Dear Black Bag Confidential Reader,
I believe there are few things in life as important as protecting yourself and the ones you love. And my ultimate goal is to provide you with the confidence, skills and knowledge to better protect yourself and your family.
So don’t be shy — send me your questions!
Is there something you’re still not quite clear on? Is there a topic I haven’t covered you want to know more about? Is there a technique I’ve recommended that just doesn’t make sense? Or a product you’d like me to review?
Let me know — simply send an email to spy@LFB.org and I’ll respond to your inquiries in future mailbag alerts. Now let’s get to this week’s batch of reader questions:
Hello! I hope you can help me. There are so many websites that suggest women’s guns for beginners/first-time owners — and many of them contradict each other! This much I know — a revolver is out. I am on disability and do not have much strength in my hand… Any advice?
— Colleen F.
Sure, Colleen, I’m happy to help. I recommend going to your local gun range and renting a few different guns to find the right gun for you — one you feel comfortable with that you can safely use.
You mentioned you don’t want a revolver because you’re on disability, but if you don’t have much hand strength, a semi-automatic firearm could be difficult to use because of the force required to pull back the slide. But like I said, go to the gun range and rent both a revolver and semi-auto for comparison.
When it comes to semi-autos, I recommend a Glock 19. Shoot a few rounds and see how it feels. It’s a great gun for beginners, and its subcompact size is a good choice for shooters with smaller hands. And the fourth generation of the Glock 19 has a dual recoil spring system to reduce the amount of recoil felt by the shooter.
You mentioned the Glock 19 before. In comparison, what do you think about the Glock 23?
— John C.
Well, John, these two guns are nearly identical to each other — except the Glock 23 is a .40 caliber gun and the Glock 19 is a 9 mm. Now, it’s true that the .40 has more stopping power, which is why many people prefer the 23 to the 19.
That being said, with the quality of ammo you can buy these days, I’m completely confident carrying a 9 mm defensive round. I trust I’ll be able to put down a bad guy with it if I need to.
I know there are a lot of people who still say a .40 is better, but the Glock 19 has less recoil and better accuracy. But I think either gun would be great to own. The most important thing is to find which one fits you best.
What is a good portable water filter, and where can I find one?
— Melissa W.
The No. 1 portable water filter I use is the SurvFilter. It’s the perfect addition for your bug-out bag. This filter removes 99.99% of bacteria and viruses, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
How?
The SurvFilter is positively charged with ions. This means when water flows through the filter, there’s an ionic exchange that captures the viruses and bacteria, so you only get clean drinking water.
What’s more, the filter is infused with silver, which means it eliminates bacteria (and everything else) going through it, so grit doesn’t build up and clog the filter. Click here to order one of these amazing, lifesaving filters today.
Imagine waking up tomorrow and North Korea has dropped a nuke on us. What do you do?
— Michael S.
When it comes to preparing for a nuclear attack, you should make many of the same preparations as you would for any other emergency situation — ahead of time. That’s why they’re called preparations. Stock up on food and water, and have a bug-out bag ready to go for each member of your family.
If a nuclear bomb detonates, stay inside your home in a basement or shelter with no windows and as little exposure to the outside as possible. Don’t go outside until it is safe to do so, which means you could be stuck inside for a long time. That’s why it’s so important to have an ample supply of food and water on hand.
You should also put as many barriers between you and the outside air as possible. Keeping the polluted air out and limiting what comes into your home or shelter is critical. This is why I recommend having plastic sheeting and duct tape in your emergency supplies so you can seal off a designated area.
ROFLMAO… good one! $500 for a knife?? WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING??
— Dan B.
If you’re the type of person that spends $10 on a knife at Wal-Mart and all you do is open boxes, then the NOC Knife is definitely not for you.
This knife was created for intelligence officers who work overseas, undercover and alone. It has top-of-the-line components and excellent craftsmanship.
If you haven’t seen what this knife can do, click here. It’s pretty incredible. Most knives wouldn’t be able to withstand the tests we put the NOC Knife through. But the power and durability of this knife is absolutely critical, because currently, there are people abroad who are betting their lives on this knife.
I have an open carry permit, and I’ll put my 1911 up against a knife any day in the week. What’s up with the big push for knives?
— John R.
I agree with you, John. I would much rather carry a gun than a knife for self-defense, so I completely understand what you mean.
That being said, a knife serves a lot of other purposes and can save your life in a survival situation where a gun could not. In other words, a knife is more versatile. And if I could only have one item with me in an emergency situation, I would choose a knife over a gun.
Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
