CONCEALMENT #14

Last week, a friend hit me up for advice on a firearm purchase. He asked if he should get a Glock or a SIG for personal protection. Before we talked about the specifics at hand, I wanted to know a few things: What was his experience with firearms to date, and with pistols in particular? Then, I wanted to know if he had considered all the other things that go along with owning and carrying a firearm. It’s a grave responsibility, one that deserves careful consideration on many fronts before wading into the Glock versus SIG debate.

Those who live, eat, and breathe guns know that training is the single most important consideration after buying a firearm for home defense or concealed carry. But I’d like to take this idea a step further and suggest training is the primary consideration of defense; the firearm is the accessory.

Guns can be a hobby, but armed defense is a mindset. Before anyone steps up to the gun store counter, we’d all be better off if they did so after taking a comprehensive defensive firearm class that cultivates that mindset, challenges them to consider what it’s like to store and carry a firearm every day, makes them aware of how perishable the skill of handgun marksmanship is, and articulates the kind of commitment needed to maintain a level of proficiency that assures the safety of loved ones and bystanders in a violent encounter.

CONCEALMENT readers are far more in tune with these considerations than the average bear. So, the next time one of your gun-newb buddies asks your opinion on a purchase, use it as an opportunity to start a conversation about all the stuff that comes with buying a gun … and to advocate the benefits of training before buying a pistol.

To that end, we’ve got a bunch of training and defense-oriented stories in this issue, and you may have noticed we’ve committed to a new back-of-the-book column presenting a target and training drill that you can use at any range.

In this issue, we dive into five guns that may or may not deserve a place on your wish list. Tam scrubs through the Mossberg’s MC1, Chad works hard to find fault in SIG’s latest addition to its P320 line, Dave indulges his imagination with a pistol that’d intrigue a KGB case officer, Steven cops on a very special CZ Scorpion pistol, and a brand-new contributor, Chris Mudgett, explores the intersection of the Gill Arms GPR 9M’s promising new pivoting striker safety design and the reality of its performance without flinching.
We’re proud to be the only magazine group in the business that’s not afraid to call it like we see it — in service of you, our reader. And, our effort to bring you the best coverage of the concealed-carry lifestyle continues as we make CONCEALMENT available for subscription starting with this issue.

But, if you’re old school and like making that trip into town, please let us know if there’s someplace you’d like to see CONCEALMENT offered for sale. We’d love to know the names of local gun shops, ranges, grocery and convenience stores, and any other shops that should be stocking our magazine. You can reach us at [email protected].

– Rob Curtis

Check out CONCEALMENT Issue 14 on shelves now.

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