Despite being one of the resident gun nuts, I'll say that buying a firearm should be one of the last steps to increasing your personal safety rather than the first. Good environmental awareness, for example, will generally increase your safety more than carrying a firearm, even if you know how to use it. Some crime prevention or awareness based self defense classes are a good start.

For advice on choosing a firearm:

the weapons you choose has to have sufficient penetraion to kill someone quickly. While all firearms are potientally lethal, for a defensive firearm, you want immediate death or incapacitation of the target, not death through blood loss or infection several hours or days later. This generally rules out small caliber pistols (22, .25, .32, some loadings of .380 ACP). In addition, this generally rules out birdshot out of shotguns as well. This means that anything you want to fire at someone will go right through doors (interior and exterior), interior walls, furniture, and possibly even exterior walls and still retain sufficient force to kill someone on the other side. (See The Box of Truth for some samples of what kind of things firearms will penetrate).

For selecting a weapon, try to find a dealer, firing range, or local gun bunny that will let your handle, or ideally, shoot before deciding on what to purchase, as ergonomics will be a large factor. Since you are in the US, the amount of high quality firearms avaiable is truly staggeting, take advantage of the selection by trying before you buy. Once you pick a weapon, budget and schedule at least 500 rounds of ammunition to become familiar with the weapon. This will probably be a whole day or two afternoons of shooting. Make sure you have hearing and eye protection if your shooting range dosen't supply these things already. Ideally, get some local gun bunnies to drill you on things like: draw and shoot, load and shoot, and target identification drills. The target identification drills are probably the most important, shooting a family member that came home drunk one night and startled you (or whatever) is a traqgedy we'd all like to avoid.

Next you have to become familiar with the legal stuff. How you can transport and carry your weapon. Under what circumsatance you canuse it, and so on.

If I could carry a taser with the range, capacity, and accuracy of a handgun, I would. Sadly, it's not an option.

I carry a gun in case I have to stop someone from hurting me, or someone I care about. If I pull it out, and they take off, all the better. If I fire and miss, and the bang scares 'em off, well, let's hope those stray rounds didn't hurt anyone, and I'm glad it's over. If I shoot someone, and he stops trying to hurt me or my loved ones, my goal is accomplished, and we get to go about life. If it kills him in the process, well... them's the breaks.

Why do I carry "casually?" I'd guess you mean as opposed to "when I think I'm going to need it." I can't imagine voluntarily going into a situation where I think I'm going to need to shoot someone... and that leaves the rest of the time, where I might have to.

There's been three different incidents in Seattle in the last 9 months where some nutbar shot up five or more people he didn't know for reasons that don't make sense to me, without warning. The last one was a few blocks from the office I work in. It occurred to me "Ya know... these guys go to jail, or die at the hands of the police, and that's all well and good... but if I'm one of the people who gets shot in the face before the police arrive, or if that person was someone I really cared about, that doesn't do me a lot of good."

All of a sudden, doing some paperwork and dragging four-odd pounds of gun and ammo around all day sounded like less of a hassle, and more of an insurance policy. There's nothing saying I can't run away, call the cops, get cover, or hide just like everyone else out there if bad shit happens to me... but if I've got to put up a fight, I want those odds stacked in my favor as much as I can get them.

I'm not going to say you're wrong, because there are enough gun-using robberies that I could see the word "often" used for it, but let's try to stick to specifics here: according to the DOJ, a firearm of some kind was used in 18.4% of 2004 robberies.

~J

I'm not sure where this is meant to lead.

An unsecured firearm, unloaded or not, is not a good idea to have lying around. I'd much rather have a loaded weapon in a speed-access safe of some kind (one of the digital combination or finger-pattern types) than an unloaded one lying on the nightstand. By the time you've got the coordination to open something like that, you're awake enough to be aware of your surroundings. And fumbling around for ammunition in the dark is not my idea of a good time

From a statistical to common use language standpoint, I'd say nearly one in five robberies would count as often, in the same way one in five cars being blue would count as a lot. Not necessarily because it's a high rate, but because it's a big enough sample size.

Well this is a situation where real-life should provide the basis for in-game mechanics. As far as research on the matter goes, besides talking to people who carry on a regular basis, there are some good resources on the net. I'll summarize a few here:

http://www.packing.org
This site has had shoddy availibillity lately, but it used to be THE primary clearing house for concealed carry information and discussion.

http://www.ar15.com/
Though aimed primarily at rifle enthusiasts, there are some fantastic concealed carry discussions that occur here. Also, you will find a plethora of neat modifacations and customizations to keep your Street Sam's drooling.

http://www.concealedcarry.com/
These guys sell some nice custom clothing that aids in concealment. By the way, even if you don't carry, the heavier leather and construction of belts designed to hold holsters is worth every penny.

http://www.uncle-mikes.com/
Damn good selection of both concealed and open carry holsters. They also make holsters for other handy gear like flashlights and multi-tools.

http://www.usgalco.com/
These are the guys I bought my shoulder rig from. The leatherwork is top notch, and if you don't mind a short wait they do custom work.

I'll post some more as I think of them. By the way, I tell my players that if its availible nowadays in real life, its availible in my game. I do warn them that it may take a session or two before I finalize the items stats.

Probably because the problem is that you simply can't conceal a gun under slim and fitted clothes. Buying baggy clothes or concealing it outside of your clothes is probably your only options. Outside of the clothes means handbags, purses, planners etc., which has also been mentioned. You can get some handbags with very accessible gun storage, like demonstrated here http://www.gungear.com/cgi-bin/ez-catalog/...ay.cgi?2X300536 (just found with a simple google-search, I don't know the quality of the items)

Never shoot your way out of entanglements—always shoot your way into them.

~J

That's the hwole reason for this thread. Women's clothing is form fitting. It's sexists but good clothes are to show off curves. If you have a small chest there are tricks to make them look bigger. (push up or click bras come to mind) emphisize small waist and curved hips.

more than swim suits and gym outfits regular clothes are the problem.

First of all, always make sure you're holding the gun firmly and allowing your strong arm to provide resistance for the weapon to cycle against. Secondly, I agree with Snow_Fox, in that it sounds specifically like a magazine/spring problem. I usually mark the problem children-magazines when they act up at the range, therby determining the most reliable for carry purposes.

Unless I'm very badly mistaken, guns should cycle if fired while hanging unsupported in space. Not that it's bad advice, mind you, but this reason for it is bogus.

~J

Then there must be another reason why semi-autos jam when limp-wristed... I'll have to go back to the old drawing board. Thanks for the heads up, K.

Nevermind. I found an answer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limp_wristing

No worries bud.
Now if I could just get the image of Snow-Fox in a leather trench out of my head, I'll get through the rest of the day.

Yes, well, sometimes my dad seems to be, but that would be another thread.

lol.

Black. I love to wear it with a skirt and boots. there's a great swirl to it around the hips.

's not my beretta, and it's a 92FS.

and the problem is it's designed by an italian.

silly people and thier "form over function" nonsense.