introduction to firearms

Directory: Informative Free Email Newsletters From a Variety of Sources

SemperVerus: enter your email address in the webpage box to receive notifications of new posts about self-defense, church security, 2nd Amendment, and personal development news and information.
Active Response Training: practical self-defense articles by a retired cop.
Active Self Protection: use-of-force video analyses to help people develop protective Attitudes, Skills, and Plans.
American Handgunner: handgun news and information.
Ammo.com BULLETin: 2nd Amendment news.
AmmoLand: firearms and gun rights news.
Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network: interviews, articles, and commentary on self-defense and the 2nd Amendment.

By semperverus
Posted on 03/30/202404/06/2024

An Attempt to Define Pistol Size Categories

Are you confused about the different category names that are supposed to clearly identify handgun sizes? You’re not alone.

“Pistol size categories are notoriously ambiguous. What’s the difference between a micro compact and a subcompact? We don’t know, and we’re pretty sure nobody else does either,” says Chris Baker of LuckyGunner.com in the video below. “A handgun’s physical dimensions—its size, shape, and weight—largely determine how well it will fit our hands and whether we’re likely to find it comfortable and concealable as a carry gun.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Matters to Consider When Deciding on a Handgun ]

Watch the video to get a feel for the different categories:

full size (also called duty size)
compact
subcompact
micro compact
pocket
single stack
double stack

By semperverus
Posted on 11/21/202311/21/2023

Self-Defense Legal Insurance Options

According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, 22 million Americans are legally licensed to publicly carry a firearm in the United States. That doesn’t include those who keep guns strictly in their homes for domestic protection, along with people who open carry or live in one of the more than two dozen states that don’t require licenses.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Survey: Protection Is the Main Reason People Own a Gun ]

Using a firearm to defend against a criminal act that could result in your death or serious bodily injury means you’ll have to deal with the legal aftermath to justify your firearm usage. That’s where purchasing a self-defense insurance program might be helpful.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law ]

In the broad sense, “self-defense insurance” is basically a membership in an organization that will help connect you with a criminal defense attorney and help pay for legal expenses involved in a court case. As an informational service to you, we’ve compiled the list below of just such entities. Each listing includes a brief statement of the organization’s purpose taken from its website.

By semperverus
Posted on 09/05/202303/30/2024

Video: Always Carry Pepper (OC) Spray for Non-Lethal Force Self-Defense

Always, always, always carry OC (pepper) spray.* It will help you defend yourself in situations where deadly force is not being used against you, and therefore, you cannot use deadly force to stop it. Always be prepared with OC spray as a self-defense option for non-lethal attacks.

As part of its “Daily Defense” educational videos, Brownells—the national gunsmith and firearms retail store based in Iowa—has produced two videos focusing on the use of OC spray.

Here is the introduction to the videos: “Pepper spray is a non-lethal self-defense option to use against attackers that are not enough of a threat to justify using deadly force. Before you carry pepper spray, make sure it’s legal in your state or city. And remember that it has limitations. When sprayed at the eyes, nose, and mouth (mucus membrane areas), pepper spray will reduce an attacker’s capacity but not his willingness to attack you. Some individuals may be less physically incapacitated by it than others, so be prepared for it not to be as effective as you were expecting!