Preparedness Pays: Some Additional Thoughts On Weapons

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving to the SW, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

In the last week or so, a number of interesting things have happened. We had the shooting in Texas (covered here, here, and here), we’ve had gun baby down in Beech Grove, and a rash of car break-ins (more than 50 in one neighborhood alone) around town. A far higher number of those than I care for involved stealing firearms that had been cached.

Now, I’ve talked a little bit about firearms, and even given advice on buying your first firearm, in my nuclear operations/war/preparedness posts. I’ve talked a bit about planning ahead in my Texas shooting posts. Today, I want to get into the concepts of preparedness for those who own and use weapons.

Quick aside: While I did leave lever-action firearms out of my first gun post, it was because sadly there are not very many available right now. I still miss my Marlin 336C in .35 Remington, a lot. Lever action has its advantages and disadvantages, and I do like them. Just want to get that out there.

While it may set off a certain type of Fudd, I’m very much for responsible gun ownership. For me, it means proper maintenance, proper storage, and reasonably proper carry. Most of all, it means planning ahead towards use and the aftermath to same. While most of my readers (particularly the regular readers) leave excellent comments, a couple of you worry me though you are no where near as bad as some who respond to Larry Correia (and Jack Wylder). Unless your home won’t burn and your dog is bulletproof, you really do need to care about the law and the ATF.

So let’s start with my top recommendations from buying your first firearm, and go from there. Honestly it doesn’t matter if it is your first or your one hundredth, you need to do a few things.

First, find someone who teaches a gun law class for your state (or other location if not in the USA). TAKE THE CLASS! LE is notoriously unsympathetic to your lack of knowledge. In point of fact, a major point of settled law is that ignorance of the law is no excuse. If you are going to break the law, do so with full knowledge of what you are doing, why you are doing it, and be prepared to take responsibility at need. That, by the way, does not mean lay down and take it in all cases. It can mean being prepared to challenge an unjust law or interpretation at need. Life does tend to go a lot better though when you know what you are getting into in advance. Also keep in mind that knowledge of the law and adherence to same in other cases/areas may (or may not) be a mitigating factor if you do have an issue. If you live in Indiana, check this class out. With all the changes to the law over the last few years, if I had the money I would be there.

Second, get training. Again, I can hear the bristling already and the cries of ‘I know what I’m doing.’ You have to be a complete and total idiot to not get training. Me, I’ve been lucky. My Dad was a marksmanship instructor for the USMC, and even shot competitions for them. I have a number of friends who have done fun and interesting things in life, and have been kind enough to share some of their training. I’ve also had formal training with the M-16 and issue pistol among others. The day I got to spend at Raidon Tactics still makes me smile. I’ve shot an amazing variety of weapons and am qualified on a number of them. Want to know something? What I don’t know about shooting and drills is orders of magnitude more than what I do know. You can never have enough training, and that little trick you pick up from someone at the range one day might prove to be a lifesaver. It is always a good investment. And, yes, after being hit by lightning some remedial training and more wouldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if I hadn’t been hit either. Training always pays for itself.

Third, store your weapons safely. This is not just firearms, but edged and other weapons as well. I still get a chuckle thinking about the tale I heard of a little girl, about three I think, who not only got into a gated kitchen, but then MacGyvered a way up onto the counter and into where the knives were kept. Then back down and out where she went and proudly showed daddy her new possession. It wasn’t the reported ‘how the bleep did you get that’ reaction that makes me laugh, it is the reported ‘if she can do this now, I am so in trouble when she gets older’ reaction that makes me laugh.

The fact is, kids (of all ages) will find weapons and quite often play with them. For ones like our now infamous gun baby, it is understandable if terrifying. I was taught from an early age that firearms and edged items were not toys, but tools. Tools that if I handled without permission, supervision, and/or improperly my backside would be warmed. I even have a vague memory of my Dad pointing out that my cap gun he got me had parts in the barrel to keep it from shooting for real. Mostly true. For the older ones, while it is still often terrifying you do have more options for teaching. It may not be legal, but use of a tactical baton can be justified (IMO); and, under other circumstances smoking them for an hour or three can be quite satisfying. Besides, flutter kicks and the like build character as well as muscles.

If I owned any firearms, they would be stored as safely as circumstances allow. Does this mean a gun safe or such? It is a consideration, and I’ve actually looked at a small biometric drop-door safe as having something fire and water proof to hold important documents and the like is a good thing. If you do get a safe, do bolt it in place if possible. You can’t stop someone from stealing it, but you can make them work for it.

Vehicles are another issue. The problem is, if a thief is looking for weapons, the first two places they are going to check are the glovebox and under the driver’s seat. At least here in Indy, there appear to be a number of such thieves targeting cars near government buildings and elsewhere that ban firearms. Law abiding citizen disarms, goes in, and comes out to a burgled car. So, get creative and make them work for it if you have to do that. I knew of someone who got one of those small drop-door gun safes and had it bolted to the floor of the car under the driver’s seat.

I don’t know if it is true, but I’ve heard that the average car burglar is looking to be in and out in under a minute. Apparently the odds of being spotted/caught/etc. go up sharply after a minute. So, again, be creative and make them work for whatever they get.

Do plan ahead to reload at need. Factor that into your planning at home and elsewhere. That said, my personal take is that under most circumstances if you have to fire more than ten rounds you are either an idiot who does spray-and-pray, or you have just qualified as having an official Bad Day. There is a lot of data out there, and some if it is both amusing and telling. On the whole, most self-defense shootings appear to fall in the ten or less category. There is the old study of LE shootings that found an average of more than 20 shots fired at distances under 12 feet, with only one to three shots hitting target. Just me, but if there are lots of shots being fired and I had to reload, that reload is likely going to be fired mostly over my shoulder as I didi my fluffy fuzzy rump out of there. Please note that this does not apply to zombie or other apocalypses or societal breakdowns. Strictly talking self-defense.

Finally, if you are going to carry or otherwise be prepared to defend yourself and others, take time to think about the aftermath of so doing. There are going to be legal ramifications, social/media ramifications, psychological ramifications, and spiritual ramifications. Prepare as best you can for each. Have a lawyer or lawyers that you can call at need. Stay off social media and don’t talk to corporate media. There are books out there that talk about killing and the psychological aftermath be it combat or self-defense. Reminds me I need to finish one such so I can decide to recommend it or not. Finally, get what spiritual guidance you can in advance. Yes, there are a lot of preachers/priests/sky-pilots who will bleat about no kill under any circumstance, and I heartily recommend you avoid them. Change churches if need be. For all of them, however, there are a number of good preachers/priests/other who can and will help you prepare spiritually as best you can. They may even be able to recommend some books or other to get so you have them at need.

Earlier, I mentioned proper carry. Since this has already gone long, let me just say that, for the most part, tucking it into your waistband is not proper carry. Be a pro, use a holster so the weapon is there in place when you need it. I do even recommend pocket holsters, as they can and do help keep the weapon where you need it. If it comes out with it in an emergency, you can shoot through it at need. For those that use them, same applies to concealed carry handbags. There’s a maker here in Indiana that will replace the handbag for free if you have to shoot through it in a legitimate shoot.

Also, maintenance is a must. Yes, there are some guns that not only get dirty quick, they seem to like it. That said, be prepared to clean and even do minor repairs at need. I can be a bit odd sometimes about lubricants, as I don’t care for such to be sand and/or dirt/dust magnets when I’ve owned firearms. I’ve found a couple of things that worked for me, you need to find what works for you where you live or travel.

Final note on pocket carry. Back in the Old West, such as around Tombstone, the city people mostly did pocket carry. The Earps didn’t slap on gun belts before heading to the corral. Gun belts and holsters were used by the cowboys, that is the rural/country folk of the era. Cowboys also usually had only five rounds in the gun, as given the guns of the era it was not a great idea to have a live round under the hammer when bouncing around on horseback. In fact, it was a great way to shoot your own leg, and if you got the horse instead it tended to be a bit irritated with you, graze or no.

19 thoughts on “Preparedness Pays: Some Additional Thoughts On Weapons”

  1. I would suggest attending Gunsite Academy. Start with 250 class, Then take 350 after that lots of good stuff. I took CQB Pistol and BRAVE the force on force training is eye opening

  2. Some interesting 21st century takes on lever guns popping up this year – could be viable options for those in restricted states (like me). I do have a cali compliant AR, and while ugly as eff it is functional and serviceable, and I have run it on the clock and been solidly mid pack in the scores against competitors not so encumbered.
    Car break ins are up all over – I see it it with the social media feed from my ring camera, I hear about it elsewhere too. might be worth getting a lockbox bolted into the car so that anyone trying has to try really, really hard. I am also looking at adding another, brighter motion detector equipped spotlight to the front of my house.

    1. Yes, a lever gun to be compliant can be … interesting.
      I absolutely want one that the Brit designed to be in compliance over there: a bullpup, belt-fed, lever action.
      Yes, it looks a tiny bit goofy, but it works! 🙂

    2. A couple of items, Wolf (aside from another good post)…
      Do plan ahead to reload at need.
      Yeah, I’ve heard people say things like “If you need more than X rounds…”. Well, sometimes you need to reload because the magazine failed. If you’re not planning for that sort of eventuality, hoo boy.
      (I had my magazine ‘splode at the range. Not explode from rounds going off or anything, but the welds on the bottom simply failed and the bottom plate came off abruptly and the spring and follower followed, then all the rounds left in the magazine. Aside from being embarrassing, how about if that had happened while I’m pointing my gun and commanding a perp to put down his gun? Yikes!)

      If it [pocket holster] comes out with it in an emergency, you can shoot through it at need.
      Except, if it’s a proper holster, it covers the trigger guard thoroughly. Which means you can’t get your finger on the trigger to shoot through it. IOW, you’re still going to have to pull it at least partially off to get your finger where you can do any good. (And no pocket holster I’ve looked at yet has not come out with the pistol. Maybe I’m not wearing firearms-friendly pants.)

      1. OK, this was supposed to be at the bottom of the thread, not in a reply….
        (My internet is so messed up right now….)

  3. My EDC was a single stack 9 for years. Rethought that through the past few “Summers of love” and switched to a small frame double stack with extensions on my belt mags. No telling when mothers little darlings will attempt more urban landscaping, and my travels take me to and thru a very blue city often

  4. Great post ….. My own training thoughts: Although I served a career in the Army, I still get training regularly for conceal carry, defensive handgun use and carbine fundamentals. First, Army training and firearms use is much different than civilian. And second, without training and refreshers and regular practice, your skills will get rusty very quickly. Humility about your skills and capabilities when talking about firearms is an absolute must.

    Lever guns …. well, in WA state up to now, I just bought AR-15 style carbines and that solved my rapid fire self-defense long gun need. Now, it appears that the Governor is going to get his way and the legislature is going to ban most semi-automatic rifles. For the time being, I need to live in WA and so I am going to be looking at a good lever gun. Also, it appears that a Mini-14 that doesn’t have scary black rifle features will still be legal, so that may be another option.

    Storage …. I have a solid Liberty safe for my long guns, pistols, and ammunition. Prices of ammo being what they are, I don’t want that stolen either. The safe is bolted into the concrete pad of the garage foundation. Admittedly, this may be more expensive than many folks can do. There are less expensive options that are still much more secure than the top shelf of your closet. You can get a decent gun locker for a few hundred dollars.

    Just a few thoughts to supplement an awesome post.

      1. LOL not everyone has an arsenal dude! j/k

        It’s still worth it to have some mechanism to secure them in the event your place is broken into while you aren’t there. Plus, ammo is like gold nowadays.

        1. If the robber is strong enough to carry off my ammo, any bullets I shoot at him will bounce of his muscles.

  5. A couple of items, Wolf (aside from another good post)…
    Do plan ahead to reload at need.
    Yeah, I’ve heard people say things like “If you need more than X rounds…”. Well, sometimes you need to reload because the magazine failed. If you’re not planning for that sort of eventuality, hoo boy.
    (I had my magazine ‘splode at the range. Not explode from rounds going off or anything, but the welds on the bottom simply failed and the bottom plate came off abruptly and the spring and follower followed, then all the rounds left in the magazine. Aside from being embarrassing, how about if that had happened while I’m pointing my gun and commanding a perp to put down his gun? Yikes!)

    If it [pocket holster] comes out with it in an emergency, you can shoot through it at need.
    Except, if it’s a proper holster, it covers the trigger guard thoroughly. Which means you can’t get your finger on the trigger to shoot through it. IOW, you’re still going to have to pull it at least partially off to get your finger where you can do any good. (And no pocket holster I’ve looked at yet has not come out with the pistol. Maybe I’m not wearing firearms-friendly pants.)

    1. I just had a mag fail at the range a couple weeks ago. PMag and had a bit of the magazine body break at the top, causing it not to seat correctly nor feed correctly. The magazine couldn’t be easily dropped and there was a round jammed as it was feeding, it was a fun little exercise in clearing the malfunction. Extra mags and then practice, practice, practice for malfunctions. It’s critical cause the malfunctions will probably happen at the worst possible time.

    2. Check out Galco’s horsehide pocket holster. I have found it very reliable at staying in-pocket when a draw is necessary. It has “horns” on either side of the holster and one of those, if not both, always seems to get caught on something in the pocket, thus retaining the holster in there while the gun is pulled out.

  6. LOL not everyone has an arsenal dude! j/k

    It’s still worth it to have some mechanism to secure them in the event your place is broken into while you aren’t there. Plus, ammo is like gold nowadays.

  7. Learn from the best people you can access, train and practice often.
    Some of your practice should be single or double shots from a ready position as practice for a defensive encounter.
    Have your lawyers number set as one of your emergency contacts, and keep a business card in your wallet.
    Read books and materials about how to interact with police after a justified shooting. They and the local prosecutor are more than willing to help you screw yourself up.
    There are many good books and other resources about PTSD and similar reactions to stressful situations. Find them if needed.
    A good one I recently read is “Can’t Go Home Again”, an anthology edited by Cedar Sanderson. It is a series of good stories about how different people deal with their stresses.
    Thanks to the Wolf, and to all who comment here.

  8. Guy at my local gun store told me that when he lived in Alaska he kept a lever gun because they work in almost any environment, including extreme cold.

    1. Any gun can freeze though. I had a No4 Enfield turn into a club because of wind blown snow once. lesson learned on keeping the action covered. there were distractions at the time though, and a reliance on fudd lore that “its just gonna work no matter what” is perilous

Comments are closed.