I may buy a gun for when I volunteer at our local Democratic office. Seeking advice.

[krispos42]

45. There are about a million ways a scenario could play out at your office

Everything from "random gunfire from passing vehicle" to "local militia attacks headquarters looking for child sex ring in basement".

Everything is variable because your hypothetical attackers will be amateurs. Motivation, determination, goals, plans, contingency plans, preparation, and equipment can range from "this seemed like a good idea last week when we were drunk" to "we are Christian warriors on a mission for the unborn". They may seek to avoid the cops, or seek to engage them in a high-drama, media-friendly hostage situation.

Regardless, your purpose in carrying concealed is to protect YOU. You're not Rambo, John McClane, Harry Tasker, or Martin Riggs.

And you're going to be surprised when this happens, whatever it is. Remember that. There will be no warning.


So, first question: are you willing to kill one or more people to protect yourself and others?

If the answer to that is "no", then I would suggest getting a big can of bear-grade pepper spray. Blasting the room full of choking gas will probably end whatever is going on, but will indiscriminately incapacitate people. Might be a good thing; your amateur attackers, facing this unexpected action, will probably abort their "mission" and run away before the cops show up. Panicked people streaming for the exits to escape the spray will deny them any control. This also gives you a chance to call 911.


If you answer "yes", then you should probably first review the rules that you volunteer under. It's very possible there's a "no guns" policy there. If you choose to break policy and carry anyway, then be aware you risk losing your position, at the minimum. This also means "concealed is concealed". Always have the gun on you, always, and never tell anybody you have one.

Your gun should be revolver-simple to operate because you don't want to be dealing with safeties and hammers when there's a crisis. The Glock pistol is the archetype of this: no separate safety lever to move, no hammer to worry about cocking, consistent trigger press shot-to-shot. There are lots of Glock-type pistols on the market. Or you could carry a hammerless revolver for the same reasons.

The gun should be as big as you can comfortably conceal. A gun with a single-stack magazine will be thinner than a double-stack magazine, so keep that in mind. It should be rounded and smooth so it won't snag on clothing.

There are lots of these types of guns available. Try several to get a feeling for what works best with your ergonomic needs. Gun ranges often have gun rentals, so you can try out several brands and models for fit and function right there at the range.

Once you decide what you want, don't forget to shop the used-gun market. You should be able to find a reasonably new used gun for a decent price.

Laser signs are very small and light nowadays, and generally help, especially shooting from a weird position (such as hiding behind a desk).

Caliber should be .380 ACP or 9mm Luger for a pistol. For a revolver get a .38 Special +P or a .357 Magnum, or a .327 Federal Magnum. The .327 will usually give you one more round of capacity compared to a .38/.357 (e.g., 6 rounds versus 5). You can go bigger but the recoil can start to get fierce.

Revolvers give you options for power levels for practice as well as carry because they do not rely on the power of the cartridge to operate a mechanism, and they are backwards-compatible with older cartridges.

.38 Special +P can also shoot regular .38 Special cartridges.
.357 Magnum can also shoot .38 Special (regular or +P).
.327 Fed Mag can also shoot lower powered .32 H&R Magnum cartridges.

Carry a reload, and carry a flashlight. Use defense-designed ammo from a reputable manufacturer. Make sure it's intended for a gun of your size; smaller guns have shorter barrels and a lower muzzle velocity. Ammo makers design bullets based on this now, so do a little research. For example, Hornady makes a 9mm Critical Duty cartridge (designed for guns with a 4" barrel, that is, a standard police sidearm) and a 9mm Critical Defense cartridge (designed for guns with a 3" barrel, that is, most concealable guns).

Practice! A lot! If possible, do some competitive shooting, where you have to shoot from cover and do tactical reloads and stuff.

Know the self-defense laws in your state! And if, god forbid you actually have to use the gun, lawyer up! You'll want time to come to terms with events before you make a statement, and you'll want your lawyer there to keep you from saying something dumb.


A sampling of guns to think about, in no particular order.

Springfield Armory XD-S and XD-E pistols
Ruger LCP, LCP II, EC9, LP9, and LCP380 pistols
Ruger LCR, LCRx, and SP101 revolvers
Smith & Wesson M&P Shield, M&P Bodyguard pistols
Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 38, Model 640, Model 642 revolvers
Glock 43 pistol
Walther PPS, PPS M2, and CCP pistols