Back to home defense. After reviewing the last post on the subject I wanted to add some additional information. There are defensive training resources out there that one can sign up for. The NRA has developed two courses that address personal protection. One is the Basic Personal Protection in the Home Course and the other is Personal Protection Outside the Home Course. Each are one day courses which cost anywhere from $150-180 and may satisfy some safety requirements you may be trying to fulfill. I recommend them to anyone that wants to become comfortable with using a gun for self defense. They are taught by NRA certified instructors providing professional instruction and materials. One of the courses will have you at the gun range shooting the same day. Instructors will even provide you a semi automatic gun to complete the course.

One more try, back to home defense. We covered the shotgun as a means to defend oneself. Now, lets talk about the handguns. There are two types, revolvers like those seen in the old west and civil war movies and semi-automatic pistols which we see in many of todays movie and TV shows. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

The revolver is the simpler of the two to use. Its design makes it intuitive to operate and easy to determine if it is loaded or not. A malfunctioning round doesn’t require special intervention to clear, just pull the trigger for the next round. They are easier to take care of with fewer moving parts and mechanisms to clean or oil.

Semi-automatics carry more bullets, from 8 to 33 rounds and faster to reload. They are slimmer in design making them easier handle and conceal for defense. Actual shooting of a semi-auto is easier as less strength is needed for pulling the trigger. Picatinny rails are common to semi-autos which are used to attach accessories to. Things like a laser light, flash light, or a combination unit of both. A telescopic sight or scope can also be attached. All of these are used to assist in identifying and aiming the weapon at the target.

As you can see each type has their advantages. A conservative belt and suspenders guy might decide a revolver is the way to go. That is because of its simplicity and least likely to malfunction. Then there are the throw as many bullets at’em as you can kinda guys. They are comfortable and familiar with their gun, capable of maintaining it and clearing a dud round if needed. Perhaps they’ve even added an accessory such as a flashlight to it. I’ll continue with what I chose in the next post. In the meantime a little entertainment.