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1. 

   Dr. Stephen Spies says:

   February 5, 2015 at 11:47 pm

   Quite honestly, to a certain extent this amounts to “much ado about nothing”. When I started my post-military career in Federal law enforcement we carried revolvers with .357Mag ammunition (for agents in non-urban areas who would qualify with this ammo, otherwise agents would carry .38Spl. ammunition in the same firearms). My first “issue” firearm was a short barrel Colt Python, you have no idea how much I miss that firearm. It was a seized firearm that had been certified by an agency armorer. We then went to S&W Model 66 revolvers, then SigSauer P226 (for SRT) P225 for backup, & P228 for standard day to day carry. After retiring and entering into private practice, a part of which was advising agencies and others as to the suitability of firearms &/or ammunition, and took an appointment as a Chief of Police to assist a municipality during the course of which the department, being a small one in a rural area where any backup at all could be as much as 70 miles away and not on the Interstates, we adopted the FN Herstal 5.7mm pistol as our standard (mandatory) firearm to allow for the ability of each officer to carry a sufficient quantity of ammunition to be self-sustaining in the event of an incident requiring the availability of a firearm and ammunition that had the ability to penetrate personal protection Level III body armor, and to permit self-sustentation until a backup officer or trooper can arrive on scene. Now, back in private practice, I carry a Springfield Armory XDs pistol in .45ACP. The key to all of this is for the individual to assess his/her personal protection (accepting that agencies will require some degree of standardization for litigation and uniformity concerns), integrate into the process their ability to achieve the necessary degree of proficiency with the specific firearm and caliber, then recognize the realities of economic constraints and then buy the most suitable firearm, in the most suitable caliber for their individual usage. I have the personal good fortune to have a test range and facility on our grounds which gives me the opportunity to fire my weapons frequently to permit me to maintain proficiency, and through our clients I have the opportunity to evaluate a number of currently produced firearms. In all actuality, I was comfortable in active law enforcement carrying that Colt Python, as I was with the SigSauer P226 and the FNHerstal 5.7mm. I am quite comfortable carrying the Springfield Armory XDs, and am not deterred by the fact that it is limited by its single-stack magazine to the amount of ammunition available without reloading, but then again I was also comfortable carrying that Python revolver, so there is not much change. These days I do not “hit the streets” nor do I perform as either an Operator, or as a Negotiator on Special Operations Units, nor do I execute arrest or search warrants on a regular basis. In fact, except should the need arise for me to protect myself from an adversary and need to resort to lethal force in doing so, in which case any of the firearms that I own and carry, and shoot regularly will perform that role, my principle weapon for the intervention in criminal activity, should I be unfortunate enough to witness it, and moreso unfortunate enough to need to intervene as the means of preserving the life of a victim of a violent crime is my Blackberry smartphone. I have been retired long enough that many of the officers on the street would not know, or recognize me, and I would prefer not to be standing there explaining to them that they may find my retired credentials in my suit coat pocket, and would they either individually remove my firearm and care for it, or allow me to remove it with my weak hand, all fingers outside the trigger guard and gently place it in the location of their choice rather than dropping it and possibly causing damage to it. And, most of all I do not wish to being mistaken by an armed civilian or new officer in his/her first confrontation as being the armed perpetrator and depend upon them to sort it all out while facing me, or any other armed individual who may present a threat, despite the fact that I would routinely advise any dispatcher or operator to inform the responding officer(s) of my presence, and provide them with a description of what I was wearing so that they would be able to pass this information on to the responding officers for the safety of all involved. All modern firearms in such calibers as the .357Mag, 9mm, 10mm, .40S&W, .45ACP will provide any armed citizens with adequate means for self-protection, if said individual takes the necessary time to practice and to develop proficiency with such a firearm.

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2. 

   Michael says:

   March 23, 2015 at 12:24 pm

   Heard you on Targething radio on WNIR. Impressed! Looking for a suitable course to improve my shooting/self defense skills.

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   • 

     PaulCarlson says:

     March 23, 2015 at 2:35 pm

     Michael – Thanks for reaching out. I’ll send you an email and we can discuss what might be the right course for you. Paul

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