Is a safety a good thing?
The name itself imparts a feeling of security: a safety. We all want to be safer, right? Many handguns have safeties.
I ask Joe if he prefers to have a safety on his gun. He begins explaining to me: “Back when I was in the Navy…”
I settle down with a comfortable pillow. His response may take a while.
He clears his throat.
“Back when I was in the Navy, Master Chief Big Thumbs taught us how to slide our gun from the holster, then, in a smooth motion, we’d bring up the gun and swipe down the safety with our thumbs just before aiming. All our 1911 handguns had safeties. That’s the way I was taught.
Your gun can’t fire until you release the safety. Pushing down on the safety lever makes the action of drawing your gun a deliberate action. You are thinking twice before pulling the trigger.
I believe in carrying a gun with a safety. That’s the way I was taught, and that’s the way it should be.”
So yes, the 1911s have safety levers. Many handguns have safeties on the frame or on the slide. Almost all of these levers slide downward to disengage the safety. Although, (read your handbook), a few guns have safety levers you must push upward instead of downward.
Safeties. Does your gun have a safety? Do you even want a safety?
A Wakulla County Range Office (WCSO) range visitor hears us discussing safeties.
“If I don’t see a lever, then my gun doesn’t have a safety, right?” she wonders.
Sometimes you don’t see a safety. Sometimes a trigger pull is hard. I prefer a trigger pull of about 41/2 pounds. However, some handguns have triggers that are hard, hard, hard. They might have trigger pulls of 10-12 pounds. A hard trigger pull is in itself a safety.
If the pull is very hard, you’re going to really intend to shoot. It will be a deliberate action because it is difficult to do. This is a safety measure.
Some handguns are double action/single action. With these, the first time you pull the trigger, the trigger has a heavy pull. Successive trigger pulls are lighter and easier. Again, that first pull gives you a second to think that yes, you do indeed plan to pull the trigger. Once you’ve made your decision, other pulls are easier.
Look at the gun you might purchase. Is there some sort of addition to the back of the grip, high in the beavertail? This is another safety. One of my friends was with Joe and me at the WCSO range last Wednesday.
“I pulled the trigger and nothing happened. What’s wrong with my gun?” she asked.
Our friend Greg watched as she tried to pull the trigger. Indeed, nothing happened.
“Guns with grip safeties cannot fire until the grip safety is disengaged. You have to squeeze the grip safety reasonably hard with the web of your shooting hand to disengage the safety,” he explained to her. “This way, your gun doesn’t fire accidentally.”
Another safety built into many handguns is the trigger safety. The gun can not function until the trigger is pressed firmly. If your gun is in a holster, it will not be able to fire until the owner takes it out and presses the trigger. A lot of people don’t notice a trigger safety, but it’s often there.
So, some guns have safety levers on their slides or on their frames. Some have grip safeties. Some have difficult-to-pull triggers, and these act like safeties. Some have trigger safeties. And some handguns have several of these safeties: all built into one gun.
“What do you think, Greg,” I asked. “Should we advise new shooters to look for handguns with safety levers?”
“In a time of great stress, the new shooter may not remember if his gun’s safety is on or off. He won’t have time to check out whether or not his safety is engaged. I’d suggest ‘no’ to the safety.”
I agree. If Mr. Bad, and maybe one of his friends come at me with evil intent, I don’t want to have to wonder if the safety is on or off. And, at this point, each second of time is important.
Amy is listening.
“My husband says a safety is a must! I plan to keep my little gun in my purse, and Jack said that debris could clog in the trigger and the gun could fire. Or, he says I might accidentally put my finger on the trigger when I take it out of my purse. Then I might accidentally fire my gun. That’s why he says I need a safety.”
“It’s more likely that pieces of gum and candy wrappers will clog inside the trigger mechanism, keeping the gun from being able to shoot,” says Joe. He knows she carries everything except the kitchen sink in her purse. However, Joe adds that there was a documented incident of an accidental discharge when a lip gloss stick wedged between the trigger and the trigger guard. This fired the gun in her purse.
Joe advises that using a pocket holster can avoid these conditions.
“I just want to be able to point and shoot,” grumbles Amy. Then she considers her statement.
“No, I never want to have to point and shoot. But if that awful day ever comes, I don’t want to have to wonder about my safety. I’m going to look for a handgun that has both a grip safety and a trigger safety.”
“What about a gun with a firm trigger pull?” I ask.
“You are always stressing the need to practice,” she replies.
“If the trigger is hard to pull, I probably won’t practice,” she continues.
“Let’s get real. If it’s not easy enough, it won’t be enjoyable. If it’s not enjoyable, I won’t come to practice. Worst of all, if I don’t come here and practice, I’ll miss out on our after-shooting lunch!”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.
