I was recently asked by a media relations firm about examining a fairly plain handgun lacking in fancy features and modern touches. I replied that I thought it was a good option for the home defender who was new to owning firearms.

Even this 10-22 can do the job for home defense, assuming you can shoot. The lethality of the 22 LR out of a rifle is likely because the close-range precision – partly from familiarity – is very good.

“Really? Why not a rifle or a shotgun?”

There are a range of reasons, but I’ll confine my remarks to safety, security, and movement.

I’m not against long guns for home defense – even when that home’s an apartment or mobile home. They come with some baggage that modern handguns tend not to share. There are downsides to the handgun for home defense too – and they can’t be ignored.

Any firearm solution is a compromise. Find the best solution for yourself. Part of the battle is knowing which questions to ask.

Here’s what doesn’t make the cut: power. Shotguns (and nearly all rifles) have the power advantage. That becomes a disadvantage when (1) you can’t reach it in time, (2) when you can’t keep it loaded up and fully accessible and (3) when you go mobile.

Long guns aren’t ‘drop-safe’, as a rule. Mossberg, at one time had a “double action” pump that was said to be drop safe, but the sales likely didn’t justify continued production. In the right circumstance, this 590A1 is a great choice.

Long guns don’t tend to be “drop safe.” We kept shotguns (and later, rifles) chamber empty in patrol cars for just that reason. It was so common a practice, it had a name – “cruiser ready.” Handguns, particularly now, tend to be made to carry loaded all the way up – including the chamber. Add the requirement to secure firearms from those who shouldn’t be around them – by locking them up – now you have to get to the storage location, unlock the gun and chamber a round -- when someone’s entering the home in a tumultuous fashion.

Working in close, with corners and doors, and not on a flat range, is illuminating. Doing this with a handgun is dicey; with a long gun, it’s orders of magnitude more difficult.

As to working corners and doors, when you must leave the room in which the gun is stored, this long gun becomes a liability. It’s easy to let the gun precede you into a room or hallway, where a grasping hand can seize it.

Case in point: In Hartshorne, OK, officers were called to a reported home invasion and found an unresponsive person with a gunshot wound. The investigation revealed that the subject entered the residence wearing a mask and brandishing a shotgun. A struggle over the shotgun ensued and the burglar was shot – with his own gun. This story appeared in Stephen Wenger’s email Digest (available here at no cost), with the comment – “I don't usually link reports of criminals being shot with their own guns by intended victims – a much more common occurrence than victims getting shot with their own guns by criminals. However, this serves as a reminder that a long gun usually provides more leverage for disarming than does a handgun, particularly a handgun with a barrel no longer than two inches and with a three-finger grip.” (Emphasis added.)

Enough about long guns. A loaded handgun can be on your person all day, every day, with no issues of being completely loaded and being secured. If you’re wearing it, it’s tougher for someone to surreptitiously grab it.

And, if it’s suddenly needed, it’s at hand.

“What is your favorite defense gun?” I was asked.

“The gun that’s closest to my hand,” I replied.

That’s the handgun, all the time.

If you don’t have to go mobile, the long gun gets the edge. If you’re in the room where it’s stored “when the balloon goes up” – and you can stay there, fort up – it’s become the “get off me” gun. No one’s coming in until you say it’s okay. The problem is that these situations can be fluid. You may have a family member to retrieve. You may have to escape the residence.

A handgun has another advantage – it’s a “hand” gun, not a “hands” gun. This was mentioned before and came to me from Mike Rafferty many years ago. Where he picked it up, I don’t know. It’s a valid point.

There’s no shooting without positive visual identification and handguns and hand-held lights go together like chocolate chips and vanilla ice cream. One hand runs the light and the other, if necessary, runs the gun. You can also reach and use light switches, open doors and fend off a close-range attack.

Which handgun is best? The closest, for me. For you, one you have the most familiarity with. If you’re not familiar with handguns, getting something simple to manipulate could be the best bet.

I’ll be discussing that soon.

— Rich Grassi