On The Wild Side

How does concealed-carry training differ for women?” As a firearms trainer at Gunsite Academy, when I was asked this question, the expected topics sprang to mind: Should we adapt our clothing to firearms, or is it the other way around? Should we choose handguns that are best suited for us smaller folk? Should we carry in a purse (on-body carry is always better, but there are times…)?

While people still snicker at Joe Biden’s famous “self-defense” advice (“Buy a shotgun! Buy a shotgun!… If there’s ever a problem, just walk out on the balcony and fire two blasts outside the house…”), I’m still disappointed by the widespread belief that the shotgun requires less skill at arms than other guns used for defense.  And by people who should know better! It’s not just what people like Joe Biden have said—though he certainly did us no favors. Misinformation about all firearms continues daily, simply through osmosis—what people see on TV and in the movies, what they hear others say. But the myth seems to be the worst for shotguns.

Your handgun just went bang – sort of.

Something didn’t quite sound or feel right. You heard a not-as-loud-as-usual “bang” and/or felt a lighter-than-normal recoil. It’s entirely possible that a “squib load” found it’s way into your ammo supply.