Essential shopping at the gun store

by philg

A friend here in Maskachusetts texted us regarding his latest trip to an essential business that remains legal to operate: “No employees in gun store wearing mask.” A bit later: “At another gun store. Also no masks. Cop in here also with no mask.”

An exchange ensued regarding why an excursion was worth the Covid-19 risk:

  • Me: You’re in a gun store because you don’t already have enough guns? How many guns do you think you have at this point?
  • Him: Over 400. My Glocks are getting out of date.
  • Me: Are there actually significant improvements?
  • Him: These are 1/4 inch slimmer.
  • Second friend: Everyone is moving to red dot sights on pistols.
  • Third friend: No, the pistols themselves are stagnant if not possibly retrograde, but the improvements have been in aiming them.
  • Him: These are 3-4 oz lighter than the previous alternative. But [Third friend] is right in that a Glock from 1988 is 98 percent as good as new one.

Separately, what will happen to all of the guns that Americans bought during the BLM protests? There were a lot of first-time gun owners who aren’t committed to maintaining proficiency at the range, cleaning the weapons, etc. Will there be a public health emergency of misfires a few years from now as these guns sit?

Firearms advice from our next president (however briefly he may serve):

(my friends above beg to differ; “Best home defense is 6 inch 300 BLK SBR with 30 round mag with silencer and Aimpoint.” What about Biden’s idea of a double-barreled shotgun? “Those are for clay shooting. No one uses those for home defense. They are for shooting small birds so have 22-inch barrels. And if you saw it off, it is life in prison.”)

13 thoughts on “Essential shopping at the gun store”

  1. Well, some gun owners, and I know personally quite a few, turned the hobby into an obsession, perhaps even religion. Some even “reload brass” to save money I presume.

    As to the suppressor aka “silencer” as far as I remember it it illegal to own one in MA.

  2. I agree that a double-barrel shotgun is a bad idea for a home defense weapon. Unless your idea of home defense is standing on the porch, shooting salt at those young whippersnappers.

    A 300 BLK SBR w/ 30 rd mag, silencer (?), and Aimpoint would be cool, particularly if you envision your home defense like a SEAL team clearing a building.

    There are probably as many ideas about “the best home defense” weapon as there are shooters.

  4. Ugh. No regard for skill level?

    Vast majority are going to fare better with a pump shotgun.

    Surrounded by neighbors and family in other rooms there’s no way I’m going to discharge my pistol inside the house.

  5. The COVID 19 lockdowns and security theater are enforced notably more lightly in areas where there are high levels of private gun ownership.

  6. No Warning Shots! Mas Ayoob (and many others) has taught it for decades doing it is almost always illegal and stupid, and the answer is “No!”

    https://reason.com/2013/02/21/gun-expert-joe-biden-advises-his-wife-to/

    Pump shotguns are great home defense weapons, as @Czar alludes. Very powerful, rugged, inexpensive to own, care for and shoot. Double-barrel guns are archaic for that purpose, your friend is correct, but a lot of people collect them and use them for clays/birds.

    As far as AD/ND (Accidental Discharge/Negligent Discharge) is concerned, if you don’t follow The Rules, you can have problems. Fortunately, they’re simple.

    The 5 Basic Principles of Gun Safety:

    Always treat every gun as if it were loaded.
    Always point your gun in a safe direction.
    Never point your gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot.
    Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.
    Be sure of your target and what’s beyond.

    • “The 5 Basic Principles of Gun Safety:

      Always treat every gun as if it were loaded.
      Always point your gun in a safe direction.
      Never point your gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot.
      Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.
      Be sure of your target and what’s beyond.”

      I learned this in a Massachusetts Hunter Safety class as a young teen in the mid-70s.

  7. @Philg:

    >Will there be a public health emergency of misfires a few years from now as these guns sit?

    Not an epidemic. You’ll have a few malfunctions, maybe some squib loads, hang fires, failures to eject, feed, etc. I doubt many people will be injured, but you might have a handful out of millions. Unless you have a truly obstructed barrel or a broken weapon, it takes quite a bit to cause a pistol to fail so catastrophically that it injures or kills someone. It happens, but it’s very rare. Most of the time, if the gun doesn’t go bang correctly, you know right away and you might get a scare, but very few people are killed or severely injured.

    And that’s with millions of guns, including lots of very old weapons, already in circulation.

    It’s like buying a car and letting it sit in the driveway for three years, then jumping in and expecting to turn the key and vrooom away. Most people, even careless people, will not do this.

    People should RTFM, for sure. It’s a gun. You know – dangerous? If you have dangerous things and don’t treat them with some care and respect, you could get hurt.

    I don’t mean to sound glib but there aren’t very many statistics to guide me on this. Generally speaking, firearm malfunctions happen, people post something on a forum with a picture, they pick up the pieces and buy a new gun. I don’t think anyone rigorously tracks malfunctions, so it’s hard to establish a baseline.

    • “You’ll have a few malfunctions, maybe some squib loads, hang fires, failures to eject, feed, etc. ”

      That’s why I carry a revolver. Pull the trigger, gun goes bang. Every time.

  8. I’m inclined to agree with Deplorable Prole. I’m very fond of my CZ 75, and I’ve never had a problem with failure to eject, etc. But for bedside table I prefer a revolver. But I also agree w/ Czar – if I lived in an apartment or smaller home and was dealing with an intruder already inside the home I would probably prefer the pump action shotgun. I’d be concerned about the possibility of injuring family members with anything bigger than a 22

  10. Funny how the Trump administration trashed the fortunes of the NRA (aka the “Gun Manufacturer’s Association”). Under Trump, members no longer felt the need to contribute to a lobbying group to defend their right to shoot people own guns.

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