This is the first and probably most important question. If you see yourself shooting the gun out of their hands or just hitting their legs, DON’T BUY A GUN!!! You need to be realistic about an encounter and not afraid to take a life if it is required.

You should question if you plan to carry daily or if you just want it in your home or business. You should also consider how populated your place is and what type material the home or building is made of.

With this type of equipment, you will get what you pay for, but within reason. Look for reputable brands with good history. If you spend $25 on a gun, you bought a paperweight. Also look to see how many dealers carry a gun and how many authorized people can work on it. That special edition may be hard to work on.

Larger framed people with larger hands may not be able to carry some subcompact guns. Smaller hands may not be able to get a proper shooter’s grip on larger guns. People without strong hands need to consider recoil for follow up shots. You should always test fire a gun prior to buying one.

The way that you carry if you attain a license is very important. Some may want a semi-auto and some a revolver. You may want a hammer on your gun or may opt to no have one. If you carry on your person, you would consider your “printing”. If you carry in a purse, you have to consider the way a gun functions.

It really all comes down to this. Are you going to just buy it and let it collect dust or are you going to learn to use this tool properly? Are you going to train under stress? Are you going to practice not only accuracy but also retention, drawing your gun, loading etc?