Guns and spaghetti sauce.

There is apparently no single spaghettis sauce that would be the universal sauce; the manufacturers understood this and made sure we would have multiple choices of spaghettis sauce.  Multiple choices indeed, because we have to choose between the brands first and then the type of sauce: Marinara, Basil and Garlic, Four Cheese, Italian Sausage, etc.  Different people like different spaghettis sauce and thank to these choices different people can all be happy with their favorite sauce as Malcolm Gladwell explained so well at TED.  All is well in the world of spaghettis sauce and even those who change their taste or simply like to vary can buy a different sauce; better yet they can actually stock up and offer their family or guests the sauce these would rather have; marinara, basil and garlic or vodka?  In fact in a pinch one could easily mix together Marinara sauce with say Basil and Garlic with little chance to hear any complaint from his guests.

   The developments in engineering have created a similar situation in the world of handguns and we do have an unbelievable choice, from an unprecedented choice of manufacturers to a fantastic choice of calibers, types and models.  As long as this is understood as choices meant to satisfy different people all is well; just like in the world of spaghettis sauce there is no universal gun that would fit everyone dimensions, skills or needs.  The difference between guns and spaghetti sauce is that guns variety can cause a logistical nightmare.  Indeed many an extended family will have a few 9mm, of different types, possibly a few .38 and very likely a few .45. this already creates complexity just in ammunition management and provisioning, but in a crisis it also means the different members of the same family will not be able to pass around ammo clips when resources run low.  Military units carry the same weapons for good reason; this should not be lost on anyone.  In fact the case is so bad in the civilian world that when taking stock of what is available for protection in a crisis I have often discovered that not only different members of the same group will have different weapons, even those with similar weapons will have different types, ensuring that magazines cannot be passed around.  Many individuals will have a variety of different guns without a thought for consistency and coherence.  Such impressive arsenals look great in movies, but if or when there is a dire need to use this gun vichyssoise it could prove difficult.

This may be a clue that I have seen a few mango seasons but it used to be that .45 meant that very Colt 1911, 9mm meant that very Browning HP, .357 Magnum that particular Smith and Wesson and there was great wisdom in this limited choices.  It truly does not matter if you prefer Glock, Sig, Beretta, Taurus or H & K, the choice is truly yours, the one thing that does matter is that your team has compatible guns and magazines.  Discussing this very post with a friend, he told me: “ I bought a Beretta because I trained with it while serving and I am now proficient with it, then I bought another one for my wife so that we shall be able to assist each other exchanging magazines.” These two will have effective defensive tactics.

Going at the range and trying all kinds of guns is great fun, but in an emergency there is no room for fun or fantasy; everyone should consider his own armory and then the family armory with an uncompromising commitment to simplicity.  Speed and team work will be greatly hindered if the weapons and magazines are not compatible.  Consider the KISS principle for your next purchase, even if it means exchanging some items in the collection.