The decision to choose a handgun for home defense is a serious one. Is gun ownership a responsibility you and your family can handle? What are the legal restrictions and ramifications of gun ownership and gun use in your city and state? You also have to think about how you are going to store your firearm so that you can access it quickly and keep it away from unauthorized users. You have to be especially cautious about securing your handgun if you have children in your home. You must seriously think about how a handgun will fit into your overall home security plan. Are you protected by exterior lighting and landscaping? How about a dog and an alarm? Ultimately, a handgun is a powerful but last line of home defense.
If you decide that you do want or need a handgun for home defense, you will probably want to select a full-sized weapon with a 3 to 5 inch barrel in an effective caliber. Most gun experts agree that the smallest effective caliber for home defense is .38 caliber or 9mm. Many experts believe that the best home defense calibers start with a 4 as in .40 caliber, .44 special, or .45 caliber. Over the years, these large calibers have proved to have the stopping power needed to quickly stop an aggressor.
For basic home defense, you may want to choose a typical .38-caliber revolver like the venerable Smith & Wesson Model 10 or the new Smith & Wesson Model 315 Night Guard. Ruger also makes nice revolvers in .38 special or .357 magnum like the mid-sized SP101 or full-sized GP100. Revolvers are simple to operate, easy to load and unload, and can easily be reloaded with speedloaders. You should also note that a .357 Magnum can also shoot .38 Special ammunition.
However, in his article “Court Issues and Armed Citizen Self-Defense” within the Guns & Ammo Book of Personal Defense, handgun expert and lethal force scholar, Mossad Ayoob convincingly recommends choosing a double-action only pistol that can never be brought into a hair-trigger state. If a gun “goes off” in a highly stressful situation, you can get into lots of legal hot water. Fortunately, there are plenty of hammerless double-action only revolvers including the Ruger SP101 (KSP-321XL-LG) and Smith & Wesson Model 340 or Smith & Wesson Model 442.
You may also want to consider double-action only (or double action-like striker fire action) semiautomatic pistols like the Smith & Wesson Enhanced Sigma Series (SW9VE or SW40VE) or Smith & Wesson Military & Police series of semiautomatic pistols (particularly the Smith & Wesson M&P; 9 and Smith & Wesson M&P; 40). These pistols fire with a consistent, full pull of the trigger, that brings an internal striker to a fully cocked position and releases it to fire a round.
As you choose your home defense handgun, you also need to choose an appropriate caliber and ammunition type. You’ll want to choose something with the power to stop an assailant without over-penetrating. Powerful ammunition can pass through perpetrators and walls with serious consequences. For this reason, many people choose hollow point or frangible ammunition that is likely to stop within assailants or walls.
Many people opt to use shotguns rather than handguns for home defense because shot is thought to be less likely to pass through walls. Unfortunately, shotguns are unweildy to maneuver around the home and can cause alarm if seen by someone legitimately visiting your home or property. In his article, “Role of the Handgun,” expert Guns & Ammo writer David Kenik convincingly illustrates that the handgun is a more versatile tool for home defense than the shotgun.
This article lays out some of the many issues to ponder as you choose a handgun for home defense. However, the opinion of one person writing on the internet is not enough. The responsibility and liability for making a good handgun choice for your family lies with you the reader. Make sure that you thoroughly research the matter, get appropriate training, and make appropriate provisions for securing any handgun before you bring it into your home.
Sources:
“Role of the Handgun,” Guns & Ammo Book of Personal Defense, David Kenik, December 2008.
“Court Issues and Armed Citizen Self-Defense,” Guns & Ammo Book of Personal Defense, Mossad Ayoob, December 2008.
www.ruger.com
www.smith-wesson.com
