Make sure you select good quality firearms accessories; your life could depend on it.
Let’s start with a way to store it. You are responsible for the safe storage of your firearm. For many first-time firearms owners, a firearms safe is likely not necessary, but a secure steel handgun vault is. Handgun vaults come in a variety of sizes and shapes that are designed to provide quick access for you while denying those who shouldn’t have access to it.
When selecting a vault, make sure that it can be secured to something like a closet shelf, a nightstand or something else significantly large to prevent someone from walking away with it. If you’re going to use it in your vehicle, there should be a cable that can wrap around a permanent part of your car like the seat post. The most basic vaults use a key to secure them and are often a good choice. If you don’t want to rely on a key and/or there are multiple people that you want to have access to it, a button-type combination locking device is likely a better choice.
The most expensive vaults come with fingerprint sensors. They provide easy access but only if they are working correctly, your fingerprint is not obscured, and you scan your fingerprint the same way you did when setting it up.
The majority of defensive handgun uses occur in less-than-optimal lighting conditions. Safety rule No. 4 tells us we must know our target and what is beyond it, so you’ll need a quality, reliable light source. There have been tremendous improvements in “tactical” LED lights in the last decade and they now easily produce well over the 500 lumens of light that many consider the minimum.
You have two choices for types of lights: the first is handheld and the second is a weapon-mounted light, which actually goes right on your handgun. For the average civilian in a personal defensive situation, a handheld light is much more flexible because you can use it to identify a potential threat without having to draw your firearm and point it in the general direction. For that reason, we recommend a quality handheld light that has a tail switch (on the end, opposite the lens) to activate it. We strongly suggest that you receive training on and practice frequently with whichever light source you decide is right for you.
If you are planning to carry your firearm, you’ll need a quality holster that properly protects the trigger guard and retains the firearm well. There are multiple levels of firearm holster retention, starting with level one. A level one holster uses friction between the holster and the firearm to hold it in place. Some have adjustments so you can set that friction level to one you’re comfortable with. Keep in mind that a level one holster may not retain your firearm in a highly active scenario like a physical altercation.
Level two holsters use a locking device that must be released before the firearm can be removed. They have very little, if any, friction, so drawing and reholstering can be done much more easily.
Finally, many of today’s modern firearms can be fitted with an optical sight. The red or green holographic sights add the benefits of shooting with both eyes open, so your peripheral vision is much better. They are also much more accurate for most people as the distance to the target increases. Do your research, as not all optics will fit all handguns.
Make sure you select good quality firearms accessories; your life could depend on it. FBN
By Rob Wilson
Rob Wilson is the owner (with his wife, Elise) of Timberline Firearms & Training in Flagstaff. They offer a full line of firearms, accessories, safes and ammunition along with Liberty Safes. For more information, visit timberlinefirearms.us.
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