Beretta Blog

A trip to your local gun store can be overwhelming for someone new to concealed carry. Almost all guns bear a striking similarity to each other. They’re almost all black. Most pistols incorporate a hefty amount of plastic and some steel. What sets them apart?

If you carry a defensive firearm or compete in practical pistol, you know consistent practice is the key to confidence and skill-building. We all need to practice more often, so we dry-fire at home to improve our skills without the time and expense of going to a range. Dry-fire is effective, and it’s something I do it on an almost daily basis, but at some point, the rubber has to meet the road and we need to put our plans into action and send rounds downrange. 

When I rounded the corner in front of my house, I could see into my backyard. The man was there, behind my garage. I had seen him earlier, when I’d left to pick up my son from school, just across the street. He looked out of place then, and I’d made a mental note of him. I even made eye-contact as I slowly drove by and gave him my best I-see-you look.

When loading a fresh magazine or changing to a new one, there are two ways to “recharge” a semi-automatic pistol. You can push down on the slide lock lever using your firing or support hand thumb, or you can go through a partial slide racking motion. Some on the internet will insist that choosing the wrong method will get you killed and result in Justin Bieber lip-synching Milli Vanilli songs at your funeral.

Heriberto Aceves is dead. The store owner was robbed back in his Bakersfield, CA store in late 2016 and the armed assailants brutally assaulted Aceves and his son. Aceves, though, put up a fight. He had a pistol behind the counter. Though the gun was loaded, the chamber was empty - in other words, "Israeli Carry." As Aceves struggled to rack the slide, his assailant shot him.

Earlier this year, Arkansas became one of the first states in the country to issue what the state calls an “enhanced” concealed carry permit. The new regulations allow those with an enhanced endorsement to carry a concealed firearm many places that are off limits to those with the standard CHCL: public college campuses, churches, even bars. Are these new permits a step in the right direction for those of us who carry concealed?

Gun ownership continues to grow at record levels in the United States, and concealed carry permits are increasing right alongside gun sales, reaching record levels last year with no end in sight. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of people who go to the trouble and expense of getting a concealed carry permit don’t carry a pistol on a regular basis. When I went through my CCW class in Arizona many years ago, our instructor said that only a third of us would commit to carrying our guns on a regular basis. Based on my experience since then, I think he was optimistic.

Just after I graduated from college, I found out that a friend I’d known forever was carrying a revolver. Carrying might be too generous a term. It was in the glove compartment of his pickup truck, and he didn’t have a permit.

Every time summer rolls around, I find myself justifying the .380 as a practical concealed carry round. It is a story I tell myself, really. When the temperature hits triple digits, I tend to shed layers of clothing—layers that I rely on to conceal my preferred double-stack 9mm.

What do I have against the .380? Nothing really. In my years in the firearm industry, I’ve plugged away at numerous gel blocks. I’ve studied the terminal ballistics of the 9mm Kurz, and I like what I see.

Suppose you’re planning a road trip and intend to transport a firearm in your vehicle. You’re a law-abiding citizen, and of course, there’s this thing called the Second Amendment that should cover you, right? Well, not exactly.

In part, because the Founders of the United States believed that most laws should be made locally, states carry a lot of power when it comes to regulations of firearms ownership and transportation. As a lawful gun owner, it’s up to you to know the laws of your home state, but also each and every state you visit while in possession of a firearm. Let’s plan a hypothetical road trip to outline some of the things you need to know.