USCCA

Anyone who carries a gun for defensive purposes can typically agree that training with it is very important. Yet the question lingers: How often should you train with your carry gun? There is no magic number of hours, rounds or range sessions that works for everyone. Your training frequency should depend on your experience, goals and lifestyle.

If you’re considering carrying a firearm for personal protection, one of the first questions you may have is whether you need a concealed carry permit. The answer depends largely on where you live. Concealed carry laws vary significantly from state to state. Some states require eligible individuals to obtain a permit before carrying a concealed firearm, while others allow permitless carry for individuals who meet certain legal requirements.

Several years ago, I had a former student reach out to me to share an experience she had. She was at a local shopping mall and started to feel uncertain and uncomfortable. Remembering our training about situational awareness, she chose to pay attention to her intuition and head out to her car. It wasn’t long after my student decided to leave when a fight broke out on the upper level, a few stores away from where she’d just been. Shots were fired, wounding two innocent bystanders and killing another.

One of the things that keeps me going as a firearms industry writer is that many companies in our industry are never content to rest on their laurels. The second is their willingness to resurrect and improve firearms designs once considered obsolete or not of interest to modern shooters. Smith & Wesson has been proving that as the company continues to improve existing designs and introduce new ones. Of late is its return to the lever-action rifle market with the Model 1854.

The most user-friendly pistols generally have good-to-excellent ergonomics, a smooth trigger and a rugged set of well-made iron sights that work with your eyes. Sights must be sturdy enough not to break easily and must not “drift” left or right from a centered position on any pistol you intend to use for self-defense applications. If you buy a pistol fitted with plastic sights, it’s in your best interest to have a set of metal sights installed. But what type of sights should you use?

Originally published in April 2018. Updated February 2026. Smith & Wesson is continually improving pistols. One example over the years is the Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm Shield 2.0 with Integral Green Laser Sight. In 2016, Smith & Wesson purchased Crimson Trace, the pioneering manufacturer and developer of handgun and long gun laser sighting systems.

It may seem that comparing the .357 Magnum, designed for use in revolvers, to the 10mm, designed for semi-automatic pistols, is much like comparing apples to oranges. But when you examine their histories, performance levels and intended defensive roles, the similarities become clear. In terms of power, development and real-world mission, the 10mm Auto vs. .357 Magnum cartridges have far more in common than most shooters realize.

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If you’re serious about semi-automatic 12-gauge tactical shotguns for home defense, competition or training, take a look at the Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical Thunder Ranch shotgun. Mossberg Heritage: Tough yet Refined Founded by Swedish immigrant O.F. Mossberg and his two sons, Mossberg Firearms set out in 1919 to manufacture durable, reliable firearms that everyday Americans could afford. More than a century later, Mossberg has achieved that goal and then some.

Back in 2023, I reviewed the Streamlight ProTac 2.0 personal flashlight, an excellent compact, rechargeable, multi-use flashlight. Featuring Streamlight’s typical rugged construction and top-of-the-line high-tech innovation, it quickly became one of my favorites. Now Streamlight has already raised the bar with the new ProTac 2.0 HP — a high-performance model designed to light farther and brighter while keeping the same compact size.