Probably, one of my favorite things about the gun community is the amount of experiences and knowledge circling among us. While talking with a friend last week, I started thinking about the cost vs reward of carry guns we have day in and day out. What we don’t think about is what happens after we use a firearm in a self-defense situation. Often times our concealed carry guns will be held in evidence for a number of months or even years, often without any care in a plastic bag. While it’s important to have a carry gun which fits your shooting style, but is it worth carrying a high-end handgun for self-defense when it will be seized for months at a time? Let’s jump into the benefits and negatives of carrying certain firearms.

What Started It All

I was recently talking to a good friend at his gun shop, and behind his desk, he had two LWRC rifles set up identically. I didn’t understand why exactly he would have two rifles exactly the same, but it was the start of a really interesting conversation I never put much thought into before. My friend retired from his police department a few years prior but while he was working, he was involved in a shooting with a local drug dealer. He ended up stopping the threat with his rifle but didn’t end up killing the guy.

As a result, he went roughly two years without his LWRC while various court hearings occurred and the gun was locked up in the evidence locker. Rather than waiting for his gun to be discharged from evidence, my good friend thought it was easier to just buy a new rifle and set it up identically to the previous one. After sitting in the evidence locker for 2 full years, he finally got his LWRC back along with corroded batteries and a bit of surface rust.

Benefits of Specialized Carry Guns

Carrying a firearm that’s been customized to fit your preferences gives you a better advantage than carrying something you just shoot decently. Now don’t get me wrong, the first rule of self-defense is to have something you can defend yourself with. Having that in mind, it’s still better to have a gun that fits your shooting style. Whether it’s upgraded sights or a different trigger than having something stock. Over the years, I have made small changes to my carry guns. Things like swapping out grips and sights definitely help with the overall feeling of the gun.

Carrying something specialized like a Wilson Combat EDC 9 or Night Hawk Agent 2 is a great way to have something that fits your shooting style better. After carrying concealed for a while, it’s often easy to figure out what size and kind of gun works best for you. Some people love carrying a specific style handgun, whether it’s a customized Glock with a red dot or SIG 320 with a compensator. We want every advantage in a self-defense situation, but we have to be mindful of the aftermath.

Negatives Of Carrying A Special Carry Guns

There are a few negatives aspects of carrying a specialized conceal carry gun if there ever becomes a time where it has to be used in self-defense. In a couple previous articles, I’ve talked about prosecutors will often ask the shooter to justify every upgrade on their self-defense handgun.  Basically, it boils down to making choices based on what’s best for you while keeping the consequences in mind. In certain cases, it may be a gun that’s very sentimental from either family tradition or special based on certain memories.

There are a few guns in my collection that were gifted to me or the first gun I bought with my own money. I would rather have my other guns end up in an evidence locker compared to the ones I have an emotional attachment with. It’s nothing anyone should actively worry about when conceal carrying, but it’s definitely something to consider in the grand scheme of things.

Overall Thoughts

Thinking about the various situations your firearms may end up in can be difficult. I think it’s important to understand you may not see your gun for months or even years after defending yourself. Thinking about the aftermath of a self-defense situation isn’t something natural, to say the least. Nevertheless, it’s important to understand what’s possible after the initial incident occurs. I think about what could happen when picking a gun to carry, but it’s not the main deciding factor when I carry.

You shouldn’t be worried about getting into a self-defense situation every day. That just makes you paranoid or you need to find a new place to live. It’s important to stay aware, but it’s equally important to live your life. Some of the guns I have I’m really sentimental towards so they just stay in the safe. They stay in the safe rather than getting taken to the range or carried daily. In terms of monetary value, I don’t worry about what gun I carry because at the end of the day, my life is worth more than an expensive gun. If the gun ends up saving my life in a certain situation, then that particular gun was well worth the money invested. You can always buy a new gun with some overtime and saving up, but your life is a one shot deal.

Let me know what you think about carrying customized or higher priced guns in the comments below. Is it a bad idea? Or is the money invested worth a safer outcome? Let me know and if you have questions feel free to message me on Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there!

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