Firearm Choices

[Kyreax]

Have a couple.

I have a Sig Sauer P228 9mm (law enforcement model) that has nice squishy grips on it and has such a low jam percentage that I can't remember how many years it has been since it jammed. Excellent gun. Too bad they don't make it for the public anymore.

I also have a Glock 23 .40 cal that was recommended to me by an ex Navy Seal and a couple policemen friends of mine as being intuitive to use. It is.

Of course, neither are great for concealment - too big unless maybe under a jacket. I had an Arizona CCW permit but it has expired and I've been too lazy to go retake the class.

Either way, too bad we're not allowed to protect ourselves in the trucks!

On the plus-side, AZ is an open carry state! Gotta love the cowboy West.

 

[LDB]

For one's personal defense, for beginners as mentioned in the OP, I suggest either 9mm or 357mag chambering using 9mm and 38spl ammo . There are several other good calibers however for the beginner these two are the best. They are the easiest to master and anywhere that sells ammo will have it available. I also recommend Glock pistols and Smith and Wesson revolvers. There are other excellent brands as well as other very good choices. Those two are the top of their respective categories. Some people can't deal with not seeing a hammer on the pistol and for them Sig is the next best choice. It has one drawback. It is couble action on the first pull and single action on the rest. That means you must learn and master two different pulls not just one. If one were forced to use it in that one instance we all hope never comes the least variables to master the best.

 

[spudhead911]

Springfield Armory makes a nice 9mm. I like their XD models. One thing to remember is that if you have to unholster the weapon in a live or die situation, make sure you can pull the trigger with the intent of killing another human being. If you are not sure that you can do it, and many can't, then you should not be carrying a firearm. One other thing is that if you pull the weapon and freeze, the other person WILL take the weapon from you and shoot you dead.

 

[wallytrucker1]

Like Leo said, carry a spare mag or speed loader. Was involved in a off duty gun BATTLE with no spare and I was thinking, OH s@#$, now what. Lucky my aim and training was better than dirtbag. I've been shooting the Tarus 9mm PT92 with zero problems. Rented an H K 45 cal, very nice. Took my ccw here in AZ , very poor class for beginners. Practice, practice practice cuz when it hits the fan, it's going to be reaction to what youve been taught and your training. Practice at very close range, love to see guys at the range shooting paper at 40 yards.

 

[Fr8 Shaker]

Michigan is or at least was an open carry state, but if your not in a field you can probably expect to be stopped every 20 feet.

 

[bluejaybee]

packing.org is long gone. Try instead: Handgunlaw.us I find it useful for such info on CCW.

 

[maybe_driving]

you can have a gun in your truck. It is a state thing and not a Fed thing, I can carry in 33 states with a NC permit. I called them and ask and was told I had to follow all state rules.

 

[D Team Brothers]

As a retired police officer I recommend other forms of self-defense. My experience is that half those that relie on a gun for defense usually don't have it with them when they need it and get themselves hurt while thinking about what to do because they don't have their gun. And the other half aren't prepapred to use the gun, have it taken away by the bad guy and used against them.

 

[spudhead911]

you can have a gun in your truck. It is a state thing and not a Fed thing, I can carry in 33 states with a NC permit. I called them and ask and was told I had to follow all state rules.

It is against the law to carry any kind of firearm in a commercial motor vehicle. I don't know where you got your information from, but you had better not get caught with a firearm in your CMV. Better look up the federal DOT regs.

 

[LDB]

Federal law prohibits a firearm in a CMV, concealed permit or not. It's arguable keeping it in the sleeper out of reach of the cab since technically the sleeper is not part of the truck but is your "home". The challenges of defending that position are significant.

 

[LDB]

I wouldn't say don't become proficient with and prepared to use a firearm because at times they aren't available. That's nobody's fault except the person who didn't have it with them. Unless you have to go through metal detectors or personal searches there's no reason to ever be without it.

The more important issue is being prepared to use it if you must. I consider that a non-issue. If the other person chooses to push things to that point I will respond to their choice immediately and fully.

 

[spudhead911]

Federal law prohibits a firearm in a CMV, concealed permit or not. It's arguable keeping it in the sleeper out of reach of the cab since technically the sleeper is not part of the truck but is your "home". The challenges of defending that position are significant.

I don't know about saying the sleeper is not part of the truck Leo. IMO, which might not count for much, if the sleeper could be disconnected from the truck, like a trailer, you might have a leg to stand on. But the sleeper can't be detached, so I would think that for all intent and purpose, the sleeper would be considered part of the truck. I would not want to give the sleeper is not part of the truck reason to a state trooper, who pulled me over, or pulled me in the scales for an inspection, and found the firearm. I just don't think that answer would hold water. I could be wrong, but i wouldn't want to lose my firearm and/or my pistol permit over it.

 

[greg334]

NO go on the sleeper, it is a regulated part of the vehicle and as such it is part of the overall regulations.

 

[spudhead911]

Looked it up. Every part of the vehicle, from the front bumper to the rear ICC bumper is considerd part of the CMV, including the attached trailer.

 

[LDB]

I am not suggesting or promoting it, just saying it's a possible argument. I had a saved citation to a regulation worded in such a way the argument could be made. Whether it could be won or not is quite another thing. I can no longer find that citation so until I do I only have a recollection of wording that suggests the argument is presentable, if not winnable.

 

[kwexpress]

I gues the firearm of my choice would depend on if I was defending or killing.

I prefer killing

not people

 

[greg334]

Leo,
I agree with you but let's be practical here. I can't see anything presentable here because of th following reasons;

1 - to mount a defensible argument would require a big risk and lots of money.

2 - to find a real defense team that would counter the Brady bunch group and all the other feel good idiots would be hard to do. Again lots and lots of money.

3 - the bigger problem is the public is already against trucks, it would be hard to find sympathy in today's society that is needed.

4 - the most important thing is would you want to ruin your career to find out if it is presentable? I wouldn't.

 

[LDB]

Again, I am not suggesting it or promoting it, just saying there is code out there somewhere to make it arguable. I'm not trying it myself, although by not doing so my Constitutional rights are being violated. That's a different thread though. This one is about which firearm to choose and I've addressed that properly above.

 

[maybe_driving]

spudhead911 I got my info. from the guys that make the rules. I call the FMCSA and ask them to show me the ordinance in their book , they said there was not one. The only thing they could find was that a driver has to follow all state rules. I have also talked to the DOT guys at the range and was told, not a problem if I have a permit. So what page did you find it on?

 

[bluejaybee]

I am neither for or against carry a weapon, but search I have for a regulation against it. I have yet to find one. I personally wouldn't want to get caught with one in a truck, but I know for a fact there are alot of drivers packing.