[T Minus Four]

If you CC and you would choose to play dead in a situation like this, you should shred your permit.

[panaxanax]

No need for a bigger weapon. Just practice with your .380 and make your shots count.

[oyez]

Take the shooter out and find yourself in a serious law suit by the Brady types. You probably would be acquitted, but be in debt for the rest of your life.

[flintsilver7]

The new (introduced last week, I believe) Ruger LC9 is slightly larger and heavier than the LCP, but you would have the added benefit of the larger cartridge (and the added stopping power of +P loads).



As for worrying about what good you can do, that's a tough question. If you're concerned about your ability to handle a situation where a mad gunman is shooting wildly, I think that's perfectly reasonable. Few if any people are really equipped to handle that. Few if any people will ever be exposed to that, though, which is good. I think if you're actually concerned about that you should consider taking some shooting courses (or even some tactical shooting courses). If you're not comfortable with your weapon or your ability to use it effectively, it won't do you much good.

[Robbin]

I also CC a 380 LCP pocket pistol. And when in public places I carry a Sig S&W 40. I carry the LCP so I am always armed, but I wouldn’t start a gun fight with it. If my family and I could retreat, I would. The Sig on the other hand is fast, accurate and plenty of stopping power. I would be much more likely to come to the defense of the public at large with that in my hand. Chances of a cop showing up before the shootout is over is near zero. The only reason it happened in this case is because it was a public building with security. Anywhere else, and the cops are there to draw lines around the bodies.

[mnehring]

IMHO, your comfort with a gun is more important than size. A .38 is a great size and does have the stopping power for most situations. If you are comfortable with that, stick with it.

[Renegade]

Trade in the LCP for the .357 LCR.(same size) You can use personal defense .38 Special +P without killing your wrist and get twice the knockdown power than the .380 Odds of a malfunction with a wheel gun are much lower than a semi-auto.

[Little Ray]

Your weapon would be perfectly adequate for this situation. The main question would be, “Do I have a clear shot?”

In any case, pistols are all about placement, placement, placement. “Knock down” is a myth.

Spend more time at the range. Don’t practice punching holes, but shoot like you might have to in real life. The are some some shooting groups, like IDPA, that can help you. But anything that mixes it up and makes you react to different situations and stimuli than just a pistol target is good.

Use JHP (jacketed hollow points) if you’re worried about how big a hole you’re making.

[GenXteacher]

You carry a gun to defend yourself. Do exactly that. The gun you mention is useful at short range at a very close encounter. And that is fine- most shootings happen at less than 7 yards. If caught in a situation like the one in Arizona, you just have to evaluate- very quickly- what your ‘probs and stats’ are, and go from there.

[West Texas Chuck]

Just my $.02 but I don’t plan to play dead. I intend to make dead any attacker that confronts me. I’m too old and broke down to try and fight with somebody so I have an equalizer.

.357 is a good weapon if you can handle it, I sometimes carry one. Not one of those little lightweight things either, a big full-on S&W with a 2-1/2” barrel. I keep it loaded with 125 grain JHPs. My normal CC weapon is an XD-40, 13 rounds of 165 grain JHPs. I am comfortable in handling it since I’ve put probably 5000 rounds through it, accurate enough for CQB and plenty of knock down.

Nothing wrong with that .380 IMHO, you can get some pretty decent self defense ammo for it, not like the old days. Learn to use that pistol and get some training as has already been asserted and I think you can trust it. Yeah, there is always the chance of being mistaken for a bad guy when you have it out but I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. I have also wondered how a post shooting situation would go with all the chaos and LEOs rushing into the scene. Shoot the baddie and then reconceal your weapon and prepare to face the consequences of your actions. Most cops won’t shoot you if you obey their commands and put the weapon down if they catch you still presenting it when they show.

Stay safe. You’ll have to live with what you do either way you decide to go in a situation like that.

[andy58-in-nh]

I would be much more concerned about your comfort level with the pistol you choose to carry and your accuracy with it. The .380 is not a large round, but the JHP (jacketed hollow point) version has perfectly adequate stopping power for close-in situational shooting. Shot placement is critical in such events, and time spent at the range and in situational study will help immeasurably.

Some people do not like .380 pistols because they are smaller framed and in my experience anyway, have more "felt" recoil than, say, short-barreled 9mm pistols. Their primary advantage is concealability, which is not a small matter.

[Elsiejay]

The prompt, decisive and effective action of the Tuscon woman in depriving the shooter of his loaded ammo clip is most commendable. However, according to reports I’ve heard the shooter was at that time being held down and restrained by two other erstwhile bystanders, and therefore not very effectively capable of physically opposing her grab for the clip.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

A .380...with quality ammo and a good amount of practice to make your shots count...is a fine firearm for concealed carry.

[taxcontrol]

I would remind everyone that a .22 that hits the target is far more effective than a .45 that misses. Even a .380 can be incapacitate someone with the right shot group.

I highly recommend the following banner for CCW holders. http://www.dsmsafety.com/home.html

Yes, it is not “manly” and yes it makes you look like a dork. But it could very well keep you from getting shot either by a cop of another CCW holder. After all, no one goes around wearing these things and it does make a person stop and think twice.

Normally stored in a pouch on the belt, it only comes out after the threat has been neutralized. It is designed to provide post incident identification and recognition. However, given the incident as described, I’m not sure it would save you from the purse.

[Obadiah]

Very difficult situation and those who post pat answers do a great disservice.

The adrenaline is pumping hard. People are panicking and running everywhere. The gunman is standing in an area surrounded by innocent people. If you take a shot you run the very great risk of hitting an innocent person.

There are no general answers beyond trying to mentally rehearse a potential bad situation and be comfortable with the weapon you do have.

All else is conjecture or bravado — or both.

[Gen.Blather]

I’m not a gun expert, nor have I played on TV. However, my concealed weapon is a S&W .380 Bodyguard. Without looking them up again, here are the numbers off the top of my head. A .380 round travels at 1200 feet per second. That is VERY fast for a revolver round. A metal jacketed round will ricochet like crazy. Also, the 3.5 inch barrel means you will have a very hard time hitting a target at more than 10 feet. The kill number on the metal-jacketed .380 round is around 12, which is low. A .45 caliber, which travels at 850 fps has a number around 50.

I carry Glaser Safety Slugs, these are $2 each. They are a plastic bullet filled with tiny pellets with a thin metal shell to hold them together in flight. This design imparts all of the bullet’s force by completely deforming against the target. The “safety” part of the name comes from their lack of ricocheting. Their kill number is about 45, or really close to the .45APC round.

Here are my recommendations.
1. Carry the gun where you can easily pull it. A variety of hidden holsters are available and women have a plethora of choices on how to carry it.
2. Practice, practice, practice. Put 50 rounds a week through it until you can reliably hit a man-sized silhouette at progressively longer distances. A Glaser hit will put a huge man down regardless of where it hits him; guaranteed. (I’ve fired 1000 rounds through any gun I expect to carry.)
3. Learn when to pull it and NEVER pull it unless you are in fear for you life. Otherwise, somebody will take it away from you.
4. When in doubt, run the other way.
5. Do not fire at more than 10 feet unless it is your only option.

[JoeFromSidney]

I refuse to get involved in the semi-religious debates about what gun you should own. I will only say that the Para Ordnance Nite Hawg (10+1) and the Para Ordnance P-12 (12+1) are both small enough for reasonable concealed carry, and do give you the capability of a .45 ACP. I suggest they are worth a look.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

From a purely tactical point of view, carry a knife.

While I honor and respect both CC and open carry guns, they have their limitations, gaps in situations where a knife is clearly better.

A good way of thinking about it is, of all things, trench warfare, where infantrymen quickly learned that it was best to have a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other. Between the two, an individual had the optimal ability to move quickly and inflict the most harm before other armed men could react.

The #1 problem for ordinary people is that a gun conveys a suicidal sense of omnipotence and control in a situation that does not actually exist. Many people have been shot multiple times and still been functional for as long as an hour, more than enough time to harm the person who shot them.

Second is that gun play is prone to having extended moments when bullets are not flying. This is a good example, when the gunman was exchanging magazines. Within range, there are no pauses with a knife, and people can rapidly close on a gunman, 15 to 25 feet in a few seconds.

Third, knife injuries are relatively far deadlier and disabling than are gunshot wounds. Psychologically as well, gunshots often feel like a hard punch, especially to a person who is inebriated, but knives slash across many capillaries, with a resultant gush of blood that penetrates even the dimmest of awareness.

[archy]

In light of the incident in FL, woman whacked shooter with her purse, and now in AZ and the woman grabbed the second clip before he could re-load . . . I'm a lady and carry a .380 Ruger LCP. I'm thinking it wouldn't do much good in these situations AND I'm thinking I could easily get myself shot IF the police or others thought I was the SHOOTER and not someone trying to help.

Carry a badge, one of the CCW badges will work fine. Pin it on the INSIDE of your wallet, and if you have to shoot, hold the wallet and badge over your head. If you're arrested for *impersonating* a police officer, see uif they can find a jury that'll convict you, being in fear of your life by virtue of being shot in the back by a cop.

Scary days we live in. Play dead OR try to take the shooter out?

Play scared, or cry. Then stick it into the bad guy/girl's ear, eye or mouth and pull that little lever thingie three or four times. If you're not close enough to hit him with the gun, thrown, you're not close enough to hit him with a handgun, not the first time.

Get a bigger gun? Nope. Practice more with what you got, or a .22 as like it as you can find. If you can handle a week away and a thousand bucks or so, arttend a serious shooting school, the equivalent of *rookie school* for a cop. I also own a Colt .357 but too big to carry much less conceal.

Little one on your body, bug one in your bag. Works fior me.

I think both of those two older ladies were quite brave in the face of grave danger in both of these shootings.

I doubt it. I suspect they just reacted instinctively as best they could, and afterward they had the shaking fits. They're likely PTSD candidates; those who've considered the realities of an up-close shooting and the aftermath are in much better shape.

[dimk]

yefragetuwrabrumuy brings up a very important point. Carry a knife, you can bring it anywhere and I think it is easier to use when adrenaline takes over. Can be in a variety of holsters and very easy to conceal..

In the situation that happened in a crowd with all of you misses having very good chance of hitting someone. If you are behind the shooter getting as close as possible and then shooting him point blank or using a knife would probably be the safest approach. From the front you better find some cover first probably