Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Charley Reese Warns "Choose the Right Gun"
King Features Syndicate, Inc. ^ | 11-12-03 | Reese, Charley

Posted on 11/11/2003 9:48:00 PM PST by Theodore R.

Choose The Right Gun

If you saw the recent video of "Old Mr. Grump" shooting the "Lucky Lawyer" in Los Angeles, you can learn a valuable lesson about which firearm to choose for self-defense.

The press rarely reports what kinds of guns are used in crimes, and usually gets it wrong when it tries. Nevertheless, I have concluded Mr. Grump used a .22-caliber pistol. Otherwise, the Lucky Lawyer would not have remained on his feet for so long.

Now, a .22, a .25 and a .32 will kill you, provided the bullet strikes a vital organ. Sometimes the person will bleed to death if the wounds are not treated promptly. But in a self-defense situation, you will not be comforted by the fact that your assailant bled to death an hour after he cut your throat or blew your brains out. And, as Mr. Grump demonstrated on camera, hitting a vital organ is not that easy for an untrained pistolero.

By the way, the numbers used to describe bullets refer to the diameter of the bullet. We use the English system, the Europeans use the metric system, but the diameters are the same.

Most people who know anything about guns recommend as a minimum the .38 special, preferably the .38 Plus P with hollow-point bullets, for self-defense. I have always personally favored the .45, either the .45 ACP or the .45 Long Colt. Of course, the .40, the .357 Magnum, the .41 Magnum, the .44 special and .44 Magnum will also more than do the job, but there are disadvantages to those weapons.

Firing a .44 Magnum in a close room is likely to make your ears ring for weeks. There is also the danger that the bullet will pass through the assailant, through a wall and into some innocent person. After all, most of us no longer live in stone castles, but in places built with cheap wood and plasterboard.

I am not recommending that you run out and buy a hog leg for self-defense. That's too important a decision to be made on the basis of a newspaper column. If you are, however, thinking about it and you are not familiar with firearms, you must first do three things.

One, you have to prepare yourself psychologically to take a human life. It's one thing that can't be undone. As my father said repeatedly when he was teaching me to shoot, "After you kill somebody, it's too late to be sorry." And so it is. In a life-and-death confrontation, you can't afford to conduct a debate on whether to pull the trigger or not. So, if you can't visualize yourself killing a human being and then living with it, you're better off buying a can of pepper spray.

Two, you must learn the laws in your state regarding self-defense. They are both easy and tricky. It's easy in that the law states that if you, as a reasonable person, believe that you and/or another person are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, you can use whatever force is necessary to defend yourself. If you are inside your own home, you do not have to retreat.

Now the tricky part. Outside your home or place of business, if there is an escape route, you must take it. Even if someone walks up to you and spits in your face, slaps you or even punches you, you cannot whip out your gun and shoot the person. Killing for the sake of honor is no longer allowed in our decadent society — more's the pity, as it would greatly improve manners. Nor can you claim self-defense if you initiate the confrontation. For example, if you start a fistfight and your opponent whips out a knife or gun and you shoot him, that's not self-defense. Even in your own home or business, if the assailant turns tail, you cannot shoot him in the back and claim self-defense. If you plan to use a firearm for self-defense, you had better know the law, or you'll see the inside of a prison.

Third, you have to buy your gun and then practice diligently to become really proficient in its use, so proficient that you can use it in the dark when you're scared and caught by surprise.

And finally, a politically incorrect word of advice passed along to me years ago by a veteran cop: If you have to shoot somebody, make sure the judge will hear only your version of what happened. In other words, kill; otherwise, your assailant will probably sue you.

© 2003 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: 357magnum; 44special; 45longcolt; bang; banglist; charleyreese; defense; guns; nra; shootings
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-106 next last
To: freedomlover
A loaded Kel-Tec P11 (the 9mm) is twice the weight of their .380, and not as thin.
21 posted on 11/11/2003 10:55:19 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: paul51
Went and checked the specs uh oh new gun time just a fraz bigger than 32
22 posted on 11/11/2003 10:55:20 PM PST by freedomlover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Mojo
Maybe but I don't think those would have bounced off his head that way. Had to be some kind of shot load maybe along with a projectile
23 posted on 11/11/2003 10:55:51 PM PST by paul51
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Mojo
My experience with the P11 is that it was not comfortable to shoot - not a lot of recoil but just not fun
24 posted on 11/11/2003 10:56:54 PM PST by freedomlover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: freedomlover
P11 sort of "bit" me
25 posted on 11/11/2003 10:58:51 PM PST by freedomlover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: freedomlover
Sig 239 .357 sig or .40 SW. A little bigger than where you started but you're going in that direction so you might as well do it.
26 posted on 11/11/2003 10:59:12 PM PST by paul51
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: freedomlover
I know the specs from a recent glance at their website, but I've never shot any Kel-Tec gun. That they're not fun to shoot doesn't surprise me in the least, considering their size.
27 posted on 11/11/2003 10:59:27 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Mojo
How does the 38 spcl load compare to .380?
28 posted on 11/11/2003 11:00:35 PM PST by freedomlover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: freedomlover
Depends on the load. The top .380's outperform crappy .38 Spls, but the best .38's (like the 158 gr. LSWCHP I mentioned above) are serious loads.
29 posted on 11/11/2003 11:02:48 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Mojo
But you can buy four for about a grand and they are pretty reliable. I leave the P11 in my office if it gets stolen I am out $300
30 posted on 11/11/2003 11:03:17 PM PST by freedomlover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Mojo; Eaker; Travis McGee; *bang_list; TexasCowboy; Joe Brower; chookter; MonroeDNA; ...
That SOB has been readin my posts.......:o)
31 posted on 11/11/2003 11:03:33 PM PST by Squantos (Support Mental Health !........or........ I"LL KILL YOU !!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Squantos
You talkin' to me, Squantos? ;)

Reese should stay as far away from foreign policy as possible.

32 posted on 11/11/2003 11:05:00 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Mojo
I have a 5 shot S&W airlite w/sheilded but accessable hammer - good for that 38 +P round you talking about?
33 posted on 11/11/2003 11:05:38 PM PST by freedomlover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: freedomlover
Yeah, man. Very good.
34 posted on 11/11/2003 11:06:17 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Mojo
I like that little gun. So simple
35 posted on 11/11/2003 11:08:36 PM PST by freedomlover
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Squantos
There is no right gun, just like there is no right pair of shoes for my wife.

It takes many weapons to come up with the correct assortment for the individual.
36 posted on 11/11/2003 11:12:13 PM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (I'm a girl watcher, I'm a girl watcher. Here comes one now.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Mojo
158 gr. LSWCHP

You just went to the front of the line IMO with that load suggestion.........that is one of the best kept secrets with the 38/357 snubby crowd. I have carried that load in a custom M37 Airweight I keep in an ankle rig as a backup for a looooong time. Rumor has it that load has been discontinued commercially.......true/false ?

Stay Safe !

37 posted on 11/11/2003 11:12:46 PM PST by Squantos (Support Mental Health !........or........ I"LL KILL YOU !!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: big ern
LMAO....You read the Gucchi vs Glock thang in Handgunner did ya ?

Stay Safe BE !

38 posted on 11/11/2003 11:14:25 PM PST by Squantos (Support Mental Health !........or........ I"LL KILL YOU !!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: freedomlover
My snubbie is a Ruger SP-101 ....quite a bit heavier than your Airlite. But it absorbs recoil very well, especially with the Hogue grip I threw on there. It goes 'bang' every single time .....no worries. And if you're ever in a fight where getting a good grip on your piece is an iffy proposition, a revolver is a lot more reliable. Plus it can be fired repeatedly from inside jacket pockets and/or against the perps body without jamming.
39 posted on 11/11/2003 11:15:31 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: Squantos
Rumor has it that load has been discontinued commercially.......true/false ?

False.....I just bought a box the other day. Check out Winchester's website .....they got it listed. It's a dirty round, but my cleaning method works pretty well -- fire off a few fully jacketed rounds at the range berfore going home. Of course I still clean it in the regular fashion later, but it makes the job a lot easier.

40 posted on 11/11/2003 11:20:47 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-106 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson