Also by Paul Scarlata

In addition to being used for backup, the SIG Sauer P238 would be very practical for plainclothes officers who need a "deep cover" weapon or as an off-duty gun.

At this year's SHOT Show, Ruger wowed the attendees when it unveiled one of the most radically new handguns that has been seen in decades, the Light Compact Revolver (LCR).

While the revolver's popularity among American police forces has taken a nose dive in the past few decades, Smith & Wesson has recently introduced a new line of revolvers that I believe will engender new interest from law enforcement, especially for concealed carry by undercover officers and as an off-duty or backup gun.

The newest fighting pistol in the Kahr line is CW45, chambered for…what else?…the .45 ACP. While it looks very similar to the earlier P45, the CW45 is intended as an economy model.

With its new P250, SIG Sauer has embarked upon a completely novel concept in semi-automatic handguns—the modular pistol. The P250 is based upon a polymer grip module and metal frame/fire control assembly. This assembly is in fact the “pistol,” as it bears the serial number, which can be removed and inserted into another grip module.

The SR9 is not just "another striker-fired, polymer frame, 9mm pistol," but a combination of many features that have proven their practicality over the years and new features that police officers and shooters have been asking for but have not yet been offered in a production handgun.

The Canadian firm of Para-Ordnance has been a trailblazer when it comes to improving the classic 1911 pistol. One of the company's most radical concepts is the Light Double Action (LDA) trigger mechanism, which can be found on its new Carry 9 LDA.

Most officers who carry Glock pistols will know exactly what I mean when I say that the new Glock G21SF is "...just a Glock." But such flippancy should in no way be taken as a negative comment because one of the line's most positive features is that once you know how to use one Glock, you know how to use all of them.

The new Springfield 1911 is not just an attenuated version of the standard 1911 but a true small pistol. The Enhanced Micro Pistol (EMP) was radically re-engineered specifically for the concealed carry market, making it an attractive weapon for detectives or for off-duty carry.

The latest Kahr model, the CW9, is an excellent example of a reliable, compact semi-auto, and it makes an excellent backup or off-duty weapon.

Today's police handgun market abounds with full-sized, medium-sized, and compact .45 ACP pistols. But until recently the designers of these weapons all labored under a seemingly insurmountable constraint: size.

In keeping with its tradition of supplying police officers with easy-to-use, rugged long guns built for specific police applications, Remington recently introduced the Model 7615 pump-action rifle that's being marketed as a patrol rifle for agencies that can't carry so-called "assault" weapons outside of tactical units.