Concealed Carry Corner: Bare Minimum For Defense

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at how semi-automatic pistols became the dominant force in the concealed carry market. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to catch up. This week, I want to talk about the bare minimum for carrying a concealed firearm and how certain people will go below the bare minimum out of convenience. This often happens when people are just starting out carrying a concealed handgun or have been carrying for years and want something small that's easy to conceal. There are explanations for this behavior, but it's an important aspect to think about. Let's take a closer look at the bare minimum for defense.

What's The General Rule For Defensive Carry?

When it comes to carrying a handgun, I often get the question of whether they can carry something compact in an effort to keep their carry pistol as small as possible. Certain people like new carriers and some women learn on a small .22LR pistol and since they feel comfortable shooting rimfire handguns at the range, they want to start off carrying that before moving to something larger like a 9mm. First off, if you are unaware of firearms and ballistics, this thought process starts to make sense even though it's incorrect. I can hear the shot placement crowd sprinting down into the comment section, but the truth is that .22LR simply does not have enough velocity to effectively stop a human being.

This goes for other smaller calibers like .32 Auto and even in some cases like .380 Auto. When it comes to self-defense, my absolute minimum to carry is .380 Auto and that's if there's no other choice. If I can pick any caliber as a safe baseline, it will certainly be 9mm Luger (9x19mm). The 9mm is readily available, cheap to train with and the recoil is manageable for almost any person with some training. If you're going to go through the process of changing your lifestyle to carry a gun, it should be a firearm that's capable of effectively stopping a threat. Energy transfer is a real factor in this and some rounds just don't have enough energy transfer to stop a threat in a defensive situation.

Personal Experience

Beginners don't always know the best course of action when it comes to picking out a carry gun. Sometimes they go with the best choice based on recommendations from a gun store worker or family friend. Another trend I’ve seen a few times is when individuals who own a significant collection carry something that doesn't quite make a ton of sense. In the past week, one of the long-time gun collectors I know swung by to say hello and we naturally started talking about firearms. He eventually told me what he was carrying a .32 ACP KelTec pocket pistol. He has a well-rounded gun collection, probably hovering around 100 items with plenty of lightweight revolvers and semi-auto options in slightly larger calibers. When I asked him why he carried it, he said it was comfortable and the smallest option he could find while being lethal.

While I understand this idea of having some firearm on your body, the risk of the .32 ACP not being lethal to an attacker is a very real threat. Of course, any type of firearm is better than no firearm, but when it's such an underpowered cartridge, is it worth the effort? With technology and innovations in the gun industry, I really don't see a reason not to carry something like a micro carry 9mm. There are plenty of options that would offer a significant upgrade in stopping power while not adding much in terms of weight and size. Older guns like the Glock 43 and Kahr Arms PM9 would be a lightweight option while substantially boosting stopping power with a self-defense round. The KelTec .32 ACP looks tiny compared to something modern like a Glock 48, but there are still plenty of extremely small options in 9mm or even .380 Auto that would outperform the smaller .32 ACP cartridge even with self-defense ammunition.

Carry With Purpose

When it comes to carrying a concealed firearm, it's important to try and make it comfortable for every day life and have the best carry setup in order to make it a feasible option for carrying every single day. Part of carrying concealed, though, is having an item on your body that should remind you of the responsibility to act in the best possible way you can. Personally, I don't see a reason to carry a handgun chambered in a round that may or may not get the job done. It's important to carry a caliber that has enough energy transfer and velocity to get the job done. We don't all have to carry a full-size 1911, but having something small yet effective is well within reason when looking at a concealed carry option.

Overall Thoughts

I know there may be certain individuals who may not agree with my view on smaller calibers, but with modern technology and machining processes, there's really no reason to carry handguns that may not get the job done in an emergency. What do you guys think is the minimum caliber to defend your life with? Let me know in the comments below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram  @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.

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