Combat Handguns January/February 2023

With midterm elections on the near horizon, now’s a good time to cut through the BS politicians—many funded by anti-civil-rights groups—are spewing. Gun-ban proponents and anti-gun politicians tell a lot of lies about guns and lawful gun owners. But few are as dangerous as what they often say about armed self-defense—an important aspect of this magazine’s focus in each issue. Even though reliable research and daily life in these United States prove otherwise, many on the anti-gun side of the battle for the future of the Second Amendment repeatedly claim that owning a gun makes you less safe, and that guns are hardly ever successfully used for self-defense. Here are just a few very recent examples. “People very rarely use guns successfully to defend themselves from crimes—both in their homes…

In the summer of 2022, I was a speaker at the annual meeting of FACDL, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. It was heavy on CLE, Continuing Legal Education for practicing attorneys, and was most ably administered by incoming organization President Ernie Chang. I picked up a lot of tips from the various speakers, some of which are very much on point for law-abiding citizens who keep or carry firearms for self-defense. Hence, this special installment of “Self-Defense & The Law.” DOCTOR’S REPORT The program’s first speaker was Dr. Jonathan Arden, a very experienced forensic pathologist and former medical examiner for the District of Columbia, who I was happy to hear say something I tell my students: Many people in the jury pool can’t tell the difference between homicide…

Beauty, strength, grit and grace. Singularly, these attributes are often achieved by many women. Every now and again, however, there is a woman who effortlessly possesses them all. One such woman is Kristy Titus. BACKGROUND Born and raised in Oregon, Titus grew up immersed in outdoor life. From a very young age, she was packing and riding the mules her parents owned throughout Oregon’s backcountry. Her very first hunt was on the back of one of these mules with her father—a young girl embracing the very passion that inspires so many today. A true patriot at heart, Titus is woven with strong American values and tradition. She is a well-known advocate for adventure, wildlife and land stewardship, conservation through hunting, the Second Amendment and shooting sports. Her advocacy goes beyond…

For well over a century, John Moses Browning’s extraordinary M1911 pistol has captivated shooters around the globe. Despite its advanced age, this combat-proven warhorse remains in series production both at home and abroad. Offerings range from mass-produced utility guns to handbuilt martial objets d’art with everything in between. Kimber has a well-earned reputation for producing reliably superb M1911 pistols in a wide variety of guises. The 10mm Auto is considered a counter-bear cartridge in some climes, and the .40 S&W seems to have already had its day in the sun. .22LR is for recreation, while the .380 ACP will do the job but only just. The only two really serious players in the pantheon of today’s defensive handgun cartridges are the .45 ACP and 9mm. When I had an opportunity…

LOVE IT OR HATE IT, IT’S HARD TO ARGUE THAT THE BERETTA 92 ISN’T ONE HELL OF A HANDGUN. It would have to be to dethrone the M1911, a sidearm that we felt the military would never abandon. However, it was Beretta’s design that emerged triumphant during the military trials of the 1980s for a new service pistol, which was officially adopted in ’85. Reclassified as the M9, it would remain the standard sidearm for U.S. forces until 2017, when it would take a backseat to the more modern Sig Sauer M17. During this last trial, Beretta introduced the M9A3, a significant upgrade indeed, but it neglected the spreading acceptance of red-dot optics. As the slide of these pistols is rounded, redesigning it in time just wasn’t feasible. However, if…

My first time shooting the Beretta 92X Performance was an eye-opening experience. It was at Athlon Outdoors’ Rendezvous event a couple of years ago in Idaho. The all-steel 92X sat great in my hand and it had a frame-mounted safety, which is good for me because I’m no fan of slide-mounted safeties. I simply couldn’t miss with that gun. I was knocking down plates with speed and ease, in fact, it was shocking how quickly I was doing it. I was in love. But unfortunately, it was only a short-lived relationship, I couldn’t justify bringing her back home. It has been years since my brief but memorable encounter with the 92X Performance. Then I heard some great news, Beretta was coming out with the 92X Performance Carry Optic. I had…