Perhaps the most common and effective means of home protection, given purpose-driven selection and the proper training in use, is a good defensive handgun. With that in mind, let us take a look at some of the better options out there.
Author: Michael Crites
Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18.
During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications.
His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual.
As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY.
He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).
California Under 21 Rifle Ban Struck Down
A 2-1 panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said California’s ban on most adults aged 18-to-20 being able to buy semi-auto rifles didn’t jive with the Second Amendment. Adopted in 2018 but only put into limited effect last year, the ban has been in court ever since, and the pro-gun crowd won… Continue reading California Under 21 Rifle Ban Struck Down
New Springfield Armory Emissary 9mm Commander
Springfield Armory debuted their new Emissary line of kinda flashy 1911s a couple of years ago. They are easily recognizable, being two-toned guns with a squared trigger guard, wrap-around grip texturing, a skeletonized hammer, and a solid-body flat-faced trigger. To complete the look, they have 40 LPI flat-top slide serrations on the slide along with… Continue reading New Springfield Armory Emissary 9mm Commander
New Sig Cross PRS
Sig Sauer’s big claim to fame with their Cross series of bolt-action rifles a couple of years ago was that they were light– like 6.5-pounds kinda light– while still providing a superb platform for precision work. The thing is, the guys who shoot PRS matches, and spend the big bucks to do it, don’t really… Continue reading New Sig Cross PRS
Bushmaster Rolls Legend
The rebooted Bushmaster Firearms, saved from the dustbin of Remington Outdoors’ bankruptcy last year by Nevada’s Franklin Armory, keeps introducing everything except what the people really want– a return of the ACR modular rifle. The newest entry in their black-rifle-that-is-not-an-ACR category is a variant of the Bravo Zulu series chambered in .350 Legend. The new… Continue reading Bushmaster Rolls Legend
Masada Slims up for Summer
IWI US has announced their popular series of Masada 9mm pistols and will soon have a thinner brother join the lineup sometime later this year. Dubbed the Masada Slim, it has everything the normal Masada has– modular steel fire control unit with a striker-fired action, polymer grip frame, white front dot sight paired with a… Continue reading Masada Slims up for Summer
Sig Freedom Days: A SHOT Show for the People?
Sig Sauer just wrapped up their weekend-long “Freedom Days”show in Phoenix, Arizona at the Ben Avery Shooting Center. The concept is simple: Sig brought 50 different models of their guns, charged $80 for a day pass, and everyone got a chance to run 5-10 rounds through all the above while an instructor was on hand… Continue reading Sig Freedom Days: A SHOT Show for the People?
Ruger Adds Magpul to the PC Carbine Mix
Ruger introduced their east-takedown PC (“Pistol Caliber”) Carbine in 2018 as kind of a follow-up to its old PC-9/PC-40 Police Carbine of the 1990s. In its basic format, it weighs 6.8 pounds. In its AR Chassis format, which was introduced in 2019, the weight went up to 7.3 pounds. Notably, as Magpul tends to do,… Continue reading Ruger Adds Magpul to the PC Carbine Mix
The Best AR-15 Brass Catchers
If you want to avoid spending the back half of your day at the range picking up the brass casings, a brass catcher will come in handy. Given how much time & money folks invest in their AR-15 – with rails, accessories, and various upgrades – something as simple as a brass catcher – that… Continue reading The Best AR-15 Brass Catchers
The Best 10.5 AR Barrels
One of the things that helped secure the enduring legacy of the AR-15 platform is how incredibly customizable it is — and nowhere is that customization more on display than with AR-15 pistols. Initially laughed off as a bit silly, as the years have gone on more and more shooters have realized just how practical… Continue reading The Best 10.5 AR Barrels