Posted on 09/20/2008 8:15:55 PM PDT by LiberalsSpendYourMoney
I'm strongly considering buying a handgun to carry concealed. Live in Upstate NY, 26 years old, male, attorney. Married - no kids yet so don't have to buy a gun safe.
Getting the license unrestricted won't be a problem because I'm good friends with the judge who issues them. I will have to take a safety course before applying, however.
Don't know a huge amount about handguns or guns but probably about as much as the average American male. Went hunting with my uncle a couple times as a kid and I've fired a 1911 at the range once before.
Am open to either a semiautomatic or a revolver. Have looked at the Glock 26 and Kahr PM9 so far in local gun shops. I am looking for more suggestions and/or opinions on those two models - I don't really want to carry a full-sized handgun like the 1911 though. I want something that I can ideally tuck inside the waistband without printing and something that won't weigh me down because I'm on my feet about half of every workday. I know that New York still has its state version of the assault weapons ban in effect, so I believe all magazines manufactured after the ban that have capacities of more than 10 rounds are still illegal. I could conceivably purchase a large-cap mag that was manufactured before 1994, but federal and state gun laws are not my area of expertise, so I would have to look into the legalities of that. I'm not even really sure if I need a magazine larger than 10 rounds though if I'm going to be carrying a compact or subcompact pistol.
Thanks!
Thanks for posting this question. I will keep the answers for later reference as well.
Nice little gun but I still believe that for defensive carry use, an enclosed hammer revolver is the way to go. Especially in cold areas, you can be walking along holding the gun in the pocket of your overcoat. Should you fire it from inside your coat pocket, you don't have to worry about the slide closing on cloathing and fouling the gun.
I think every sane American should. It is not for the fact of having more guns on the street but rather for the confidence it gives people that have the ability to defend themselves. They no longer are push overs and are more willing to take a stand on everything from individual rights, responsibilities as well as being more likely to assist others who have been attacked or injured.
When I got my conceal license I noticed that I actually carried a weapon less often and felt more self assured than I did before. Others have told me the same thing.
I guess that's one way to stay warm.
Believe it or not, open carry of handguns in Texas is illegal. Only legal carry option for handguns on your person is licensed concealed carry.
Arizona is open carry. We also have plenty of sun and beach extends throughout most of the state - just no water.
In Arizona it's legal to openly carry. No permit, or license, necessary....as it should be.
When talking revolvers I like and own several Rugers. The SP line are excellent but heavier than the lightweight S&W lineup. I also carry with me my Sig P6 which is a fine weapon with the right load. I picked her up for under $300 at Centerfire systems here in KY.
I really like this topic.
It’s nice that he’s also good friends with the judge.
In general though, while it's good to think through your gun purchase, I think it's also good to find the gun that fits you. And you probably won't get it right the first time out. You're not buying your gun; you're buying your first gun.
I'm more and more favoring 9 mm, though I still shoot 357 SIG. A well placed nine will do the job, and two well placed nines will do it even better, and nines are fun to shoot.
Read, converse, oh, and get at least a small gun safe. When you go on vacation to some place that doesn't respect the 2nd Amendment, a safe is nice to have.
I just got my pistol permit in Warren County (upstate).
If I'm not mistaken, NYS no longer issues concealed carry permits.
Mine is stamped with the words "It is valid only for hunting or target shooting and transporting a weapon therefore."
The law, it seems to me, is ambiguous and open to interpretation.
Let me know how you do...
We bought a S&W model 686 357 Magnum for our first gun.
If it looks like the radical marxist is about to be elected, I’ll be buying one too!
Erie County here. People here are a bit more fascist than in counties like Warren. Without my connection, I don’t think I would be able to get an unrestricted permit (ie, one not restricted to only target and hunting). I’m surprised that Warren County, being a rural county, was not willing to give you an unrestricted permit. I have many friends in the North Country in St. Lawrence County, and they had no problems getting their permits unrestricted. The more urban Upstate counties(ie Erie, Onondaga, Monroe) seem to give you more crap about an unrestricted permit.
Thanks to everyone! I will reply more later
Consider the Sig Sauer P232. I like its SA/DA style. Smaller caliber, but still very effective, and it has almost all of the requirements you've listed. Rides very nicely in a Cross Breed Super Tuck Holster. Doesn't print at all.
Your assailant will not shout out to you from 50 yards away to prepare yourself because he intends to approach you, rob and commit greivous bodily harm to you. Were this the case, I would recommend a very different type of gun. My advice to you has been based on an assumption that from a distance, your assailant will appear unremarkable. It will not be until your assailant is in close quarters that you realize you are in a life or death situation.
So, a few other points about the benefits of an encosed hammer (hamerless) revolver is that when wearing a raincoat or overcoat, you can have your hand on the pistol while in the coat pocket or even pants pocket (if you don't wear tight pants). You will appear perfectly normal walking in this manner.
If the hammerless revoler is in your coat pocket, you can even fire your first and subsequent shots from within the pocket without fear of fouling. Withdrawing the gun from your pocket for more shots or reloading will be as smooth of an operation as withdrawing just your hand.
This technique is more problematic with an exposed hammer revolver because the hammer can become fouled in your clothing causing it to fail to fire even the first round.
Quickly withdrawing an exposed hammer revolver can be problematic because the hammer tends to snag on clothing.
Firing from the coat pocket is more risky with a semiauto because if held in your coat pocket and the hammer is exposed, when you pull the trigger, clothing may interfere with the hammer and the gun won't fire. Not good. Then, when you attempt to withdraw the gun from your coat pocket, you may not be able to because the hammer is closed and snagged on your clothing. Not a fun situation to find yourself in at all.
Assuming you have an enclosed hammer semiauto, you can fire the first shot from within your coat pocket and be reasonably confident that the gun will fire. You can never have the same confidence in your semiauto firing as your revolver. Another problem is that as the slide cycles on your enclosed hammer semiauto, the spent cartridge may be prevented from ejecting by your clothing resulting in the slide closing on the spent cartridge resulting in the gun being inoperable until you withdraw it and manually clear the jam. Again, not a happy situation to find yourself in. With the slide not closed, the gun may also snag on your clothing as you attempt to withdraw it.
Another risk is that you fire the first shot from within your coat pocket, the empty shell safely ejects but the slide closes on your clothing. Once again, you will have to withdraw the gun and manually clear the condition before making another shot. Not something you want to be doing in a life or death situation.
Yet another thing to be concerned with is that when firing a semiauto from odd angles such as within a coat pocket, the slide opens with considerable force and if your hand or wrist is in the way, ouch! They can get torn up pretty badly.
Keep in mind, all of what I have mentioned is with defensive use in mind when the other person(s) have the jump on you such as seemingly just another pedestrian on a nighttime sidewalk who suddenly turns into an armed assailant. Your ability to react quickly and instinctively will determine the outcome. If in your instantaneous analysis you decide to use your gun, you cannot accept any risk that the gun will not function properly. This is again why I strongy urge you to consider an enclosed hammer revolver as a defensive carry gun.
Finally, I see from your profile that you are Jewish. Given the history of persecution suffered by your fine people, no Jew should be unarmed and no Jew should be untrained in the use of arms. What a nasty surprise the Nazi Einsatzkommando's would have gotten had every Jew carried just a pocket pistol.
The saying "Never again" used by Jews in reference to the Holocaust is a similar frame of mind our founding fathers were in when they penned the 2nd Amendment. It reflects their understanding that predators and tyrants only attack the weak. But of course, you know all of this which is why you are preparing yourself.
Congratulations. Let us know what you finally decide on. This may be your first purchase but it probably won't be your last. We look forward to answering your questions down the road about the best target rifle to get and the best sporting clays shotgun and the best reloading equipment etc, etc, etc.
No, in Texas you have to carry concealed. You can, however, carry in Church unless they have a sign posted at the door (in which case it's probably a church you shouldn't be going to, anyway.)
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