LOL.... Saturday Night Special.

Chuck Norris.

Seriously, Situational Awareness. Know what is going on around you 100% of the time. Why people walk by themselves in places where that crap happens is beyond me. Normally, it's the moron who is too busy on their phone, or has their MP3 going that get picked on. Why? They are not paying attention. My wife walks 1 block each morning from the parking garage to her building at 6:30. Her biggest defense is to say Hello, or Good Morning to everyone she sees. Whether it is a bum or not. Criminals do not want you knowing what they look like, so if you go out of your way to look right at them and say Hi, they will normally leave and pick another target. Again, Situational Awareness is your friend, kinda like driving. Know what could happen before it does.

Im not exactly sure when my dad worked there, but im almost certain that his friend has worked there for about the last 30 years or so, so it's possible

im happy to see im not the only gun lover here
yeah i turn 21 in april and when you turn 21 in my family you get a gun if you dont have one.
im looking to spend around $400 so the SR9 i think is the best bet.
i like the feel of my gpas p89 but its a little bulky for a CPL. im a bigger guy so i think the SR9 would be ok for a first gun. and yes i do plan on taking a CPL class when i turn 21

ive heard people say that a 9mm isent enough stopping power, im ot so sure about that. with the sr9 if the first one dosent do the job you still have at least 16 more shots, if you cant stop your target with 17 shots you better be able to run fast :p

i was looking at Beretta and Glocks but their just to darn expensive

I'd rather be able to shoot and hit with a 9mm than miss with a bigger round. My point is PRACTICE! If you can't hit your target, it doesn't matter what size you carry. IMHO, being a decent shot is slightly more important than what you are shooting.

Which is why when I finally get my CHL, I'm gonna drop $300 on a LaserMax laser sight.

*EDIT* I would also highly recommend you join the NRA. It's not just for people with rifles. You can get a year's membership for only $25, and it comes with a subscription to either American Rifleman or America's 1st Freedom magazines. My dad got one, I got the other, and we both eargly await each issue.

The NRA is a good way to get informed, stay informed, and get some good info. It can get you some really good discounts in places, too. For example, for Allstate, I pay around $1400 for 6 months coverage (God, I can't wait until I turn 25). NRA gives you a discount with 21st Century. I got a quote from them without the discount, and they wanted about $1150. With the discount, it drops to a little under $900. Not bad at all! Yes, I will be dropped Allstate next month. lol

$2800 a year? Jesus christ, it would take me almost 3 years to pay that much for insurance. And I am only 24 (though married which helps a little).

mmmm guns are my favorite!

My toys:
Pistols
- Baby Eagle 9mm
- Desert Eagle .357 mag
- 2 H&K USP's both in .40
- EAA Windicator .357/.38
- 1911 Officer's Model .45

Long Guns
- Romanian AK-47
- Romanian PSL
- Mosin Nagant 91/30 PU Sniper
- M1 Carbine
- Ruger 10/22 (Probably one of the funnest guns)
- Remington 870 12 guage
- Benelli Nova 12 guage

Now all I need is some money to buy more!

Just remember, the best gun for you is the one you can shoot the best. No sense in buying a pistol that you can't shoot worth a crap. My recommendation is to first figure out which caliber you want to go with. Once you figure that out, go to a range where you can rent guns, and try a bunch of different ones out before you purchase. I've heard of too many stories where people will buy a hand gun without shooting it first, and hate it later on. What if you like the way the Glock shoots better than the SR-9? Then it'd be worth it to spend the extra 150 on it (in my mind).

Guns are like vehicles. Everyone has their opinion on which one is better. Take their opinions into consideration, but definately don't buy a gun based on that. Look around for a while, and research what is out there. In the end it's all up to you. Let us know what you get, and post up pics!!

I would be sure you can shoot pretty well within 21 fee (reactionary gap) before you buy a laser. A laser should assist you in aiming. The problem is people buy lasers, and then rely on them to aim, instead of using their sights. I've seen people who would rely on the laser, but without it, would be better off throwing the gun at the perp. Just my .02

I was at the range the other day, and I was next to this older (70's or 80's) guy who had a laser sight on his .22, and was within a 3" diameter in the middle of the target. I got to shoot it a little bit and I must say that it was really freakin cool.

I wouldn't use the laser for training every time. It's good to show you any problems in form you have, but otherwise, I wouldn't use it because I don't want to be reliable on it. However, if the time comes to actually defend myself, I want that laser because I don't want to take any chances. Shooting at a range is a lot less stressful than shooting in a life or death situation. And in those situations, people tend to focus on the perp, not the sights of the weapon, especially when you just have to draw and fire, when you don't see the fight coming. Having a laser allows you to keep your focus solely on the guy who is trying to do you or someone else bodily harm.

I went to a .40 because of hearing the same thing. I just got back from the range and spent 10 rounds through my .40(Had to refresh my PDA) Hit the paper 9 times.
Put 50 rounds through my 9mm and hit the paper 50 times. I'm contemplating on buying a smaller 9mm since mine is full sized. I've got pretty big hands and holding onto my compact .40 can compromise my shooting ability.
One more thing I'd like to add.... My brother used his 9mm point blank on an attacker. Got him right under the ribs with a Federal Hydra Shock. Didn't kill the guy but it certainly stopped him from attacking.
With that being said, I think a premium PDA is a must for a a concealed firearm. PDA has "stopping power" FMJ's just penetrate.

BIG x2 on that

All I have in my magazines are Federal Hydra-shok. It about killed my wallet to shoot 2 boxes thru each of my guns to ensure my weapons had no issues with this bullet.

Part of my practicing is shooting from the hip as if I just drew. As long as I can hit the circles on the paper at 15 yards. I'm good. You will NEVER be in a gun battle where you can stand with proper stance, take a breath and as you are letting it out, slowly squeeze the trigger. We use moving targets, hiding behind things, low light conditions etc.

My issue with a laser is if you surprise a perp at night, his buddy now knows EXACTLY where to shoot at you due to your laser. Perps rarely work alone. The "average" gunfight involves 3-4 shots under 21 foot and last 3-5 seconds.

I would think the muzzle flash and report of the weapon would be a lot more telling about your position than a small red light...

There was a good article in the latest issue of Handguns magazine about aimed shooting vs. point-shooting, which is where you don't look at the sights, you just point and fire. There were two things that I wanted to mention:

Over the years, asking officers who had been in gunfights, he has seen that the majority of the time, if they saw the fight coming, they used aimed shooting (i.e. with the sights). If they didn't, then they pointed and shot.

Second, there was a police department that did testing on point shooting, and there testing showed that point shooting worked ok out to about 5 yards, but at 7, accuracy dropped dramatically. And that was with trained officers.

Now, yes, if you practice your stance long enough, then the gun is going to shoot in the right spot. But I'd rather have a visual reference to make sure my target goes down & stays down.

*EDIT* I'll give you another reason why I want a laser. Back when my dad was a cop, one of the guys he worked with was a speed & competition shooter, he was an expert marksman with a pistol. He got into a situation where he had to draw his gun and unload, and he missed every single shot. Wasn't hurt, thankfully. But that goes to show that no matter how much you train, you may still F up when your life really is on the line because of the high stress level.

This is a little long, but it's well worth the time taken to read it.

The Constitutional Right and Social Obligation to Carry a Gun