Rifle Association Right Reason on Second Amendment Rights Springfield, Illinois |
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 Personal defense gun
selection
Phil Davis SCRA Meeting, January 3, 2005 February 2005 GunNews SCRA's Phil Davis gave a presentation to the audience about selecting a personal defense firearm. Davis works part-time at Birds-N-Brooks store in Springfield and often finds first-time gun buyers wondering what sort of gun would be best for personal defense. Today, Davis said that women are buying a majority of the guns sold for personal defense by a 60-40 margin. Usually, he said, women are quite receptive to advice while males are much less so. First-time buyers that are guys, Davis reported, "know it all" after reading a few gun magazines or watching TV. He gave the audience the interactive talk he gives to potential buyers, asking first of their experience shooting then whether the gun will be carried or not. Davis shared his advice
for
shooting novices to either consider a mid-size frame revolver -- like a
4" .38 Special or .357 or pump-action shotgun. The shotgun is
the
king of home defense firearms. With a load of bird
shot it
is a formidable yet safe tool for defense of the home. The
bird
shot pellets will lose most of their energy after hitting drywall or
plaster or for that matter, a bad guy, minimizing the risk to
individuals in adjacent rooms or apartments. He demonstrated
the
"universal sound of peace": a pump-action shotgun being
racked.
He said that 90% or more of home invaders will
retreat upon
hearing that universally-recognized sound, and the 10% that remain will
likely be dedicated and/or motivated intruders that may well need some
'lead therapy' to dissuade their criminal
intentions. One audience member offered
that shotgun
slugs offer reasonable stopping power against goblins wearing body
armor. "One slug in the chest, then a couple of loads of
buckshot
as they are rolling down the stairs."
The revolvers are great for novices, Davis explained, as they don't have all sorts of levers, safeties and other features and attributes that are best left to practiced shooters. When a revolver encounters a rare malfunction, the operator merely needs to pull the trigger again to get the gun back into action. There's no "tap-rack bang," no safeties, no double-action triggers or other complexities. Davis dissuades
prospective
first-time buyers from buying tiny pocket pistols in "sub-calibers"
like .25 auto or .32 auto. One small-caliber pistol he
recommends
for recoil-sensitive shooters is a .22 magnum revolver. The
.22
magnum packs quite a wallop on soft tissue. It's not like a
good
.38 Special or .45 Auto, but it certainly beats a .25 Auto with that
caliber's notoriously poor stopping power.
He urges prospective
buyers try a
number of different models and brands of guns to find one that fits
them. If they aren't sure, he suggests either going out with
a
firearm enthusiast friend or visiting a range that rents guns to try
several to find one that works best for the buyer. Once they
settle on a particular gun, Davis urges them to practice.
Practice, practice, practice!
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