Archive for September 2007

September 8, 2007

Kept and Borne

7:41 pm | Culture | My Life | Comments: 17

What you’re looking at is a Glock 19 safe-action pistol, and I am now a proud owner of one of them. You’ll recall a post on SIO a while ago in which I bemoaned the fact that morons out there blamed the Virginia Tech massacre on American gun culture and lax firearms legislation, after which I came to the conclusion that the only reasonable thing to do in the face of the tragedy at VT was to arm myself. The Glock 19 was, in fact, one of the weapons that the gunman used in the attack.

Glock is the most famous and popular maker of polymer-frame sidearms, legendary for creating quality weapons that are absolutely, utterly reliable. The Model 19 is chambered for 9mm rounds and is a compact version of the Glock 17, weighing about 5.5 pounds. I chose the Glock 19 primarily for concealed carry purposes, and it’s a great performer in that category for a number of reasons: 1) you can depend on a Glock without fail to fire when you pull the trigger (no external safeties, hardware failures, or jams to worry about); 2) it’s lightweight polymer and has service pistol dimensions on a compact frame that’s very streamlined; and 3) it has a magazine capacity of 15 rounds.

Michigan is a great state for firearms enthusiasts. Without a criminal record, you can go to the Police Department and get a license to purchase (no charge) then head straight to a dealer and walk out with your handgun the same day. The Concealed Carry permit process takes a bit longer and is much more expensive, but if you meet the very reasonable requirements you’ll get it. This all makes me very happy.