What I Carry and Why

Most of my carry is with a beat up Glock 17 and/or the no longer manufactured S&W 337.  It has a 3.2 inch barrel on the Scandium frame with the titanium cylinder.  Loaded, the Glock weighs a smidgen under two pounds (31.8 ounces); the 337, just under 1 pound (15.4 ounces), according to my digital scale.  The ballistics of 9mm+P delivers a 115 grain .355 inch projectile at about 1350 fps; the .38+P, a 125 grain .357 inch projectile at about 950 fps. 

The revolver has high viz adjustible sights and Crimson Trace grips.    The Glock has TruGlo TFO combination light gathering and tritium sights. 

Implicit to the “Why?” question are two answers.

Quite a while ago, a well known gun writer described the optimum every day carry (EDC) handgun.  Paraphrased, it had the capacity of Maximum machine gun, the knockdown power of a .45-70, the recoil of at .22 short Olympic pistol, the size and weight of a lipstick, the ergonomics of a Colt Woodsman, is absolutely reliable, and has the accuracy of a sniper rifle.  In short, an EDC is, by necessity, a compromise of a number of desirable characteristics.  

In my opinion, the Glock comes closest to optimizing those desirable characteristics with excellent capacity and power in a lightweight, easily carried and easily shot frame.  While not a target pistol, it has good “combat” accuracy and legendary reliability.

The 337 is a compromise aimed for more discreet and backup carry.  It is only half the weight of the Glock, almost as powerful, and is a little easier to conceal.   It slips into a pocket fairly easily.  The laser adds night sight capability and a bit of visual deterrence.  Given the current paucity of .22 ammunition, it is hard to imagine two ammunition calibers easier to come by than 9mm and .38 special.

The second “why” is more important.  The primary reason that I carry is for political purposes.   As a member of the gun culture, of mature age and independent means, the chances of needing an EDC for defense of self and others are fairly low.  The chances of needing to defend the Constitution from clear and present political dangers are everyday and common. 

Carrying a firearm confirms the right of citizens to use force. It confirms that the ultimate sovereign is the individual citizen, not the State. It confirms that the federal and state constitutions mean something; are not infinitely malleable by the courts, and that government is limited by the rule of law. 

Openly carried weapons visually and boldly declare that the Second Amendment is not merely faded ink on dusty parchment, and that the right to self defense is known and cherished.  It is the equivalent of the rattle on the rattlesnake or the May Day military parade.  It warns our enemies, foreign and domestic, “You do not want a piece of this!”

That, fellow people of the gun, members of the gun culture, is what and why I carry.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.     Link to Gun Watch