A Gun For My Wife, Pt 1

I've been getting into a lot of discussions lately with husbands, both police officers and ordinary citizens, who want to buy guns for their wives. Please note, I'm using husbands and wives loosely here, it could just as well be significant other or other close family members, such as daughters, sisters, etc. The fact is that people are definitely feeling more vulnerable at this point in time and the reasons are mounting. In our area, for example, there has been a dramatic increase in home invasions and burglaries. This has also been complicated by some recent severe flooding that has brought out people acting suspiciously like prospective looters, who are showing up in areas isolated by high waters.

The types of crimes may vary from area to area, but one universal concern is that financial cuts have thinned the Thin Blue Line severely, and people are realizing that they may well have to look out for themselves. Officers know better than anyone the kind of crimes being committed and how handicapped they are in proactively protecting the public. As a result, police officers have been expressing increasing concern for the safety of their loved ones while they are at work. Admittedly, their families don't always share their concern, so are not motivated to have a firearm for personal protection. In other cases, it is the family member who is initiating the purchase of a gun. Whatever the motivation, the trend is building.

I feel I should go on record at this point as saying that firearms ownership is not for everyone. If you are not sufficiently motivated to accept the responsibilities related to safety, training and the consequences of the potential use of a gun for self defense, you should not be a gun owner. I mention that because there have been a number of cases where hubby has come into the store without his wife, or his wife has been present, but clearly uninterested in the whole activity. As far as I'm concerned, this is not a ho-hum situation and the purchase of any firearm should not be taken lightly.

Guys, if she doesn't want a gun, work on her motivation before you insist that she have one anyway. For those who are serious the conversation frequently begins this way: I want a gun for my wife. I'd like something small and lightweight, that doesn't have much recoil and isn't too expensive. Sometimes they add: I don't want to spend too much money, 'cause hell, she'll probably never shoot it anyway. Okay, so we all approach this in our own way. But telling me you don't put much faith in your wife's interest or motivation, as well as telling me it isn't worth spending too much money to protect her life, just isn't getting us off on the right foot.

I love it when men come in the door with their wives and say: Give her whatever one she wants. I want her to be comfortable with it. And, believe it or not, that happens frequently. I won't bore you with the stories, but there have been a couple of instances recently in our shop where the husband wasn't even involved in the discussion until the selection was made. However, you do need some criteria for making a selection, so lets use the stereotypical woman's gun requirements to examine what you should be thinking about when selecting a gun. Remember the list from above? Small, light, little or no recoil and not very expensive.

SMALL

Small seems to always lead the list. Mostly this comes from the fact that women generally have smaller hands than men. What is important, however, is the size of their hands in relation to the gun, not to their husband's hands. Another reason for small is that people think small is more portable, easier to stash in a pocket or purse or just stick in a drawer somewhere. Well, small is sometimes better if you plan on carrying it, but there are problems with small that relate to how effectively you can shoot the gun. There is such a thing as too small for proper grip, sight alignment and the capacity and effectiveness of the gun's ammunition. Proper grip and proper trigger reach are essential elements of safe and accurate shooting.