Home Protection
by David Barth, written May 16, 2008
This is a short article about home protection, and a supplement to the article on home security. It is a discussion
that relates to Second Amendment rights to bear arms. More than thirty states have passed concealed carry laws that
are reciprocal to the other 29 states.
The right of concealed carry was bolstered by attacks in Florida against visiting tourists who were targeted by
identifying their vehicle as being a rental. After the State of Florida passed laws allowing tourists to be armed,
the frequency of these attacks lessened significantly.
Some states have passed laws that condone the use of maximum force against an intruder, regardless of what armament
the intruder carries. In at least one state, this is commonly referred to as the "Make My Day Law," from the Clint
Eastwood movie in which his character, Dirty Harry, uses that phrase when confronting an armed perpetrator.
Not only do laws of this nature benefit those who have the weaponry to assert maximum force, it also benefits those
who don't have any weapons because most perpetrators don't know what households are prepared to use force and those
that are not.
Now we'll compare two common maximum-force weapons: the 44 magnum revolver and the 45 automatic, which is actually
a semiautomatic in that one trigger pull fires one round. As for bulk, the 45 is thinner than the large
cylinder of the 44.
Die Hard revolver enthusiasts like to tell stories about stovepipe jams, weakened magazine springs, the need to carry a
"crippled" magazine clip in the automatic with only 3 or 4 cartridges to reduce permanent compression of the spring, the
complexity of automatic mechanisms compared to the simple action of a cylinder, and the greater difficulty of
field-stripping an auto to clean it, but I think these stories are over-stated and self-serving.
Of course, there are those "large bore" guys (I guess this is a pun) who say the 9mm is a
pop-gun that grunts on the ground in Iraq abhor because it only slows terrorists (or drug addicts)
for a moment, but doesn't stop them until you've put three or four rounds into them, which attests to the stopping
power of a 45. But one frangible 9 millimeter bullet will cause enough pain and damage to change the mind
of a perpetrator.
Then there are the younger kids who have been watching too many westerns who say "you can't fan an automatic," but
of course, it is pretty tough to aim a six-shooter when you're fanning it, and an automatic will
put more lead into the air, more accurately. Pulling the trigger to overcome the inertia of the barrel with 6
big cartridges does take time and requires more pull. The military rarely, if ever, uses revolvers.
What this amounts to is that the 44 is a bit less useful than an automatic. It has a lighter round, is
slower shooting, heavier, bulkier, and harder to carry concealed. If both a 44 revolver and a 45 automatic have six-inch
barrels, the automatic will be shorter and more compact.
Perhaps the thing that many people like about the revolver is its looks. This is sort of like admiring the looks of a
Ferrari Countach, but realizing it isn't a useful as a Chevy pickup. Blued revolver examples have a midnight-blue
(almost black) color with that big cylinder and the big cartridge holes right there where The Almighty and a perpetrator
can see them. It is gut-simple, and rolling out the cylinder shows what guts it has.
The movies often show a person closing the cylinder by quickly flipping his wrist. This action can be deleterious to
the cylinder support. After all, the cylinder is a relatively heavy piece of steel, and it is heavier when loaded. It
is supported only on the front end by a precision arm. That arm and its bearings can be misaligned, bent, and damaged by
flipping the cylinder closed. If a cartridge is not completely seated into the cylinder, flipping it closed could cause
damage to both ends of the cylinder frame. The best way to close the cylinder is to hold the piece by the grip and use
the other hand to push the cylinder firmly into place.
An important point about using a revolver is to not place a hand or anything else in the plane at the front of the
cylinder because in even the best built models, there will be a slight opening or slot between the front of the cylinder
and the barrel that will allow hot gas and, possibly, tiny lead fragments that have been shaved off the bullet as it
passes the gap between the cylinder and barrel, to escape. That flash is very hot and it can burn objects in its
path.
In summary, it could be said that a 44 revolver is less efficient than a 45 automatic in that it is bulkier, heavier,
puts less lead in the air over a given time period, has 6 rounds compared to 8, puts out gobs of excess flash
(and wasted propulsive energy) at the front of the cylinder, is harder to "draw" because of the large cylinder, and is
a lot slower to reload. With a 45 automatic, you press a button to drop the empty clip, slam home a full one, and jack
back the receiver to charge the chamber. You can do it in the dark. Not so easy with a revolver.
In one concealed carry class, the policeman who taught the course carried a 45 automatic on his hip. He preferred
it because it has great stopping power.
As with all devices of this type, safety is of utmost importance. The weapon should be kept locked away from
children. It should have a trigger lock and not be loaded when not being used if children can access it.
It should always be handled as though it were loaded, even if it is not loaded. It should never be pointed at
anything that would be injured or hurt if fired on.
As with all trigger-operated equipment, the finger should remain off of the trigger until it is desired to pull it.
The trigger finger should be held straight, along the frame, outside of the trigger guard.
Finally, everyone who owns a weapon should take a class in the proper use of it, and if any licenses are required,
they should be acquired. In the event a weapon is used to protect an individual or the family, an attorney should be
consulted before any statements are made to authorities. This applies to witnesses as well as those directly
involved. Always remember the "right to remain silent!" Use it.