Review by Larry S. Sterett | Contributing Editor
ARMED & SMART – A Beginner’s Guide to Concealed Carry, by David Bahde, Paul Markel & Terrill Hoffman. ©2014. Published by 2nd Amendment Media, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Dept. TGM, 3101 Clairmont Road, Atlanta, GA 30329. Price: $16.95, plus postage. Available in most bookstores.
This 192-page color illustrated flex-bound volume is a good choice for anyone, female or male, considering concealed carry. It is lavishly illustrated in full color, features 16 chapters from Introduction to Concealed Carry to Parting Shot, and has numerous sidebars providing supporting information to the text.
All the material in this tome is worth the reading, but Chapters 3–5 should be read and then read again. Handguns A–Z provides good, solid comments on considering the type of handgun, and caliber, and best type of cartridge for the purpose intended. (Many decades ago the small autoloader chambered for the .25 ACP cartridge was considered the nightstand handgun of choice by many non-shooters. The only load available was an unpowered cartridge loaded with a full metal jacketed bullet. Not ideal. Today, there are autoloaders almost as small, such as the Kel-Tec P3AT, which are available chambered for better cartridges, such as the .380 ACP.)
In the mid-20th century, there were the “Ten Commandments of Firearms Safety.” They still are useful today, but do not seem to be much publicized. This volume uses a condensed version of four of the same rules. Sometimes known as the Universal Firearms Safety Rules, their observation will help prevent unwanted accidents.
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RULE 1 – ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED
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RULE 2 – NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO DESTROY
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RULE 3 – KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET
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RULE 4 – BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET
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Rules 1—Treat every gun as if it is loaded—and 4—Know your target and what’s beyond it—could prevent many unfortunate accidents. (Not observing Rule 4 was the cause recently in a nearby city of a police officer killing a woman while shooting at a dog. The officer answering a call had his pistol drawn and apparently slipped, or tripped in the snow, and fell while attempting to shoot a German Shepard-mix dog he thought was attacking. The dog was wounded in the leg, the woman in the background received two shots to her chest. The dog survived, the woman died.) Each rule is discussed thoroughly in Chapter 4—Handgun Safety.
In addition to handgun safety and cartridge selection, chapters are devoted to the types of handguns—pistols and revolvers—with photos illustrating the anatomy of each. Accessories are discussed, and so are trigger time, gun range etiquette, practice techniques and even gun care and maintenance. (The old adage, take care of your gun and it will take care of you, applies.) Nor is safe storage of your handgun at home, and on the road, forgotten. It’s all between the covers of this handy volume.
Well illustrated with full-color, sharp and detailed photographs, this 192-page volume is worthy of space on the reference shelf of every gunowner considering concealed carry. In addition to the excellent textual coverage, and superb color illustrations, it features a large number of sidebars with additional information.
