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Seven Rational Reasons to Carry A Back Up Gun

cmdr_iceman71

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2010
Messages
409
Location
Detroit, Michigan, USA
There are several good reasons to carry a second handgun for defensive purposes. None are the exclusive province of law enforcement. Let’s examine them in detail.

1) The primary gun may be taken away.

In Kentucky, an armed criminal caught a uniformed police officer off guard and took away his Smith & Wesson 10mm service pistol. The lawman was able to access his concealed Walther PPK 380, a backup gun issued to him by his department, and empty it into his attacker. The criminal died; the officer lived.

2) The primary gun may be unusable because it is the object of a struggle.

In Ohio not long ago, a police officer found himself in a desperate battle for survival as his opponent struggled to take away his department issue Glock 22 pistol. Fortunately, the department had the foresight to issue every officer a Glock 27, a subcompact version of the duty pistol, as backup. In the last instant before the suspect gained control of his service weapon, the officer was able to draw his backup G27 and fire a shot into his would-be murder’s head, killing the assailant and saving his own life.

3) The primary gun may be empty.

Drawing a second loaded weapon is often faster than reloading the first when it runs dry. In Michigan, a woman and her husband were working in the store they owned and operated together when they were hit by multiple armed robbers. The felons shot and wounded the husband early in the encounter. The wife drew a double action revolver and shot back. Her gun ran dry, and she grabbed a second revolver with which she continued to return fire. That sustained fire allowed her to win the gunfight, saving her life and that of her husband, who survived his wounds. Their attackers were not so lucky.


4) The primary gun may malfunction.

In the South recently, a police officer died with a jammed pistol in his hand. Witnesses said he was struggling with his choked semiautomatic when his opponent, a criminal armed with two double action revolvers, shot him to death. The officer’s pistol, a popular brand famous for it’s reliability, had jammed part way through it’s 15 round magazine. The quick drawing and firing of a second weapon might have saved the officer’s life.

5) The primary gun may be struck by an opponent’s bullet and rendered inoperable.

This scenario is not so far-fetched as it may sound. Law enforcement training in this country was profoundly affected by a 1986 gun battle on the edge of Miami where two FBI agents were killed and five more wounded by two heavily armed criminals who were ultimately killed at the scene. Two of the seven agents who returned fire resorted to their backup handguns during that firefight, and the agent who put the final, fatal bullets into the criminals did so with his Smith & Wesson revolver after his Remington shotgun ran out of ammo. (Bad guys also resort to backup guns. One of the two cop-killers in that encounter fired rounds from a stolen Mini-14 Ruger rifle, his own Dan Wesson 357 Magnum revolver, and his partner in crime’s S&W 357 before he was finally killed.)

In that encounter, one agent’s Smith & Wesson 9mm auto pistol was struck by a 223 bullet and rendered inoperable. That particular agent did not carry a backup gun, and was helpless to defend himself when the suspect with the Mini-14 walked up on him and shot him to death. Twenty years later, in April 2006 the same phenomenon was observed in a Seattle gunfight. A city cop’s Glock 22 service pistol put a 40-calibur bullet into the cylinder face of a criminal’s Colt Officer’s Model Match 38 Special, rendering it inoperable. In that instance, the criminal fortunately did not have a second gun, and was neutralized by police fire.

6) The primary gun may not be as readily accessible as the backup.

In New York some years ago, an off duty cop in winter was carrying his primary handgun under two coats, and his backup Colt Detective Special snub-nose 38 in his overcoat pocket. Set upon by two armed robbers, he knew he would not be able to dig under his clothing and draw his duty weapon before being shot by the drawn gun held to his head. On the pretext of reaching for a wallet in his overcoat pocket, he got his hand on his backup Colt, then slapped the gunman’s pistol aside with his free hand as he drew and fired. His bullet went through the gunman’s brain killing him instantly; the accomplice fled, and was later taken into custody. The officer was uninjured, saved by his backup handgun.

In the Carolinas, a man with a hidden weapon approached a parked police car and opened fire at the officer through the driver’s window, wounding him. Seat-belted in place, the officer was unable to reach the service handgun locked in a security holster at his hip, but was able to access the Colt Agent back up gun strapped to his ankle. He drew from the ankle holster and returned fire, neutralizing his assailant. He survived his wounds and returned to full duty, saved by his back up gun.


7) The primary gun can arm only one good person at a time.

Let’s say you are confronted by multiple attackers but you aren’t alone either and thus can arm a competent companion with the secondary handgun so as to level the playing field or even tip the battle to your advantage; especially if only one of the attackers is armed with a handgun.


These seven reasons for a back-up gun are from Massad Ayoob’s book "The Gun Digest of Concealed Carry."
 
Last edited:

NHCGRPR45

Regular Member
Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
1,131
Location
Chesterfield Township, MI
There are several good reasons to carry a second handgun for defensive purposes. None are the exclusive province of law enforcement. Let’s examine them in detail.

1) The primary gun may be taken away.

In Kentucky, an armed criminal caught a uniformed police officer off guard and took away his Smith & Wesson 10mm service pistol. The lawman was able to access his concealed Walther PPK 380, a backup gun issued to him by his department, and empty it into his attacker. The criminal died; the officer lived.

2) The primary gun may be unusable because it is the object of a struggle.

In Ohio not long ago, a police officer found himself in a desperate battle for survival as his opponent struggled to take away his department issue Glock 22 pistol. Fortunately, the department had the foresight to issue every officer a Glock 27, a subcompact version of the duty pistol, as backup. In the last instant before the suspect gained control of his service weapon, the officer was able to draw his backup G27 and fire a shot into his would-be murder’s head, killing the assailant and saving his own life.

3) The primary gun may be empty.

Drawing a second loaded weapon is often faster than reloading the first when it runs dry. In Michigan, a woman and her husband were working in the store they owned and operated together when they were hit by multiple armed robbers. The felons shot and wounded the husband early in the encounter. The wife drew a double action revolver and shot back. Her gun ran dry, and she grabbed a second revolver with which she continued to return fire. That sustained fire allowed her to win the gunfight, saving her life and that of her husband, who survived his wounds. Their attackers were not so lucky.


4) The primary gun may malfunction.

In the South recently, a police officer died with a jammed pistol in his hand. Witnesses said he was struggling with his choked semiautomatic when his opponent, a criminal armed with two double action revolvers, shot him to death. The officer’s pistol, a popular brand famous for it’s reliability, had jammed part way through it’s 15 round magazine. The quick drawing and firing of a second weapon might have saved the officer’s life.

5) The primary gun may be struck by an opponent’s bullet and rendered inoperable.

This scenario is not so far-fetched as it may sound. Law enforcement training in this country was profoundly affected by a 1986 gun battle on the edge of Miami where two FBI agents were killed and five more wounded by two heavily armed criminals who were ultimately killed at the scene. Two of the seven agents who returned fire resorted to their backup handguns during that firefight, and the agent who put the final, fatal bullets into the criminals did so with his Smith & Wesson revolver after his Remington shotgun ran out of ammo. (Bad guys also resort to backup guns. One of the two cop-killers in that encounter fired rounds from a stolen Mini-14 Ruger rifle, his own Dan Wesson 357 Magnum revolver, and his partner in crime’s S&W 357 before he was finally killed.)

In that encounter, one agent’s Smith & Wesson 9mm auto pistol was struck by a 223 bullet and rendered inoperable. That particular agent did not carry a backup gun, and was helpless to defend himself when the suspect with the Mini-14 walked up on him and shot him to death. Twenty years later, in April 2006 the same phenomenon was observed in a Seattle gunfight. A city cop’s Glock 22 service pistol put a 40-calibur bullet into the cylinder face of a criminal’s Colt Officer’s Model Match 38 Special, rendering it inoperable. In that instance, the criminal fortunately did not have a second gun, and was neutralized by police fire.

6) The primary gun may not be as readily accessible as the backup.

In New York some years ago, an off duty cop in winter was carrying his primary handgun under two coats, and his backup Colt Detective Special snub-nose 38 in his overcoat pocket. Set upon by two armed robbers, he knew he would not be able to dig under his clothing and draw his duty weapon before being shot by the drawn gun held to his head. On the pretext of reaching for a wallet in his overcoat pocket, he got his hand on his backup Colt, then slapped the gunman’s pistol aside with his free hand as he drew and fired. His bullet went through the gunman’s brain killing him instantly; the accomplice fled, and was later taken into custody. The officer was uninjured, saved by his backup handgun.

In the Carolinas, a man with a hidden weapon approached a parked police car and opened fire at the officer through the driver’s window, wounding him. Seat-belted in place, the officer was unable to reach the service handgun locked in a security holster at his hip, but was able to access the Colt Agent back up gun strapped to his ankle. He drew from the ankle holster and returned fire, neutralizing his assailant. He survived his wounds and returned to full duty, saved by his back up gun.


7) The primary gun can arm only one good person at a time.

Let’s say you are confronted by multiple attackers but you aren’t alone either and thus can arm a competent companion with the secondary handgun so as to level the playing field or even tip the battle to your advantage; especially if only one of the attackers is armed with a handgun.


These seven reasons for a back-up gun are from Massad Ayoob’s book "The Gun Digest of Concealed Carry."

excellent post! and thats why i am saving up for a smaller concealable hand gun to use as a secondary carry gun. i have read my ayoobs book also, and i highly recommend that all oc'ers and cc'ers do the same!
 
B

Bikenut

Guest
The best reason to carry a back up gun (otherwise known as a B.U.G.).....

One gun is none, two guns is one, 3 guns is two....

because Murphy's law has never been repealed and guns fail.
 

Onnie

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2010
Messages
664
Location
Maybee, Michigan
A BUG is a good idea, in fact Ive been conditioning the wife to get use to a 3rd gun in the house
While I have not been carrying or OCing all that long, I can say last night I went bowling with the wife at a local bowling alley and left the mine in the car, i actually felt uneasy and "gun naked" with out it on my side

unfortunately they will not let me carry cc or oc in the bowling part of the building. so to please the wife i leave it in the car:cry:
 
Last edited:

cmdr_iceman71

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2010
Messages
409
Location
Detroit, Michigan, USA
My personal philosophy is for the back-up gun (BUG) to be the exact same model of the primary so that if my primary is damaged or if I need to hand-off my BUG to a friend in a firefight there are no compatibility issues when it comes to sharing magazines or ammo.

To me, there are few things worse to imagine than for the police to discover me lying dead in the street with an empty BUG that only held seven or eight shots, while my high capacity primary, still holstered (for whatever reasons) and full, along with two full spare magazines.

Bottom line, I want to be able to use ALL of the ammo I am carrying in a life threatening situation.
 
Last edited:

johnfenter

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
209
Location
, ,
No....

Isn't that like saying if you're going to be in an accident you just won't drive?

Bronson

What he's saying is that if he knows he's going to be in an accident, he's going to be driving an M-60 Patton tank....
 

Glock9mmOldStyle

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
2,038
Location
Taylor, Wayne County, Michigan, USA
If I need more than one pistol in a firefight, I should have brought a rifle. I will think about a BUG though.

I personally have carried multiple pistols. Why? If you are going to a gun fight, the worst weapon you can bring is a pistol! At close range a shotgun is your best bet; at longer ranges a rifle is king. Since most of us can't go about our daily life toting a shotgun or a rifle (just not practical) than it is far better to have two, or even three weapons to boost your chance at surviving an encounter where lethal force is required and multiple attackers are bent on murdering you. A wise man once told me: "always load for bear, and that way you can repel a pack of rabid squirrels if it comes down to it!" I thought it was a ridiculous statement at the time, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to me. It all boils down to this: "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!"
 

SlowDog

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
424
Location
Redford, Michigan, USA
Does this mean I need to start carrying 2 1911's? I won't have to go to the gym anymore carrying all that iron and multiple mags around....hehehehehe....just sayin. My back up is a Bersa Thunder 380 plus 15+1 with spare mag. That with 2 spare 10 round Chip McCormick's for the 45....I hope I got it covered.....just sayin...
 

NHCGRPR45

Regular Member
Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
1,131
Location
Chesterfield Township, MI
If I need more than one pistol in a firefight, I should have brought a rifle. I will think about a BUG though.

can't hurt after you run out of rifle, and sidearm ammo..........:uhoh:

A BUG is a good idea, in fact Ive been conditioning the wife to get use to a 3rd gun in the house
While I have not been carrying or OCing all that long, I can say last night I went bowling with the wife at a local bowling alley and left the mine in the car, i actually felt uneasy and "gun naked" with out it on my side

unfortunately they will not let me carry cc or oc in the bowling part of the building. so to please the wife i leave it in the car:cry:

has the crying stopped??

My personal philosophy is for the back-up gun (BUG) to be the exact same model of the primary so that if my primary is damaged or if I need to hand-off my BUG to a friend in a firefight there are no compatibility issues when it comes to sharing magazines or ammo.

To me, there are few things worse to imagine than for the police to discover me lying dead in the street with an empty BUG that only held seven or eight shots, while my high capacity primary, still holstered (for whatever reasons) and full, along with two full spare magazines.

Bottom line, I want to be able to use ALL of the ammo I am carrying in a life threatening situation.

good idea, but best case in a worst case you only need 1 or 2!:lol:

What he's saying is that if he knows he's going to be in an accident, he's going to be driving an M-60 Patton tank....

well now it would be an M1 or maybe an LAAV or that new fangled thing that uses water jets to move around in the water. leave it to the navy and marines to figure out new ways to blow water,,,,,,,:rolleyes: sorry devil dog, its the army coming out.....:rolleyes:

I personally have carried multiple pistols. Why? If you are going to a gun fight, the worst weapon you can bring is a pistol! At close range a shotgun is your best bet; at longer ranges a rifle is king. Since most of us can't go about our daily life toting a shotgun or a rifle (just not practical) than it is far better to have two, or even three weapons to boost your chance at surviving an encounter where lethal force is required and multiple attackers are bent on murdering you. A wise man once told me: "always load for bear, and that way you can repel a pack of rabid squirrels if it comes down to it!" I thought it was a ridiculous statement at the time, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense to me. It all boils down to this: "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!"

well the worst weapon would be,,a small pebble.?just one! :p see cat at left!

my current primary will become my concealed BUG once sportsman's gets my 1911 in.

ah ha! another 1911 fan!! 100 years of gun can't be wrong!
 
Last edited:

Michigander

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2007
Messages
4,818
Location
Mulligan's Valley
My personal philosophy is for the back-up gun (BUG) to be the exact same model of the primary so that if my primary is damaged or if I need to hand-off my BUG to a friend in a firefight there are no compatibility issues when it comes to sharing magazines or ammo. .

Very true, however there is undeniably a place for a smaller, completely undetectable hideout which can be deployed in an instant with no warning to attackers, which normally means 380/snub nose or smaller in a pocket, which is a lot less power than a main or secondary backup should have if you really need defensive firepower, but tremendously effective in terms of speed from concealment.
 

Bailenforcer

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2009
Messages
1,077
Location
City
May I be the first to say STICKY this!

I carry two, sometimes three and yes I have carried four... You never can have too much firepower. Santa has still not given me a Glock 20 and Glock 29, I asked for.

+100



There are several good reasons to carry a second handgun for defensive purposes. None are the exclusive province of law enforcement. Let’s examine them in detail.

1) The primary gun may be taken away.

In Kentucky, an armed criminal caught a uniformed police officer off guard and took away his Smith & Wesson 10mm service pistol. The lawman was able to access his concealed Walther PPK 380, a backup gun issued to him by his department, and empty it into his attacker. The criminal died; the officer lived.

2) The primary gun may be unusable because it is the object of a struggle.

In Ohio not long ago, a police officer found himself in a desperate battle for survival as his opponent struggled to take away his department issue Glock 22 pistol. Fortunately, the department had the foresight to issue every officer a Glock 27, a subcompact version of the duty pistol, as backup. In the last instant before the suspect gained control of his service weapon, the officer was able to draw his backup G27 and fire a shot into his would-be murder’s head, killing the assailant and saving his own life.

3) The primary gun may be empty.

Drawing a second loaded weapon is often faster than reloading the first when it runs dry. In Michigan, a woman and her husband were working in the store they owned and operated together when they were hit by multiple armed robbers. The felons shot and wounded the husband early in the encounter. The wife drew a double action revolver and shot back. Her gun ran dry, and she grabbed a second revolver with which she continued to return fire. That sustained fire allowed her to win the gunfight, saving her life and that of her husband, who survived his wounds. Their attackers were not so lucky.


4) The primary gun may malfunction.

In the South recently, a police officer died with a jammed pistol in his hand. Witnesses said he was struggling with his choked semiautomatic when his opponent, a criminal armed with two double action revolvers, shot him to death. The officer’s pistol, a popular brand famous for it’s reliability, had jammed part way through it’s 15 round magazine. The quick drawing and firing of a second weapon might have saved the officer’s life.

5) The primary gun may be struck by an opponent’s bullet and rendered inoperable.

This scenario is not so far-fetched as it may sound. Law enforcement training in this country was profoundly affected by a 1986 gun battle on the edge of Miami where two FBI agents were killed and five more wounded by two heavily armed criminals who were ultimately killed at the scene. Two of the seven agents who returned fire resorted to their backup handguns during that firefight, and the agent who put the final, fatal bullets into the criminals did so with his Smith & Wesson revolver after his Remington shotgun ran out of ammo. (Bad guys also resort to backup guns. One of the two cop-killers in that encounter fired rounds from a stolen Mini-14 Ruger rifle, his own Dan Wesson 357 Magnum revolver, and his partner in crime’s S&W 357 before he was finally killed.)

In that encounter, one agent’s Smith & Wesson 9mm auto pistol was struck by a 223 bullet and rendered inoperable. That particular agent did not carry a backup gun, and was helpless to defend himself when the suspect with the Mini-14 walked up on him and shot him to death. Twenty years later, in April 2006 the same phenomenon was observed in a Seattle gunfight. A city cop’s Glock 22 service pistol put a 40-calibur bullet into the cylinder face of a criminal’s Colt Officer’s Model Match 38 Special, rendering it inoperable. In that instance, the criminal fortunately did not have a second gun, and was neutralized by police fire.

6) The primary gun may not be as readily accessible as the backup.

In New York some years ago, an off duty cop in winter was carrying his primary handgun under two coats, and his backup Colt Detective Special snub-nose 38 in his overcoat pocket. Set upon by two armed robbers, he knew he would not be able to dig under his clothing and draw his duty weapon before being shot by the drawn gun held to his head. On the pretext of reaching for a wallet in his overcoat pocket, he got his hand on his backup Colt, then slapped the gunman’s pistol aside with his free hand as he drew and fired. His bullet went through the gunman’s brain killing him instantly; the accomplice fled, and was later taken into custody. The officer was uninjured, saved by his backup handgun.

In the Carolinas, a man with a hidden weapon approached a parked police car and opened fire at the officer through the driver’s window, wounding him. Seat-belted in place, the officer was unable to reach the service handgun locked in a security holster at his hip, but was able to access the Colt Agent back up gun strapped to his ankle. He drew from the ankle holster and returned fire, neutralizing his assailant. He survived his wounds and returned to full duty, saved by his back up gun.


7) The primary gun can arm only one good person at a time.

Let’s say you are confronted by multiple attackers but you aren’t alone either and thus can arm a competent companion with the secondary handgun so as to level the playing field or even tip the battle to your advantage; especially if only one of the attackers is armed with a handgun.


These seven reasons for a back-up gun are from Massad Ayoob’s book "The Gun Digest of Concealed Carry."
 
Last edited:

Onnie

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2010
Messages
664
Location
Maybee, Michigan
can't hurt after you run out of rifle, and sidearm ammo..........:uhoh:



has the crying stopped??



Nope, the water works started the other day when she realized I had TWO pistols and not just one! Yea I did not tell her, but ive learned over the years how to get around the tears or at least to reduce them!

after the dinner at the Coney Island she stated OK, now I went to one of those gun thingys, Im done!
 

Onnie

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2010
Messages
664
Location
Maybee, Michigan
You could try buying her a gun for Christmas, unless you think she might shoot you with it. :p

Na she would not shoot me, i really torked her off last week and she did not speak to me for 3 days, :D and my guns were in their resting spot and she never went near them..I think the only thing she would do is pop me over the head with a rolling pin!

She even made my dinner during those three days!
 
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