How to Obtain A Concealed Carry Permit

in Washington

By Jana Kurrle

Does Washington issue Concealed Carry Permits?
> Yes, Washington is a ‘shall issue’ state, meaning the state is required to furnish a permit if you can pass a background check.
> No Training is needed to apply for your permit, but as a responsible gun owner you will want to train as much as possible. Get more training information here.

Where do you apply for your CPL?
> In an unincorporated area of a county in WA, you will go to your County Sheriffs Office. In Snohomish County, WA, where West Coast Armory North is also located, the County Sheriff’s office is located in the County Court House in Everett, WA.
> In incorporated city limits, you will go to your local police department.

What days and times do they issue CPL?
> The time varies from police departments, so call ahead to make sure of the days and time.

WHAT do I need?
> They will fingerprint you and conduct a background check.
> Call your local LE department find out what you need to bring for documentation
> It generally takes 30 days to get your license and it is good for 5 years for WA residents.


Cost for WA Residents: $50.75
Renewal: $32.0
Late Renewal: $42.00
Replacing your Lost/Stolen Concealed Pistol License: $10
Alien Firearm License: $80.75 (with fingerprints submitted electronically)
                 $90.75 (with fingerprints submitted via mail)
From: Snohomish CO Sheriff's Office fee schedule


WA State Revised Code of Washington:
http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/firearms/faconcealreq.html
Obtaining your Concealed Pistol License/Frequently Asked Questions: http://snohomishcountywa.gov/353/Concealed-Pistol-Licenses
http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/firearms/faconceal.html
Concealed Carry Information:
www.usacarry.com (may not be up to date for your state)
You need to know where you can lawfully carry your concealed handgun:www.handgunlaw.us
Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife “Firearms Safety, The Law and You” Handbook (also available in hard copy where firearms are sold):
http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01492/wdfw01492.pdf

Questions to Ask at the Gun Store

Gun Handling Etiquette and

Questions to Ask in a Gun Shop

By Ginger Hallberg

So it's your first time in a gun shop, or maybe you've visited once or twice; but you really aren’t sure about the etiquette of handling firearms. Remembering a few of these suggestions will put the staff at ease and help insure you have a positive and informative experience.

First thing is to always follow the Universal Firearm Safety Rules:

1. ALWAYS treat all guns as LOADED.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to shoot.
3. Keep your finger indexed above the trigger guard
     unless your sights are on target and you have decided to fire.
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind and beyond it.

If you have your own firearm and have questions or even concerns about it, make sure it's in a case when you bring it into the shop. (Walking into any business with a gun in your hand is likely to cause unnecessary excitement and is just generally considered rude!) Leave the gun in the case while you talk to the staff and let them know why you brought it in. At that point you can just hand the case to the staff and let them take the gun out, check its status and help you with your inquiry.
   
When asking questions don't be shy, no matter if you feel like it's a silly question. We have all been newbies at one time and we are all still learning everyday. If you're not sure what you want out of a firearm, ask the staff for suggestions. (See article: “Most Popular Handguns For Women”). It helps to know, or have a good idea what you want to use the handgun for. Range practice only? Concealed carry? Have a budget in mind, which includes caliber choice and the price of ammo.    

If you're looking for a concealed carry option, make sure you ask about holsters and for ideas about how best to conceal your handgun. Ask the staff how they carry concealed. (Also see our concealed carry article "Choosing a Holster" - coming soon!)

More Questions to ask:

• What are the differences in firing actions and what does that mean for shooting?
• Can I easily change the sights on the gun if I don't like them?  
• Is it okay for me to dry fire and if so, where? 
• How do I properly grip the firearm?
• Are accessories easy to find for this particular firearm (such as magazines)? 
• How can I secure this gun when I’m not carrying it?
• How do I clean my gun and what should I use to clean it? 
• What kind of options do I have for range bags? 
• What's the best recommendation for good ear-pro? What else do I need?
• Can I try out this gun before I purchase it? 
• Do you offer classes, or can you recommend where to take safety and defensive classes? 

     
There are many firearms to choose from. Your visit to a gun shop will have best results if you come prepared with your questions and a plan for what you want to look for. The staff may ask you questions to help you in the process; but when you have some general ideas in advance, the staff can help you find what best suits you and your shooting interests.

How Much Practice is Enough?

How Much Practice is Enough?

By Martha Holschen

You may have heard it said many times, in many contexts that the path to mastery of anything takes 10,000 hours of practice. What defines practice? If you practice a technique wrong a thousand times, that technique will not magically become right. Then, to change that wrong technique to something more efficient, another two thousand hours. To cut to the chase from the philosophical generalizations, I hope to give you some practical information about developing proficiency with your handgun.

Can your practice prepare you for a life-threatening situation? Imagine yourself a mother of three, at home alone with the children. You hear someone breaking in downstairs. You gather the children as you have practiced and retreat to the safe/bed-room. You have your handgun in your hands. The intruder has come up the stairs and against your warnings, broken into the room through the locked door. Are you prepared for what needs to happen next?

In addition to basic drills for shooting, there are other skills to put on the agenda for making you a functional defensive shooter. A philosophy I have adopted is: Mental Conditioning is the most important skill you can cultivate. Mental conditioning consists of efforts to train and improve your: mindset, awareness, and decision making (specifically decision making relevant to the use of force). Next most important is to learn about the tactics which give you a greater chance of success in any use of force encounter. This includes topics such as; optimized use of cover, pieing to move through buildings, and how to minimize your exposure when entering or leaving your car. Third is to develop the skill-set needed to use the equipment you have at hand (i.e., your handgun) to the full extent of its capabilities. Fourth is to select and purchase good quality equipment. Your equipment does not have to be the most expensive available. It does have to meet your personal needs and criteria. What counts most is that you know where it is, how to use it best and can access it quickly at any given time.


First, have you had any formal training? That would be a course you paid money for (or given as a gift). Uncle Seth taking you out to the dump to shoot at some tin cans doesn’t count. You may have learned from him. You may have learned some good skills from him. But is he really an expert on defensive use of a firearm? What I want to propose here is, that the training that qualifies has at least these seven criteria:

1) The Instructor(s) have life and occupational experience from which they gained their expertise and passion (passion alone can be an illusion of wisdom) for what they teach. There is no more effective instruction out there, than what you can learn from someone of this description. They also need to have personal skills well above the level they teach. Also, how long have they been teaching? Teaching skills grow over time too.

2) The teaching/learning environment was conducive to your learning new skills. When you feel safe in class and get help when needed, the learning experience stays with you. You also don’t have to worry about someone else there being unsafe.

3) You can recall the skills taught with enough accuracy and be able to at least describe them to someone else. This is a great way to test what you actually learned. Ideally you will end the class with some confidence that you can continue to practice and improve on your own.

4) Do they cover skill sets that address your personal limitations? Do they help you discern what they are?

5) Do they cover legalities for the civilian concealed carry public?

6) Do they teach defensive tactics for civilians? There are instructors with police and military backgrounds who do not teach this. They cannot translate military or SWAT assault techniques into skills that you might find helpful in protecting your home, for instance.

7) Do they have a cohesive doctrine that puts all the pieces together to make everything fit hand in glove? For example, does moving the gun from the ready position to the target reinforce the path of moving the gun from the holstered position to the target, and vice versa.

You will need to shop around for those great instructors and training facilities. Do not rely upon what their devoted followers have to say. There are surprisingly, several cult-like groups around a few of these schools. It may involve a trip to that location. It’s a worthwhile investment! For those of you in the Seattle area, you have the good fortune to have one of the world-class training companies in the area (InSights Training Center.) Other local training companies invite guest trainers of the same caliber to teach in the area each year. If you do not want to fork out large sums of money for two-four day courses, some of the local ranges (like West Coast Armory North) offer classes in three to four hour sessions. We have a Handgun 101 class in which you can sample several different models of handguns and learn what to look for in a defensive handgun. If you already own a handgun and want to focus on fundamental handgun skills, we offer our Handgun 102 course.

Once you have a good quality skill set to build upon, then comes putting in the time for regular practice. The best practice time you can invest in is free! It requires just five to ten minute intervals dispersed over the course of your busy day. There are a few things necessary for this practice to happen. You need a place where you know you won’t be interrupted for those five to ten minutes, that also has a safe backstop to aim at (see Universal Firearms Handling Rules). What you will do for those minutes is the dry-fire practice drills covered in your excellent training. These drills can be found described in many places. I have read about, and heard others tell of how they did nothing but dry-fire practice for several critical weeks/months prior to some important competition and went on to win first place.

(Check out Olympic Gold Medalist Keith Sanderson discussing his dry fire practice here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=620LlSK3Oyo)

This is proof enough for me! But don’t take my word for it… go to the range and shoot a set sequence/drill that you can repeat later (save the target); then go home and do nothing but dry-fire practice for four weeks. Then go back to the range and shoot the sequence/drill you did before and compare your groups. I guarantee you will see an improvement. I can also guarantee that you will gain confidence in your gun handling skills. An additional benefit I have found is akin to taking time for meditation; no kidding. I take a break from whatever is keeping me busy, spend some time doing dry-fire drills; then I can get back to work refreshed and focused. Can’t beat that! OK, you could meditate. However, dry-fire practice accomplishes more.

Next comes actual time at the range doing live-fire practice. This is best done with reservation. This may seem counter-intuitive. The Dry-fire practice should be at least 70% of your total time spent training. Ammo costs also need to be figured into the budget. As you may have read elsewhere on our web site, there are options for getting in practice that you can do in the company of others with like-minded intent. This seems especially appealing for women new to the shooting world. You may find groups that just like to practice defensive shooting drills. Some may want to add some friendly competition to the mix. There are others that set up action shooting drills based on standards from various shooting associations. These drills are variations of what they use for matches, for those who may want to do the drills for fun, but may not necessarily compete. Competitors may even show up for practice. There is usually something for every level of skills. Check with your local range to see what is offered. We have folks willing to travel a bit further to come to events at our range. The point is to put in time effectively building your skills. Putting a target at ten yards and poking holes in it as fast as you can, may be fun, but it does not count as practicing defensive skills. Again, that excellent training will be the resource for those practice drills. There are also many resources online. Warning! Not everything you read is applicable to defensive shooting. Many shooting competitions use specialized guns and skill sets not appropriate for personal defensive tactics. There are also organizations with official sounding names that put out information one could most kindly deem skewed. I will list some reliable references at the end for you to investigate what works best for you.

All said and done, making this part of your lifestyle is the bottom line to being as prepared as you can for personal defense measures. Many women come to our classes because they have been the victim of an assault or were threatened. They refuse to be victims (again). My hat is off to them. I just recently saw a video through Facebook of a woman who survived two terrible assaults. She now carries with confidence. She was willing to share her story to the world to empower more women to make this choice. For every one of those kinds of stories, there are 100 or more of women who were not so fortunate. I hope what you have read here makes this process seem more doable for you. Yes, it involves a commitment. You will find more and more women willing to take those first steps. We can team together to keep the process going, so you too can carry with confidence. I pray every day to never have to draw my handgun in self-defense. My first choice is to not be where there is a problem. I can say with confidence that I can run if I need to; having recovered from serious leg injuries. Whatever your level of fitness now, can you include exercise to your skill-set acquisition? Not every woman has the option to run; all the more reason to have the best possible plan for your situation.


Resources:
https://us.glock.com/confidence/university
http://www.tacticalmoment.com
http://www.insightstraining.com/catalog.asp
http://www.westcoastarmorynorth.com/#!classes/cfvg


Books:
“In The Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection”
By Massad Ayoob

“The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence”
By Gavin de Becker

“Strong On Defense”
By Sanford Strong

Range Etiquette

Range Etiquette

By Jana Kurrle

1.  Follow the Gun Safety Rules

> Always treat all guns as loaded.

> Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to shoot.

> Keep your trigger finger indexed above the trigger guard, unless your sights are on target and you have decided to fire.

>  Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

2. Entering the range

> Make sure your firearm (pistol or rifle) is in a case or holster (walking into a range or store with a weapon in your hand is likely to cause unnecessary excitement and is just generally not polite.)

> Never take a firearm out of its case or holster unless you are at the firing line. *If you want/need your firearm looked at, give it in the case (or unholster where directed,) to a Range Safety Officer for them to clear and inspect.

3. First Time Shooters

> It is preferable that you bring an experienced shooter with you or get training before coming to the range. The Range Staff is there to insure general safety but does not have the ability to give you the one on one time & attention you will need as a new shooter.

> When you come in let the Range Staff know if this is your first time, or if you are a newer shooter, so that they can (as time allows) give you a bit of extra attention and answer any questions you may have.

> Pay close attention to the Range Rules – not just the Safety Rules, but range specific rules. For example: Rules about what calibers you can shoot, if you are allowed to draw from a holster, or if there are limits on rates of fire.

4. Listen to the Range Officer & Follow the Range Safety Rules

> The Range Safety Officer is present to make sure everyone is safe by enforcing the Range Safety Rules.

> Do not handle your firearms behind the firing line or while anyone is in front of firing line.

> Keep your firearm pointed directly down range (toward the berm) at all times.

> Insure that your angle of fire will cause all bullets to impact directly into the berm (not the walls, floor or ceiling.)

> Safety is everyone’s responsibility- anyone can and should call a cease-fire if they see an unsafe act. Report anything that you think may be unsafe to the Range Safety Officer.

5. If Someone Calls a Cease Fire

> Immediately stop firing.

> Put your weapon on safe and place it on the shelf in your booth.

> Step back, out of your firing booth leaving the firearm in place.

> Do not step back into your booth or touch your firearm for any reason.

> Await further instructions from the Range Safety Officer.

> Anyone can call a cease fire should they feel the need to. 

6. Follow the Range’s Specific Rules

> Many ranges do not allow steel/aluminum cased ammunition, or non-jacketed lead bullets. Check with the Range Staff prior to using your ammunition.

>  Some ranges have rules on caliber limits on firearms, or only allow single shots to be loaded at a time. Be courteous and follow the rules for each range you visit.

7. Don’t Interrupt Active Target Shooters

> If someone is actively shooting, don’t tap them on the shoulder or try to talk to them.

> The only exception to this rule: If you see that they (or someone else) could be in immediate danger, such as a malfunction you should call “Cease Fire” loud enough to be heard.

> If it isn’t serious enough to call a cease-fire you should wait until the shooter has finished their string of fire to talk with them.

8.  Don’t Hover Behind Shooters

> If you are observing, give some distance between yourself and the shooter.  It can be annoying having someone right behind you as you are shooting, not to mention it could pose a safety risk.

9. Never Touch Someone Else’s Firearm/Equipment Without Permission

> If you receive permission to pick up someone else’s firearm, make sure the first thing you do is clear the weapon, prior to handling it in any other way (always keeping the muzzle pointing down range, of course).

10.  Malfunctioning Firearm

> If you have a malfunctioning firearm, and are not comfortable clearing the malfunction; place the firearm on safe if possible, then set it on the shooting bench at the firing line, pointed down range and go ask a Range Safety Officer for assistance.  

11. Clean up After Yourself

> When you’re done shooting; take your target down, sweep your brass and pick up anything else left behind before you leave. Loose brass on the floor can be a safety issue. Each range has its own policy about what to do with brass. Ask if they do not tell you first. Do not throw empty ammo boxes down range. Place empty ammo boxes and used targets in designated receptacles.

12.  Shooting a new gun?

> If you have a gun you are firing for the first time let the Range Officers know.  They may be able to help out with any questions or issues you may have.

Finding a Local Range

Finding a Local Range

By Felicia Sinclair

     There are a few obvious points we’ll get out of the way right now- YES, we love West Coast Armory North as our range, and YES you will need to use the all-mighty Google. With that out of the way, let’s get down to the main point of this article: What to looking for when Picking a Range.

Step 1 – Find a Range near you!
     If you’re local to the Seattle area, we would love to have you come to our range. We work hard here at West Coast Armory North to make women of all walks of life feel comfortable. If you aren’t local to us, get on that Google machine and search for “shooting ranges near me” (or “near <insert your city here>”).

Step 2 – Look at ALL the reviews.
     And we mean ALL of them. Don’t just look on Yelp, Google+ or Facebook exclusively; you want to look at the overall ratings, and what specifically people have to say regarding their experience. You’ll see bad reviews because someone wasn’t happy they had to listen to a safety brief on their first visit to the range (no, I’m not kidding). Look for legitimate reasons to stay away from the range, or to give them a try. Reviews about being safe, having friendly staff, and the overall cost are things you want to be looking for. Make your experience a good one.

Step 3 – Check out their Website for Details
     First of all, if they don’t have a website with any detail, that’s a huge “no” for us. A business that is looking to educate and be a resource for their customers will have at least a bare bones website, with prices, location, contact information, and will be easy to navigate. We specifically recommend looking to see if they have events listed on their site somewhere; it might be under training/classes, or just a general range tab. Seeing ahead of time that they have a “Ladies Day” or “Women Only Classes” is a huge indication that as a woman, you’ll be welcome there and have a great experience.

Step 4 – Go in and check them out!
      Once you’ve vetted them online, the next logical step is to physically visit the range (try and narrow your choices to 2-3 locations). Some ranges are membership only; so either find someone that’s already a member that can get you in as a guest, see if the range has a Day Pass, or just go to see how the range operates from a viewing standpoint. If they are connected to a store, we think that’s even better – being able to have friendly staff under one room to help you with both training & purchasing helps you from having to drive around finding multiple places to get your self-defense needs met.

Step 5 – Join in! Get involved and make friends.
     We’ve already said, if they have “Women Only Classes” or a “Ladies Day”, that it’s a great sign. What we then advise is that you go in on Ladies Day, and make some friends! Shooting is always fun with a friend, and it’s never a bad idea to surround yourself with like-minded friends when you’re trying to learn how to best defend yourself. Take classes, always learn more – and meet more people there, too. Is there a Ladies League, or a Ladies Club that meets? Get involved! The biggest obstacle for most women in the shooting industry is that they feel excluded, or intimidated, because female shooters are still a minority. But we’re adding numbers to our “ranks” every day, and we would LOVE to have you join us.

Bonus “Step” – For the Locals:
     Here at West Coast Armory North (home to the NW Women’s Shooting Network), we are THE RANGE in the Seattle area for female shooters. Whether you’re just wanting to get more information on firearms, are ready to purchase your first firearm, or have been actively shooting for years, we are the place to come! We have at least one female on staff (either in the Pro Shop, or the Range) every single day of the week for you to talk to (our male staff are extremely helpful, too, of course!). Every Thursday we have our Ladies Day on the Range, where you can come and rent either a lane, or rent a new firearm, for FREE. We also hold our Ladies Shooting Club monthly on Thursday evenings, and our Ladies League as well. Our classes are so popular here, that we’ve started Women-Only versions of them as well. No matter where you’re at, you’ll find a community here waiting to welcome you. Join us! Call, or stop by today to get started.

The Most Popular Handguns for Women

Most Popular Handguns For Women

By Ginger Hallberg

     There are so many options out there for concealed carry and range guns; it can be overwhelming at times! Best thing I recommend is to try out a few on the range before you purchase, to get a feel for what you will enjoy shooting. The great thing at West Coast Armory North is that the staff are very knowledgeable and always willing to help answer your questions. Handguns I highly recommend trying are the Glock 19, Springfield's Sub-compact, Smith and Wesson's M&P 9C and the Sig Sauer P320C. I know, I know you might be saying “BUT I want something cute and little that's easy to conceal.”

     Let’s first talk about the Glock 19: this is a 9mm, its magazine has the capacity of holding 15 cartridges, and it has a 4-inch barrel. Now the reason I mention barrel length and magazine capacity, is because these are the most important things one needs to take into consideration when looking for a range or concealed carry firearm. Barrel length plays an important role in comfort of shooting and conceal-ability. So, the shorter the barrel, the snappier or more powerful the firearm is going to feel when it recoils during shooting. Then, if you go with a barrel longer than 4 inches, it will be a bit harder to conceal, but NOT impossible! It's all about the holster, placement and clothing of course! Good excuse for a new wardrobe; but I digress. So back to the Glock and the others! The size of the grip on the G19 makes it comfortable to practice with and acquire a good grip, making it very enjoyable to shoot. Another thing that makes this a joy to shoot is the low bore-axis. With this feature it reduces muzzle flip and helps reduce recoil; a point that helps to have a visual aid to explain better.

     Second pistol is Springfield's subcompact. There are several models. The thing with these is that they vary from 3 inch to 4-inch barrel lengths. Even though they are called subcompacts they really are just compacts, which does give you diversity when looking for concealment. The magazines have two different capacities: one flush that holds 13 cartridges and an extended magazine that holds 16 cartridges. They also have a low bore-axis, so even on a 3-inch barrel; recoil is not horrible and easily manageable. I wouldn't necessary recommend this as your first gun unless you've shot it quite a bit on the range. The shortened grip is barely 1/16 of an inch shorter compared to the Glock 19's grip, which may be perfect for some and too short for others.
   
     Moving onto the Smith and Wesson's M&P9C: this is a compact 9mm also, but does not come with an extended magazine. When you purchase this handgun it comes with two magazines one with a pinky extender and a flush one, each has the capacity of holding 12 cartridges. The pinky extender does not extend the magazine in capacity, just has a base plate to rest your pinky on. Having a low bore-axis makes this enjoyable even with a having a 3.5-inch barrel. So it's easy to conceal and enjoyable to get in some range time.

     Last one I highly recommend is the Sig Sauer P320C. The magazine holds 15 cartridges, same as a Glock 19, and it has a 4-inch barrel. That's as far as the similarities go between the two. The P320C has a much higher bore-axis, which can make this a little harder to handle the recoil and it makes it a bit bulkier to carry for concealment. Completely possible though! Though we've found that the grip can be found too big for smaller hands. It's a very enjoyable gun though to shoot, so definitely try it out on the range!

     Once you've mastered one of these or even all, and you still want a smaller concealment gun, here are a few I recommend: Glock 43, Springfield's XDS, Smith and Wesson's Shield, and Sig Sauer's P938. These are all subcompacts and some consider them sub-sub-compacts. Biggest thing is that they all are single stacks. Which means that the cartridges sit on top of each other in pretty much straight line, and creates a very small grip, but holds fewer rounds.  Unlike a double stack magazine where the cartridges stagger like wine barrels, which gives the firearm still a slim comfortable grip and more capacity in the magazine.

     The Glock 43's magazine holds 6 cartridges and has a 3.3-inch barrel, which makes it rather smaller than the G19. So you might be thinking “That's what I want!” Along with a smaller barrel length, you also get a smaller overall grip size. Which makes it snappy and a little harder to hold onto. This is why it's not recommended for a beginner. I personally really like the G43, but it wouldn't be my everyday carry. Everyone is different though and has their own criteria for a firearm, so keep that in mind when shopping for a firearm. For a small gun it's pretty enjoyable to shoot, but with using the magazine with the pinky extender, not so much with the flush, at least for me. Without that pinky extended magazine it moves around way too much when shooting.

     Then you have the Springfield's XDS9, a single stack also and again, the barrel lengths 3-inch to 4-inch. You have some choice in barrel length, but grip stays the same and it comes with two magazines. One magazine is a flush one that holds 6 cartridges and an extended magazine that holds 8 cartridges. This means it’s obviously way more comfortable with the extended magazine, which almost gives you the feel of a full grip length. The texture of the grip can be a little aggressive and not be enjoyable for a lot of range time.

     Smith and Wesson's Shield has a 3 inch barrel, and also comes with a flush and an extended magazine. Flush magazine holds 6 cartridges and the extended holds 8 cartridges. I find the grip to be too smooth and a little boxy for me, which translates to a long reach for the trigger. It's slim in size just like the others, so makes a good concealment option.

     Now I've not had the pleasure of shooting Sig Sauer's P938, but I've heard it's a fantastic firearm. For me the factor that it's single action only and has a light trigger, which does not make it appealing as an everyday carry for me. I find the small 1911 platform appealing; but having to make sure it's cocked and locked is a step I don't want in my EDC (Every Day Carry). These beauties have a 3-inch barrel, which they compensated with by making it out of a steel frame. So a nice solid heavy little gun chambered in 9mm and they come with one flush magazine that holds 6 cartridges. You can purchase extended ones that hold 7 cartridges and they run about $50.00 per magazine. When looking at P938 there are vast options but the options are all on the look of the grips and the color of the frame.

     Now for the super itty-bitties, and these all are chambered in .380acp (.380 is considered a "9mm short"). This caliber has the same diameter in the base of the cartridge as a 9mm, but squished down and less power; which doesn't mean it's an easier round to shoot. It's actually a lot snappier than a 9mm. Of the .380acp's that we sell the most I recommend the Glock 42 and Sig Sauer's P238.

     I've shot the Glock 42, and I was surprised how snappy it was. Granted it has a 3.25 inch barrel, and the overall grip is slimmer than the G43. It comes with two flush magazines that each have a 6 round capacity. So ultimately holds the same amount as the G43, but less power in the caliber in the G42.

     Sig Sauer's P238: I've not had the pleasure to shoot this one either. It has the same exact features as the P938, but has a 2.75-inch barrel and is chambered in .380acp instead of 9mm. Also comes with one flush magazine and they run about the same price as the P938's. They also come in many flavors of design.

     If you're still wanting something smaller, there's Ruger's LCP and Smith and Wesson's Bodyguard. I really don't recommend either of these and have not been inclined to try shooting either one. Both have a 2.75-inch barrel, but they don't compensate the short barrel with a heavy steel frame like Sig Sauer does on their P238. They both have a polymer frame. They are very light, with a short barrel and both of them have a magazine that holds 6 cartridges. Their grip is about 1.5 inches in length, I have relatively small hands and the grip sits about half way into my palm, which does not help me get a good solid grip on the firearm. I know I wouldn't want to practice with something that I can't get a solid grip on to be able to aim consistently. Some love them but I've also had a lot of ladies want to know where they can sell theirs after they finally shoot it. The triggers on both of these have a very heavy, hard pull and are double action only; so no chance of a nice, light trigger.

     Obviously the itty bitties are little and easy to hide, but when shopping for your first gun, try them first! Make sure you're taking advantage of the 70+ firearms we have for rent at WCAN and trying them out. Don't feel shy to ask questions and make use of the staff's knowledge. When looking at a new or additional firearm make sure you're looking at barrel length, grip length, capacity of magazines, firing mechanism and “does it need a physical safety, or is the safety there for my peace of mind?” It’s important to be clear about your criteria for a handgun before you commit to a purchase. Listing what your needs are for a firearm, is a great place to start. Gather all the information you can from reliable sources as you develop this list of criteria. This does not need to be a fast process.