​This week the FBI released the numbers for firearms sold in December 2020. During the month there were 3,937,066 sales, making it the highest month of 2020 and the highest month on record for background checks since the FBI began keeping statistics in 1998. In the process breaking the previous December record of 3,314,594 checks, set in December 2015, and the previous all-time high of 3,931,607 set in June 2020. This made the total number of firearms sold in 2020 equal to 39,695,315 - just shy of 40 million.

In actuality there were probably even more firearms sold since anybody who has a concealed carry permit has already passed a NICS background check, so in many states when they purchase a new firearm a NICS check does not have to be run again. In addition, in most states a NICS check is not required for private firearm sales between two individuals. And finally, a single NICS check allows a person to buy multiple guns during the same transaction. The background check numbers would have probably been even higher, if the "in stock" inventory at most gun stores had been fuller.
 
It's also estimated that more than 8.4 million people legally purchased a firearm for the first time in 2020. Clearly people want to defend themselves and after the craziness of 2020 have doubts about the Government and Police doing it for them.
 
You can see all the details, and statistics since 1998, on the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) website at:
 
https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics

Well, 2020 is finally over, and what a strange year it has been. As we’ve mentioned in earlier blogs ("4 Rules for Handling a Firearm" and "The Unprecedented Surge in US Gun Sales During the Covid-19 Pandemic"), the unrest and uncertainty of 2020 has driven a record number of firearm sales. In fact the latest FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) numbers for January through November 2020 show that 35,758,249 firearms have been sold in the US during the past 11 months; 10,325,393 (40.6%) more than during the first 11 months of 2019. The final data for December 2020 hasn’t been released yet, but it will probably push the sales numbers to over 40M for the year; far more than any other year on record. Obviously people are concerned about protecting themselves – to include an estimated 8 million new gun owners. In fact, one study estimates that first-time buyers accounted for 40% of the firearm purchases that were made in the first seven months of the year.

Back in June we highlighted a great infographic from the Minuteman Review about "The true story behind the unprecedented surge in US gun sales during the Covid-19 pandemic" after Jay, one of their writers, reached out to us based on reading some of our blogs – to include "4 Rules for Handling a Firearm" and “Accurate Handgun Shooting”, which both specifically focused on some of the topics that new shooters needed to know.

Since then, the craziness of 2020 has continued, and in December Jay reached out to us again – this time with an article that he had written about “Back to Basics - What Beginners Need to Know About Handguns”. Because it fit with our point of view, Jay asked that we pass it on to all of our readers. So here it is:
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Ever since the Second Amendment gave us the right to bear arms, many people have taken up this opportunity. Some carry a handgun for hunting purposes – for example, when they need a backup for their rifle. Others may need it for safety purposes. For instance, if you live in a bad neighborhood, then having that handgun around might make you feel safer (particularly if you fear burglars or muggers). Still, when you purchase a gun, you need to know every possible thing about it. From what a handgun is, to how to use it, and safety issues. This article will touch on all these basics. 

What Are Handguns?
As its name suggests, a handgun is a type of firearm that was designed to be held in just one hand. Even with that in mind, experts recommend that you use both hands when holding the gun, as it will offer you better stability and more precise shooting. Handguns are a good choice if your target is somewhere between 3 to 30 feet (~1 to 10 meters) away, but they are not particularly recommended for long-distance shooting. For that, you will need a shotgun or a rifle, which can shoot farther. 

Handguns branch out into two main types: pistols and revolvers. Pistols are made so that projectiles can be fired from an integrated magazine (normally located in the handgrip) through a chamber integral to the gun’s barrel. Some common examples are the Glock series, the Smith & Wesson M&Ps, and the SIG Sauer P320. These types of weapons also allow for firearm accessories such as targeting sights, lights, suppressors, holsters, and so on. 

While revolvers are similar, they do have some key differences. They do not have an integrated chamber that is permanently in line with the handgun’s barrel. Revolvers have a rotating cylinder that sequentially cycles the bullets in front a single barrel. The cartridges of the gun are put into chambers, which are configured into a circle in the cylinder. The cylinder is then rotated and the cartridges are fired through the barrel when the trigger is pulled.  
 
Basic Handgun Lingo
In order to understand handguns, you first need to understand bullets. A bullet can be referred to as either a “round” or a “cartridge” – but in most cases, the word “bullet” is what’s most commonly used. But, that is only half the truth. To put it simply, the bullet is the part of the round that goes down the barrel and shoots towards the target.

The round has other parts too, such as the casing, gunpowder, and primer. The primer is the part from the back of the casing that will ignite the gunpowder, sending the bullet flying. Some of these parts are discarded once the trigger is pulled, and only the bullet part will reach the target.
 
Understanding Handgun Safety
Safety is the first thing you should concern yourself with when you are using a handgun. We’re talking about the basics of the basics, and without learning them you should not even begin to touch a gun. Here are some rules that you should look on as the commandments of handling a firearm.
 
1. Treat Your Gun as If It’s Loaded
Your gun may not be loaded. Maybe you made a habit out of unloading it after every use. Maybe you believe the gun is not loaded. But you can’t be certain that you didn’t forget to unload it; maybe you said you’d do it later and then forgot. Or maybe your spouse loaded it after you unloaded it, and then forgot to unload it afterward. This is why you should always treat a gun as if it is loaded at all times, and check it when you first pick it up.
 
2. Always Point the Muzzle in the Safe Direction
Guns can go off if you are not careful enough when handling them. As a result, unless you are actively trying to shoot at a target, do not point the muzzle at something you don’t intend to shoot at. This is particularly important when you are loading or unloading a handgun, as it might accidentally go off. Make a habit to always be in control of the direction of your gun’s muzzle because in some States you can even be fined if you point the muzzle at someone if it’s not for self-defense (see Vermont “4011. Aiming gun at another”).

3. Unload or Secure the Handgun when Not in Use
A handgun should not be loaded unless you are planning to use it. If you are in the shooting area, then you have to load it. However, if you are at home or relaxing in a safe environment, you shouldn’t keep your gun loaded and unattended. Outdoors, your gun may be stolen and will put your life in danger – and indoors, if you have kids, it can put their lives in danger. Refrain from climbing trees or doing any awkward activities with a loaded (and unholstered) gun, since it can go off if you’re not careful. If you do keep your firearm loaded – then make sure it is in your immediate control, secured in your holster, a safe, or lockbox whenever possible.
 
4. Don’t Rely on the Handgun’s Safety
Most handguns have a “safety” that prevents you from accidentally firing the weapon. Because of that, you should feel more at ease when carrying a loaded gun with you. However, like every other mechanical device, firearms can be accidently triggered or malfunction. The last thing you want is for your gun’s safety to become inoperable at the worst moment. Apporximately 1% of the gun-related deaths in 2018 were accidental, and it’s usually because the people relied on the handgun’s safety too much.

5. Use the Correct Ammunition
When loading your gun, make sure that you use the correct ammunition required for your firearm. Don’t go for the “good enough” option that apparently fits in the barrel. A shot made with the wrong bullet can not only wreck your handgun, but can also lead to injury or death. In addition, make sure that the bullets you are using have been stored properly before use; normally a cool, dry place. They should not be kept in humid places, and you should not spray solvents or oil on them. Needless to say, they should not be submerged in water either.
 
THE BOTTOM LINE
The main thing about handguns is that if you want to use one, you should learn about firearms safety first. Make sure to properly learn about the weapon, the bullets it should use and how to conduct yourself while handling a gun. Once you have the safety requirements down, you should be able to properly practice with your gun to improve your accuracy and self-defense skills.
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About Jay: Jay is a pro free speech business owner based in Austin, Texas. Having lived through several natural disasters and more than a few man-made ones (hello 2008), he believes that resilience and self-sufficiency are essential in this increasingly unpredictable world. That’s why he started a business! Jay writes over at the Minuteman Review.

​With the price of our standard 115 and 124 grain 9mm ammo skyrocketing we decided to add some 9mm steel case ammo to our inventory - specifically for our Kalashnikov KR-9S 9mm AK carbine.
 
Two years ago we had investigated 7.62mm steel case ammo in detail for our MAK-90 (see our blog on "Steel Case Ammo - Is Steel Ammo Good or Bad?"). Back then we ultimately chose Wolf ammo, so this time we only looked to see what Wolf ammo was available in 9mm. Ultimately we purchased some Wolf Performance 9mm 115 Grain FMJ Steel Case Ammo (MFG: P919FMJ – UPC 645611919213) - even though the prices on it have skyrocketed too (from ~$7.99 per box to ~$25.50 per box) - albeit not as much as brass case 9mm ammo.

You can find the details about this 9mm steel case ammo on our Shooting/Ammunition page.

​Most people that do a fair amount of shooting have magazine holders for extra handgun ammunition, just like skeet shooters have pouches for their extra shotgun shells. So, if you begin to participate in rifle or 3-gun activities it’s only natural that you need some way to hold your extra rifle magazines. After looking at many, many options we selected the Condor Recon Chest Rig (MCR5).

You can find the details about this chest rig on our Shooting/Holsters page.

​These days there are lots of tactical gloves available on the market – some great, some good, some not so good. If you need a set of shooting gloves that allows you to have good manual dexterity, protects your knuckles and the back of your hands, and allows you to get a good grip on your firearm, then you should look into purchasing a pair of HellStorm Battle Wolf Beowolf Gloves.

You can find the details about these fingerless tactical gloves on the Shooting/Range Items and Tools page.

In March we wrote a blog about the “4 Rules for Handling a Firearm” which covered two main points: 1) the number of firearm purchases had skyrocketed in the US in January (2,702,702 NICS checks) and February (2,802,467 NICS checks) 2020 and 2) all these new gun owners need to learn the critical rules related to safety.

Well, since that time the unsettled nature of the world has driven even more people to purchase firearms - as see by the latest FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) data:

• March - 3,740,688 background checks
• April - 2,911,128 background checks
• May - 3,091,455 background checks

 
If you want to see more of the FBI’s NICS data here are the direct links:
 
     - https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf/view
 
     - https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year_by_state.pdf/view
 
     - https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics
 
So, in the first 5 months of 2020 there have been 15,248,440 NICS checks; an average of 3,049,688 checks per month.
 
What’s driving these purchases? Where are the purchases being made? Who’s making the purchases? Why? Like you we had lots of questions.
 
Luckily, James Miller from the Minuteman Review put together a great infographic and contacted us to see if we wanted to help spread the word. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Minuteman review they’re a website “dedicated to supporting the 2nd Amendment and promoting firearms safety and education” that tries to “provide every gun owner—and prospective gun owner—the information they need to get the firearms and gear that are most relevant to their needs”. One of the things that we like about their website is that they have lots of articles, guides and reviews about gear related to the shooting sports.

Rather than trying to summarize all of the information in their infographic – we’ll just let it speak for itself:

Given the number of new gun owners out there it’s probably a good idea to review how to accurately shoot a handgun. As always two of the greatest sources of information are internet websites and YouTube – assuming that you read articles and watch videos made by someone that actually knows what they’re doing.
 
For our money one of the best online video sources for firearm and shooting technique information is Paul Harrell – who we like to think of as the “Bob Ross of firearms”- informative, descriptive, humorous and calming. Paul's YouTube channel has lots of great videos that are always filled with actual methodical shooting demonstrations.

With regards to accurate handgun shooting, back in January/February 2017 Paul posted three videos on what he believes are the key points and the proper techniques.
 

• Part One:    Accurate Hand Gun Shooting: Grip and Stance (~6 minutes)
• Part Two:    Accurate Handgun Shooting: Sight Alignment/Sight Picture (~7 minutes)
• Part Three: Accurate Handgun Shooting: Trigger Control (~6:30 minutes)

 
Part One focuses on handgun “Grip and Stance” and makes the following key points:
 

• You need to develop a degree of competency in hitting the target before you start adding multiple target engagements, shooting on the run, combat reloads, etc., 
• Start with a user friendly handgun and a really stable normal stance
• Either an Isosceles Stance or Weaver Stance are great for learning to shoot
• Bring the gun up to your line of sight. Don’t bring your head down to the gun.

Part Two focuses on handgun “Sight Alignment/Sight Picture” and makes the following key points:
 

• Purchase a gun with adjustable sights – assuming that your budget allows it
• Get a good sight picture – preferably “Point of Aim = Point of Impact”
• Shoot some rounds to get an initial group that you can adjust off of
• Move the rear sight in the direction of where you want the rounds to move
• Move the front sight in the opposite direction of where you want the rounds to move
• Test different types of ammo since your ammo can make a significant difference in your accuracy and groupings

Part Three focuses on handgun “Trigger Control” and makes the following key points:
 

• Trigger control is the most difficult aspect of handgun shooting
• Start with a good grip
• Choke up on the grip as much as you can with all your fingers and thumb
• Place the middle of your forefinger's "pad" on the trigger – not in the joint of the finger or just on the finger tip
• Make a steady squeeze straight back
• You should be surprised when it goes off - don't anticipate the firing
• Mastering trigger control takes a lot of work, a lot of concentration and a lot of rounds

If you’re a new shooter, or an experienced shooter looking to improve, you should really spend 20 minutes and watch these three videos from Paul.
 
For a more detailed look at stances here’s a good article from Pew Pew Tactical:
           “Shooting Stances & Grip: Isosceles vs Weaver vs Chapman”

If you want additional details on how to improve your accuracy with a handgun - then you should also checkout our previous blog post on "The Secret to Mastering the Handgun" which features a 19 minute video by Alex Hommes, the Operations Manager for the Silverado Shooting Academy.

Given everyone’s ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 virus, and its impacts on our daily lives, one interesting phenomena that we are seeing is a lot of people that have never owned a firearm heading to their local gun store to purchase either a handgun, shotgun or rifle. Some of these individuals have never considered owning a gun before, and some of them seem to be anti-gun people that have had a change of heart given the social turbulence that they see around them. Whatever the cause, we are glad to see people exercising their 2nd Amendment rights and rethinking their gun ownership positions.
 
Based on the FBI statistics what we are seeing locally is happening all across the United States. In fact, January 2020 had the fourth-highest number of National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background checks ever for a month - totaling 2,702,707 checks. February exceeded that number recording 2,802,467 background checks, with 797,221 of these checks occurring between 21 February and 1 March 2020 - the third-highest level since 1998.
 
In total 338,509,235 NICS background checks have been completed since the system started operations in November 1998; approximately 8 million background checks more than the entire population of the United States of 330 million people. 

​Here’s the FBI’s data from November 1998 through February 2020.

Here’s the FBI’s data for January and February 2020 – broken down by State

If you want to see more of the FBI’s NICS data here are the direct links:
 
     - https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year.pdf/view
 
     - https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics_firearm_checks_-_month_year_by_state.pdf/view
 
     - https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/nics

As with most things in life, this explosion of people realizing that they need to be able to defend themselves (and taking actions to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights to purchase firearms to do so), has both pros and cons.
 
Biggest Pro – People understand that they are responsible for their own protection - especially since the average response time in the United States for the Police to arrive after being called is 9 minutes and 35 seconds – even in the best of circumstances.
 
Biggest Con – There are a whole lot of new gun owners out there with firearms that they haven’t trained with and, in many cases, really don’t know how to effectively use safely.
 
So that brings us to today’s real blog topic: The 4 Rules of Gun Safety. Initially developed by Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper in 1976 at “Gunsite”, his ranch in northern Arizona dedicated to teaching and advancing the knowledge that Cooper had developed as his “Modern Technique” approach to effectively using firearms. Cooper’s initial version of the 4 Rules of Gun Safety was:
 
    Rule One: All guns are always loaded.
    Rule Two: Never let the muzzle cover anything which you are not willing to destroy.
    Rule Three: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
    Rule Four: Always be sure of your target.
 
For safety’s sake every gun owner should commit these 4 rules to memory, and should follow them 100% of the time to maximize safety and minimize accidents. Responsible gun ownership means learning and practicing the behaviors that help prevent needless accidental injury and/or death – in all situations.
 
Over the past 40 years numerous variations to the wording of Cooper’s original 4 Rules have proliferated – mostly to provide additional clarity. The version of the 4 Rules of Gun Safety that we prefer are:

Based on these four rules some key points that we like emphasize to other shooters (both new – and yes – sometimes old timers too) are:

• Take the time to treat every firearm that you come in contact with as though it is loaded. Never assume that someone has handed you an unloaded gun.
• Your first action with any firearm should be to point the muzzle in a safe direction, check the chamber and clear the firearm.
• It’s your responsibility to keep the gun pointed in a safe direction all of the time – regardless of what you are doing (e.g. loading, drawing from a holster, shooting, etc.,).
• Everything that your firearm points toward is in danger.
• From the minute you touch a firearm your “trigger” finger should rest on the side of the firearm’s frame – straight, outside the trigger guard and off the trigger.
• Don’t put your finger inside the trigger guard until you’ve decided that you’re ready to pull the trigger.
• You “own” every bullet that is fired from your gun. Consequently it’s critical that you are aware of everything in front of and behind your target before you pull the trigger.
• If you pull the trigger, you can’t take back the bullet.
• Be aware of potential ricochets.

 
One last note. Over the past several years, as gun safety has been highlighted, a new rule seems to be emerging:

• Always secure your firearms from unauthorized persons and use.

 
We like this rule since you should obviously store your guns so they are not accessible to unauthorized people; including your children, friends, and other people that might have access to your home and/or firearms - wherever they are located.
 
For more details and opinions about the 4 Rules of Gun Safety here are some other great online reference sources:
 
     - A Girl & A Gun: “4 Rules of Gun Safety”
          -- https://www.agirlandagun.org/training/4-rules-of-gun-safety/
 
     - Keepgunssafe.com – “The Four Primary Rules of Firearm Safety”
          -- https://keepgunssafe.com/four-primary-rules-firearm-safety/
 
     - Cheaper Than Dirt Blog – “4 Rules of Gun Safety”
          -- https://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/4-rules-gun-safety/
 
​To really drive the point home, here's a great video from Colion Noir discussing the same topic for new gun owners: "7 Things You Should Do After Buying Your First Gun":

In addition, here are two videos from Paul Harrell where he gives his "tips on how non-firearms enthusiasts can make good decisions in buying firearms" during today's situation:

​Since a large handgun is normally too big to carry in an Inside the Waistband (IWB) holster, you really need to carry it in a different type of holster. For concealed carry the only option is really a shoulder holster – so we have one of those (a Bianchi 4601 Ranger Viper). But for unconcealed carrying, or for ease of access for activities like 3-gun shooting, you really need to carry the firearm as a “sidearm”; and that means either an Outside the Waistband (OWB) holster or a drop-leg holster. Since an OWB holster makes the firearm sit high on your waist, that can cause issues drawing a large firearm since you have to lift your arm up fairly high to allow the barrel to fully clear the holster. Because of this, the more popular option for large handguns, like the Beretta 92FS, is a drop leg holster. After looking at the many options on the market, for unconcealed carry for our Beretta 92FS, we selected a Safariland 6004-173-6114 STX Black Tactical Holster.

​You can find the details about the Safariland 6004 Holster on the Shooting/Holsters page.

This weekend the rain finally stopped here in New England and we were able to enjoy a “Fighting Shotgun” course taught by Gregory Cruz, the founder of Interactive Gunfighting. It was a great day – and lots of ammo was expended. If you’ve ever wondered what over 2,000 spent shotgun shells looks like here you go:

The class ran 8 hours and covered a variety of topics to include:

• Benefits and liabilities of shotguns for home defense
• Realistic shotgun distances
• Accuracy drills (trigger press, sight picture and sight alignment)
• Sustainment and combat reloads
• Malfunction clearing
• Improving speed without sacrificing accuracy
• Shooting under stress
• Pros and cons of shotgun platforms (Pumps, autos, over / under and side-by-side)
• Ammunition selection based on situation and distance

​During the day we each shot 200 rounds of bird shot, 25 rounds of buck shot and 15 slugs, using a wide variety of pump and semi-auto shotguns manufactured by all sorts of companies and decked out with all types of iron sights, optics, slings and other gear based on personal preference. Since we shot three different kinds of ammunition, Greg even took the time during one of the breaks from shooting to cut open birdshot, buckshot and slug shells so that we could talk about the pros and cons of each type of ammunition. (FYI - you can read the blog post that I wrote on this topic back in November of 2017 if you want the details) 

As to the level of instruction that we received, it was top notch since Greg has had an extensive and widely varied career. Greg is a military combat veteran and wounded warrior nominated for the Silver Star for Combat Valor, awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V and Purple Heart. A former USMC Grunt/Sniper and Scout Sniper Instructor Greg served in Panama, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. An experienced Law Enforcement Officer, Greg served as the Chief Firearms Instructor at the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy. Greg was also a founding member of Department of Homeland Security/Federal Air Marshal firearms program post 9/11. Greg has been a weapons instructor for over 20 years and from 2014 through 2018 was the Smith & Wesson Academy’s Chief Firearms Instructor. A highly experienced competitive shooter, firearms and tactics instructor, and lifelong student of the tactical/shooting arts, Greg really brought practical knowledge to the class. You can find out more details on their website (https://interactivegunfighting.com/) or their
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/InteractiveGunfighting/

​One of the things that I liked the most about the class was Greg’s emphasis on splitting your shooting stance (i.e. your legs) and your posture (i.e. your upper torso). Since accuracy and repeatability is so dependent on your shooting body position, and your mechanics, Greg’s focus on this was great. The shooting drills that we ran through helped you understand how to get a good stance to “drive the gun” (much like a football linebacker’s stance is how I always think about it), when and how to change your posture or rotate your torso to engage targets from different directions, and when to move your feet or the angle of your knees to reorient your stance.

​The ever increasing speed of the sustainment reload (rapidly "topping off" the shotgun's magazine tube when you have a break from shooting so that the magazine is full when you reengage the targets) and combat reload (reloading the shotgun by putting a single shell into the chamber as soon as the previous shell has been ejected - done in extreme situations where there is an immediate threat and no time to fully reload the shotgun's magazine tube; sometimes called a tactical reload) drill was also great since you really had think and to work to keep up.
 
We all had fun and learned a lot during the class. So if you are looking to really learn how to utilize your shotguns – check out what Greg and Interactive Gunfighting offer.