Mom intrested in getting a concealed permit?

Annie, your on the right track about starting your mom out with a 22 to get used to shooting a handgun. I instruct concealed handgun and hand gun safety classes here in Texas. I can't tell you how many times I've had a student both male and female show up with a new in the box handgun and they try to qualify for their permit.

For a concealed handgun for a woman I give my classes the following advice; first most women are looking to carry a handgun concealed in a purse or handbag. Some makers actually have built in pockets or holsters for this. Second access to the pistol should not be impeded by the size of the pistol. It shouldn't drag on the cylinder coming out, the magazine shouldn't stick out to catch on the bag, things like that.

As for a caliber I think the most common I see are the 380 and the 9mm. I know several women who carry a 38 or 40 caliber, and one who has a very nice Kimber in 45 ACP. Ideally you want to have a handgun you can shoot accurately, handle well, feels comfortable to you, and that you are confident in. I have a couple of Ruger SR9 pistols, Ruger LCP, and the Browning 10/71 that I keep for students to use in my familiarization class.

I would say for you and your mom to take a saturday, drive around to different gunshops, sporting good stores, and a gunshow or two if available and do some window shopping for a handgun. Look at all the different ones available, think of the practical use, how it fits, and will it work where your mom wants to conceal it. Then you can decide on the one she wants, purchase it, shoot it, learn to clean it, and then get her permit. Best of luck to you.

I would say a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun would have moderate kick and would make an ideal home defense weapon if properly configured, but I don't need to lecture you about those. Pretty much a pistol is all about hand fit just like a shotgun is about stock fit. Get her a gun that fits her hand and is above a .380 if she is about 5' 7" I would say of the smaller glocks and and guns like the Wather PPK or if she is a bit more of a trooper about recoil or wants some authority the carry 1911's are a very good bet. If I were you take her to a good gunsmith and have her try the different guns for what feels good in her hand and your gunsmith should be able to help. Then if you want more advice post the models she liked here and see what they say!

Previous answers have given you some good info. Your local Sheriff's Dept should be your first stop. There are a lot of tedious little hoops to jump through (filling out forms, mailing them or delivering them to the right people, getting fingerprinted, used to have to get a passport photo for the permit). But as for being difficult, it's really not. Once all the paperwork is done, you take a Concealed Weapons Class (either through a gun shop, range or even through your Sheriff's Dept). You go to a class for about 1/2 day (not hard at all) and then to the range in the afternoon for a few hours. They want to see you safely operate your handgun and be able to hit a target at distances from 7 - 15 ft. Good for you for taking responsibility for your own and your family's security. Remember, the police are only minutes away when seconds count.

Annie the .22 is the ultimate starter-gun but it is lacking as a defensive caliber. Although it does kill it can be 'slow' and in a defensive handgun one is interested in 'stopping power' as in stop the aggressor in his/her tracks.

Traditionally the .380 Auto is considered the minimal defensive caliber. This does not always apply especially for women and other smaller stature people. The Walther PPK for example is an excellent choice but in .380 Auto some women complain that it hurts the palm of their hand every time they fire it. My wife has a Beretta .380 Model 84 which is much heavier and has a much wider grip. One of my daughters favors the Glock Model 26 in 9mm. So what is right for your mom? Consider the Glock Model 19 in 9mm. This is a very user-friendly, dependable, accurate handgun with a large magazine capacity (up to 15 + 1 rounds). The Polymer frame of all Glock pistols helps to damp the recoil impulse making it far more manageable than other types of handguns.

If an auto-loader is not for your mom then consider a .38/.357 Magnum revolver. Ruger has some excellent choices which are reasonably priced. Check out the SP-101 and the GP-100.

With the 9mm and the .38 Special ammo choice for defensive purposes is critical. For the 9mm pickout quality defensive ammo from any of the major ammunition makers in the 115 to 127 grain jacketed hollow-point configuration. Stay away from FMJ or subsonic ammo for defense. With the .38 pickout quality ammo in the 110 to 125 grain semi-jacketed hollow point variety. In this caliber I like Federal Hydra Shok Personal Defense round in 110 grains. Again, stay away for solid nose ammo for defense.

Good of you to be looking after your mom. I commend you.

H

I always recommend revolvers for novices as they are the most user-friendly, require the least maintenance, and are the most reliable.

You can't go wrong with a .38 Special. Its the cheapest center fire cartridge available, comes in a wide variety of loadings from ultra light target loads to hefty defensive loads, and is available almost everywhere.

I'd go with a Smith & Wesson small (J) frame gun but a Ruger SP101 is also very good. For the Smiths, that would be models 36 (in blue) or 60 (in stainless). Two inch barrels are common but the rarer three inch models usually have adjustable sights and are a bit heavier making them easier to shoot accurately. There are other models that have concealed hammers but they are also rare. Get a good used one on GunBroker.com or AuctionArms.com. All the new ones have internal key locks and these should be avoided at all costs.

There is a wide variety of holsters available for these guns that will make carrying them fairly easy.

Make sure she gets good professional instruction and learns the laws regarding use of deadly force in your state and then practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more!

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You need to take her to a gun shop. See which one fits her the best. My mom didn't have the strength to rack the slide on most semi-auto pistols. That could be a major consideration a few years down the road.

In a case such as that, a good double action revolver works fine. Something like the 5 shot Ruger SP101. They make a version with a bobbed hammer so that you can only shoot it double action only and without the hammer it tends to snag less on stuff like the inside of a purse or clothing.

The bobbed hammer is also great for surviving the court battle if she should have to defend herself. The jury can't say she shot it single action creating an unsafe condition with a hair trigger.

A revolver chambered for .22LR ammunition is a great training pistol.

For concealed carry, I like the following cartridges: .38 Special, 9x19mm Luger and .380 ACP.

I like the Ruger SP101 and the Smith & Wesson Model 36 and/or Model 60. They are pleasant to shoot, easy to maintain and wonderfully reliable. These revolvers are popular enough to have many holsters available to carry them, too.

I recently purchased a Taurus Millenium Pro PT-111 9mm pistol and am pleased with how it performs. Finding a good holster for it took some shopping though.

Pistols which chamber the .380 ACP cartridge are available with a variety of features and in various sizes to fit a shooter's hands. Used Colt "Government Model" .380 pistols might be available and are pleasant to shoot. SIG Arms and Bersa both make a few .380 pistols worthy of consideration. Some Makarov pistols are available in .380 as well.

Note, the .380 ACP is considered to be the 'minimum' for personal defense by a number of people. The upside of this cartridge is that many guns built to use it are very convenient to carry.

Other items of interest could be the Taurus Model 85 (or variations of it) and the Colt "Detective Special" (if you can find one on the used market).

Good luck to you, your mom and all your loved ones.

Starting with a .22 is a good idea. Calibers to look into include .38 Special, 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and .357 mag. Well known and respected manufacturers include Sig, H&K, Glock, Ruger, Beretta, CZ and Springfield Armory, to name a few. The debate over gun action types and calibers is endless. Find a range that rents guns and have her try to shoot a double action revolver, a double action semi auto and a single action semi auto. She can figure out what's best for her.

Start your mom on the 22 and make sure she gets to the point of making follow-up shots that hit center mass.

A 22 doesnt have much recoil... but the muzzle blast and noise (even with ear protection) keeps a new shooter busy enough that getting a fast second or third shot is a learning experience.

Keep in mind that most defensive shootings happen in "room sized" areas... about 25 feet or less. To many people try to master the handgun at 25 yards and get frustrated. Start up close... 3 yards.. if you can see your hits on target they adjust your grip and sight picture... the feedback you get from shooting close is a good teacher.

Make a game of it.. 5 for 5 at 3 yards... then 5 for 5 at 10 yards... get the idea? That's a little game we play when we tutor old cops (and new ones) who come in here to improve handgun skills.

Defensive pace... a good drill is shooting a standard sheet of paper from about 15 feet....Once you can land a cylinder or magazine full of shots on the paper ...fast as you can... you have started to learn how to manage your handgun. A little tiny group means your shooting to slow as a defensive shooter... shots off the paper mean your probably shooting too fast.

Some pretty simple drills like this will start to teach her how to get a combat sight picture and manage the trigger of a handgun...the move up to 38/357 is pretty easy once the basics are mastered.

I like revolver for CCW... and women with purses can carry a good 3 inch K frame pretty effectivly. I'd stay away from semi-autos in a purse simply because purses get full of grit and lint... and that could make a semi-auto fail.

Annie, it's a VERY good idea, that your mother get a CCW. I would suggest starting out with, and carrying a .22 as her CCW (here comes the hate response from the "tactical" experts...). Honestly, everyone is going to tell you to go for a 9mm or .45 (.38 spc. .357 mag, yadda yadda yadda), but the truth is, you really don't need any of those calibers to knock down a man sized target, hell, I use a .22 rifle to knock down deer at ranges of 50 yards plus... and I figure that if a .22 can kill with heart/lung shots at that range, it can kill a man (or woman... being P.C. here...) quite easily. Look into anything made by Ruger, they are relatively inexpensive, utterly reliable, and very accurate... they just aren't as pretty as the handguns made by S&W and Colt. I would suggest a Ruger Mk I, II, or III. Both can be had for under $450, and you can get a variety of barrels for them (barrels sold in an "upper assembly"). I carry my Ruger Mk II to work/wherever else I'm going (after my Redhawk got a bit heavy, lol), and if it's good enough for me, then it is good enough for anyone. Just remember, the biggest, baddest gun is only as good as the person behind it. I'd rather make one solid hit with a .22 short, than six misses with a .44 mag (very old adage). Practice, Practice, Practice.

I wish you, and your mother safety and happiness.

Get started on that cabinet yet?