Will Your Carry Gun Work When You Need It?

Will your carry gun work when you need it? Are you sure? Recently I read an article by Greg Ellifritz on the subject. Ellifritz is a retired law enforcement officer (LEO) and is currently an author and trainer. He trains LEOs and civilians through his Active Response Training School. In addition, he writes regularly, and his website is a great source for firearms and Second Amendment related information.

In the article, Ellifritz relates a personal story where he was forced to carry a gun that was not his usual carry firearm. He hadn’t checked it in a while and when he went to use it at the range, he found rust had developed on the cylinder crane and the cylinder wouldn’t operate.

After reading the article, I started thinking about our growing concealed carry population in San Diego. How often do people train with their carry gun and are they sure of its condition?

I typically train with my primary carry gun several times each month. That amount of training works for me because of my situation. I regularly work range safety officer (RSO) shifts and I’m also a firearms instructor, so I have more opportunity on the range than most.

But what about the average person, how often do they shoot? As someone who teaches concealed carry qualification classes I can say, at least anecdotally, it seems that many don’t shoot as often as they should. We see a number of people that only shoot a couple of times in a year. It seems like a monthly trip to the range would be a good minimum goal to shoot for.

If you do shoot monthly the next concern is how often do you attend a class with a qualified firearms instructor? If you’ve got bad habits, you’re probably just reinforcing them at the range. A good goal is to try to attend at least two formal firearms classes each year. Take what you learn in class and practice those things at the range.

If you do shoot regularly and train formally, the next question that comes up is how often do you clean your carry gun? Do you always know the condition of your carry gun? How many rounds can you go between cleanings? How long can you go before lack of cleaning causes your gun to malfunction?

I carry a Glock19 most of the time. I shoot my carry gun regularly but unfortunately, I don’t clean it as often as I should. I also know that my Glock can go hundreds of rounds between cleanings without malfunctioning. I own several Glocks and they are all very reliable in that way. Some guns are more sensitive to being dirty than others. Know your gun and how it operates, what it likes and what it doesn’t like and proceed accordingly. Your life may depend on it.

The right to self-defense is a basic human right. Gun ownership is an integral part of that right. If you want to keep your rights defend them by joining San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO) in San Diego, Orange County Gun Owners (OCGO) in Orange County, San Bernardino County Gun Owners (SBCGO) in San Bernardino County or Riverside County Gun Owners (RCGO) in Riverside. Support the cause by listening to Gun Owners Radio live on Sunday afternoon or on the internet at your leisure. Join the fight and help us restore and preserve our second amendment rights. Together we will win.

©2021 Joseph T Drammissi