Articles - Weapons

If you can put the gun-snob side of you in a drawer for a minute, you may learn something here when it comes to affordable firepower.

From the classic Browing Hi-Power pistol, to today's current crop of high-tech firearms, FN's reputation is that of a Cadillac of police and military firearms.

You don't like doing it, I don't like doing it…no one I know likes shooting with one hand. But quite often, how you shoot determines whether or not you go back to the street or end up in an office job riding a desk.

The officers of LAPD SWAT wanted a handgun that was solid, reliable, and delivered the features, accessories, and performance they felt they needed. After an extensive period of testing there was one clear winner: the Kimber Custom II.

No department would dare let said officer hit the street without training and instruction in policies governing the use of a pistol. Many PDs even have policies regarding the use of flashlights. But in most departments an edged weapon/cutting tool clipped to the pocket of the officer's duty pants flies under the radar.

Few items in the police arsenal are asked to wear as many hats as the duty shotgun. This ubiquitous tool is being increasingly relied upon to perform a wide range of roles-many never imagined even 20 years ago.

At 18.7 ounces, the PT111SS qualifies as a true pocket pistol.

As a former Federal Air Marshal, I am often asked, "Should law enforcement officers be allowed to carry their guns when they are passengers on commercial airliners?" My short answer is, "Hell, yes."

As the sear releases the striker and the primer ignites, it's now the rifle's job to deliver that bullet exactly where it must go.

For some reason, most officers have a vision of a gunfight as being one shooter against another. The reality of such incidents is much different and even deadlier. An alarming number of police gunfights involve more than one bad guy against a single cop.