S&W 9mm M&P Questions

I am using this gun just for recreational shooting but I might use it for home or shop protection in the future.
Even if I take my GF to some gun classes I don't know how I feel about it not having an external safety.
I picture her picking it up and shooting her leg even after some training.
I have no problems using it but if it is at the shop with no external safety I don't know if I am just creating a problem down the line.

I guess this leads to another problem, where do you put a gun at a business?

Cuz it can't be right out but it can't be too far hidden either!

Anyways, thoughts? Comments?

Also, I do know how to handle guns and shoot but some of my gun terminology sucks. So I might need some correcting.........

 

Suggestion 1, get a smarter girlfriend.

Why would you assume that you can properly handle a gun without a safety, but she cannot?

 

You need to instill in her and yourself the basic laws of gun safety.

- Treat every gun as if its loaded
- When you first pick up a gun check and then double check to make sure its empty
- Make sure of your target AND whats behind it
- Don't point a gun at anything you don't want holes in

My children dont shoot but they know these rules of gun safety. She should do well without an external safety. I don't have any experience with the M&P but I had a Springfield XD9 and loved it. It has the trigger pull safety (the little hinge like Glock) but also a grip safety like a 1911. You can tell if its "cocked" and I like the loaded chamber indicator on the XD vs the Glock.

 

Well, you may have something there. I had not even thought about it much but now she is interested and so is my mom. Both ladies who have never been around guns.
I think they got me nervous.

What are your thoughts on what gun to have at a business and where and how to keep it there?

 

I'm good with the laws of gun safety but something still makes me nervous. I am sure some good training by a professional for Mom and GF would do the trick.

And this gun does have a trigger safety but I am probably falsely thinking a grip safety is better for some instances?

 

Not to be an azz.. but 1 of those 4 principles is a little bit off. More correctly the first 2.. are the essentially same thing and you left one out. I just took my girl shooting for the first time, and we made sure to go over the 4 principles several times until she knew them by memory.

- Treat every gun as if its loaded. So when you first pick up a gun check and then double check to make sure its empty
* - Dont put your finger on the trigger until you intend to pull it
- Make sure of your target AND whats behind it
- Don't point a gun at anything you don't want holes in

* - Is very important when operating a loaded firearm in condition 1. It pretty much guarantees there will not be an accidental discharge or even worse friendly fire (if operating in a group).

 

I have been shooting for years and learned the basics of gun safety by taking a gun safety class at a range. I suggest your girlfriend do the same. Strick (my husband) is a hell of a shooter, but he knew better than to try to teach me to shoot. I took lessons and found that I really enjoy shooting. I do mostly defensive pistol competition and use various guns, including an M&P on occasion (I don't love that gun).

I don't have a business, so I don't know what to suggest as far as where to keep a gun, but if your family members (mom, girlfriend, etc.) will have access to your gun(s) at any time, I would strongly suggest that they take lessons with an actual safety instructor. I didn't know anything about guns when Strick bought his first one and I wasn't much interested either. But once they were in my house, I learned to handle them properly. Of course, that opened up a whole new world to me and now Strick has twice the arsenal because of the two shooter factor. He pretends to buy me new guns when really we both know they are for him.

 

This is true. I knew I was gonna get one of them mixed up.

 

Whose business is it? Do you have permission to bring a gun onto the premises? If you do I would just carry it on my personal as long as it doesn't interfer with my work.

 

The thing is your girlfriend needs to be good with the laws.

 

I just got a M&P .40 and it has the thumb saftey. I wish it didn't. I would take it off, but I've always been told to not modify a gun in any way if you intend on carrying it. I think you shouldn't have any gun if you can't handle one w/o an external safety.

 

Guns are dangerous and they kill people!!!

 

Training, training, training, training. I have an M&P full size that I carry daily and never think twice about the lack of safeties. I specifically ordered the one with no thumb or mag safeties. I previously carried an HK P7, which has a squeeze cocking safety, which was disengaged as soon as you put a firm grip on it. You just have to learn the basic rules that have already be stated in this thread, and get plenty of range time. If your GF can't commit to that same type of training, than she is better off not going near it.

 

You're right, I mentioned above I think a class for mom and the gf is in order.

It is our family business and that is where my mom comes in to the picture. But as mentioned above, classes will come first.

 

Thanks for the response, Strickette. I'll let my gf and mom read your point of view. It will probably help.
I know what you mean about pretending to buy you guns, my buddies do that all the time with their significant others!!

 

Then why not just keep it on your person, concealed?

 

I don't like the external safety at all and much prefer the grip/trigger safeties. If you come to rely on an external safety, and then one day it's off when you think it's on...

 

Glocks have the trigger safety only. They are notorious for shooting cops in the leg after the cops have had the proper training. Or rather the cops shooting themself in the leg. I prefer my HK for home safety. It has a safety that is easy to touch and push. The Glock always bothers me because it can and will go off if dropped and the trigger gets hit right.

 

For when I am there that would be fine, but what about when I'm not?
I guess I could just give it to someone who is there to conceal, who is trained, of course!!

We have a back shop and a front retail shop.

 

Is that an Indy law that you can't CCW? That sucks. I just always have my Glock on me so I dont know what to tell you.