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I was having a conversation with a friend about a Glock 19 that I've had for a while and the fact that it came with a Crimson Trace device on it. In the several months that I've owned it, I've never used the laser device at all. My friend asked me why and I told him that it wasn't necessary for my type of shooting. That led to more conversation about shooting styles, etc.
My personal view is that handguns are purely defensive weapons. They should never be considered for offensive use. Please understand that I am aware that the thugs and gang-bangers use handguns all the time as offensive weapons, but I'm not referencing the criminal element yet. I have had the advantage of being trained by the United States Marine Corps in the use of virtually every type of firearm that existed at the time of my initial training. They ranged from the M-14, Colt 1911A1, M-16, BAR, Thompson Sub Machine Gun, M1 Garand, AK-47 and SKS carbine, just to name a few. With all that training I understood the value of having a "stand off" weapon that would kill the enemy while keeping me at a safer distance. Imagine my concerns when I was trained as a radio operator and issued a .45 as my primary weapon! I'm going out into the bush carrying a pistol? Yikes!! But I'm getting far away from my point. Handguns and defense. I got an early out from the Corps so that I could become a cop. After six years as a sheriff's deputy, I moved on to a different career. I learned a lot as a cop. Most gunfights are at ten feet or less. Good technique is better than good sight picture. Get behind something....anything is better than standing in the open in a gunfight. You don't need a laser if you're shooting at ten feet. Instead you need to learn "instinctive" shooting so that your first round hits exactly where you are looking and that takes practice, lots of it.
I learned to carry a flashlight in a hand that was stretched out from my side so that an assailant couldn't simply fire at the light and hit me, so no flashlight on my pistol, rifle or shotgun. If you're going into a structure, take the shotgun. Use a shotgun with cylinder bore and a 16" barrel. You will hit your target even if you are firing from the waist. Bullets leaving the barrel of an AR-15 will travel through lots of walls and stuff with enough power to kill a person some distance away. AR's are perfect for taking out to the fields and forests to capture the bad guys, but are best kept in the hands of specially trained SWAT officers.
My conclusion: I carry concealed all the time. I am an old fat man and it's tough to find a way to carry a handgun concealed, but I've discovered "Belly band holsters" and I like 'em! I also carry a .380 Kel-Tec or a Ruger LCP. Remember, I'm all about defensive shooting and my "mouse guns" are lethal at ten feet! No laser on my mouse guns either!
I am also a target shooter. I used to compete in the OPOA (Oregon Peace Officers Assoc.) Police Combat matches. I did OK, but I really enjoy all forms of target shooting. There is certainly a place for lasers, flashlights, red dots. scopes, etc., but not on my handguns.
My personal view is that handguns are purely defensive weapons. They should never be considered for offensive use. Please understand that I am aware that the thugs and gang-bangers use handguns all the time as offensive weapons, but I'm not referencing the criminal element yet. I have had the advantage of being trained by the United States Marine Corps in the use of virtually every type of firearm that existed at the time of my initial training. They ranged from the M-14, Colt 1911A1, M-16, BAR, Thompson Sub Machine Gun, M1 Garand, AK-47 and SKS carbine, just to name a few. With all that training I understood the value of having a "stand off" weapon that would kill the enemy while keeping me at a safer distance. Imagine my concerns when I was trained as a radio operator and issued a .45 as my primary weapon! I'm going out into the bush carrying a pistol? Yikes!! But I'm getting far away from my point. Handguns and defense. I got an early out from the Corps so that I could become a cop. After six years as a sheriff's deputy, I moved on to a different career. I learned a lot as a cop. Most gunfights are at ten feet or less. Good technique is better than good sight picture. Get behind something....anything is better than standing in the open in a gunfight. You don't need a laser if you're shooting at ten feet. Instead you need to learn "instinctive" shooting so that your first round hits exactly where you are looking and that takes practice, lots of it.
I learned to carry a flashlight in a hand that was stretched out from my side so that an assailant couldn't simply fire at the light and hit me, so no flashlight on my pistol, rifle or shotgun. If you're going into a structure, take the shotgun. Use a shotgun with cylinder bore and a 16" barrel. You will hit your target even if you are firing from the waist. Bullets leaving the barrel of an AR-15 will travel through lots of walls and stuff with enough power to kill a person some distance away. AR's are perfect for taking out to the fields and forests to capture the bad guys, but are best kept in the hands of specially trained SWAT officers.
My conclusion: I carry concealed all the time. I am an old fat man and it's tough to find a way to carry a handgun concealed, but I've discovered "Belly band holsters" and I like 'em! I also carry a .380 Kel-Tec or a Ruger LCP. Remember, I'm all about defensive shooting and my "mouse guns" are lethal at ten feet! No laser on my mouse guns either!
I am also a target shooter. I used to compete in the OPOA (Oregon Peace Officers Assoc.) Police Combat matches. I did OK, but I really enjoy all forms of target shooting. There is certainly a place for lasers, flashlights, red dots. scopes, etc., but not on my handguns.