What Gun Should I Buy?

I get asked that question sometimes by people who are new to guns, so I think it's time to dedicate several posts to this question.

The first thing when considering a firearm purchase is, "what will I need it for?" because that is what determines everything else. So, I'll try to break this down into several categories.

Most people who want to buy a gun do so for "self defense". Well, what do you mean by self defense? Do you mean you want a gun to defend your home with? Or do you want something that you can carry with you? Or something that can have multiple purposes, like hunting & home defense? The question really is, do you need a handgun, a shotgun, or a rifle?

Rifles

A rifle? Most people do not need rifles. There, I've said it. Do I need a rifle? No. Do I own a rifle? Yes, several actually. Rifles are made to shoot things at long distance, generally at 100 or more yards. There are very few self defense encounters that necessitate the use of a rifle. The only obvious one is combating a "lone gunman" type of attack, as in the case of Charles Whitman; where a deranged lunatic takes up a position and begins slaughtering people, and a few men who happened to have rifles in their cars were able to return fire. Since I already own a rifle, I really should keep one in the trunk of my car, just in case, but I don't because I haven't been able to justify that level of paranoia to myself yet. There have been other cases where a rifle could be handy in self defense, but they are rare. Using a rifle for home defense is fine, but you have to keep in mind that the rounds will penetrate multiple walls before stopping. Then there is the entire public relations thing. Let's say you were in New Orleans after Katrina, and you had to defend your house from armed looters who wanted to kill you, rape & kill your wife, and take all your food. Let's say that you shot and killed one of them. It's completely legal to do this. And eventually the media might even report it. But let's say you defended yourself with an AK-47, and the media found out. My gut instinct is that CNN wouldn't be kind to you about it, and that you'd have more of a legal or PR fight to clear your name than if you had used a common shotgun. That being said, I'd still probably reach for my AK instead of my shotgun in that situation. Rifles are good for hunting, target shooting, and for being part of the citizen militia.


Shotguns

Shotguns are great. They are the most versatile weapon available to the citizenry, and they don't usually have the same stigma as the dreaded "assault rifle". The great thing about shotguns is their versatility. You can buy slugs, buckshot, or birdshot; and there is a staggering variety of rounds.

For self defense, shotguns have one purpose: home defense. Buckshot has the best stopping power of any round when used at close range, which is exactly what you'd need it for when defending your home. Some guys say to use birdshot because it won't kill the intruder. This is wrong because birdshot will not cause a deep enough injury to stop an attacker. Birdshot is for birds, buckshot is for intruders. For the newbie, a slug is a large single bullet meant for deer hunting at close range. Buckshot is a load of 30 caliber round bullets, usually packed 9 to a load. It is meant for taking out deer sized animals at close range. Birdshot is for small birds, squirrels, or skeet shooting. They also make special loads for turkey or duck, but don't consider those for self defense either. Buckshot is the best for close range self defense. At close range one round of buckshot is like shooting somebody 9 times with a 9mm handgun. Unlike popular myth, you still have to aim with a shotgun, but you don't have to aim hard. In other words, just point the damn gun where you want it to fire, and you'll hit it, but don't think that you can just wildly spray from the hip and hit anything with it.

If you're going to buy a shotgun, I suggest going with the old standard pump action. You can buy one relatively cheaply, and it doesn't matter what brand you buy. For defense, you can buy one in either 12 gauge or 20 gauge. Recoil will suck either way, so you might as well get the 12 because it will give you more power and more metal.

The great thing is that if you buy a shotgun for home defense, you can also use it for fun things like skeet shooting or hunting. If you've never gone skeet shooting, go do it. It's loads of fun. If you live in Northern Virginia, you're blessed. Go checkout the Manassas Park shotgun range. I think they'll even let you rent shotguns there, and they have guided instruction.

The bad thing about shotguns is that you can't exactly walk around with one in your pocket. So while a 12 gauge pump action shotgun might be the best home defense weapon, it is not the best choice for somebody who can only afford to buy one gun and wants to have protection wherever they go. For this, you'll need to buy a handgun.


Handguns

If you want self protection for you and your family whether you are in your car, at the grocery store, or at home, then you'll have to buy a handgun of some sort.

The topic is so important that I'm going to dedicate a whole separate post to the issue of "which handgun should I buy?" For now though, I just want to cover the basics.

With handguns, there is a staggering variety of choices. The array of choices is overwhelming to most people. The key is to keep reminding yourself, "what do I need this gun for?"

You are not Dirty Harry, nor are you Leon the Professional. You might want to go out and buy a long barreled 44 magnum, but how are you going to carry it? Open carry is legal in Virginia, but it is not in many states, and even where it is legal, you'll get plenty of funny looks if you walk around doing your grocery shopping with a hand cannon strapped to your belt.

This is why I recommend that if you're going to buy a handgun, buy one that you're willing to carry with you. Personally, I own several handguns. The first handgun I bought was a full-sized Taurus PT-99AF, because I wanted one that looked like the classic Beretta 9mm that I'd seen in movies. With the wisdom of age, this was not a good purchase. Large frame handguns are great if you can hide a gun in a holster on your belt, covered with a jacket, but good luck trying to do that in 90 degree heat in the summer. Large frame, long barreled, high capacity handguns are made for people who need to have a gun on their belt. Now, if you're going to go hiking in bear country, or you're a cop, then fine; wear a gun on your belt. You need it. For the rest of us though, the only handguns we should be considering are in the concealed carry or compact size.

As for what handgun you should buy, that'll be covered in the next post.