My spouse and I are first time gun owners. We recently purchased guns for concealed carry. But what would you recommend for being the best gun for home defense?

-From Dean L.

Answer: Most importantly, you should choose a gun that you are comfortable using and one you have trained with.

I personally like handguns for home defense because they allow you to easily clear a house. Some of the guns I use are a Smith & Wesson M&P, Sig Sauer p226, Walther Creed and a Glock 19.

If you were interested in a shotgun, I would recommend the Remington 870. Another option to consider is an AR-15, but just like shotguns, make sure you have a flashlight mounted on the gun.

 

Jason, let’s say the bad guy breaks into my house during the night and is standing over me with a gun pointed at me. What can I do to survive at that point?

-From Karen M.

Answer: It he’s standing over you, you can disarm him if you’re trained in that. (I’ve shown how in multiple videos and anyone can do it.)

The other option is to comply and hope he doesn’t kill you, which is not a great option. You could also comply and hope he’s distracted enough that there’s a time for you to make a break and go grab your gun.

Personally, I will fight back and try to disarm him.

 

I’m a big fan of Glocks. I own multiple Glocks that all use the same magazine. I keep all my magazines loaded and ready to go. My question is, does it damage or wear down the metal spring inside the magazine if I keep the mag loaded all the time?

-From Parker T.

Answer: A quality factory magazine is designed to last thousands of times loading and unloading the magazine.

If you buy factory magazines (and not a cheap knockoff) then you should be able to leave your magazines loaded for years.

So, if you ever decide to buy more magazines always get the factory ones from the gun maker and not some brand you’ve never heard of.

I’ve kept magazines loaded for years. Most law enforcement officers do this (except when they qualify with their gun two times a year.)

Don’t worry about damaging or wearing down the springs.

 

I worry that we are closer to nuclear war than we have ever been before. What should the average American do to prepare for a nuclear attack?

-From Elizabeth S.

Answer: When it comes to preparing for a nuclear event you want to do many similar preparations as you would do for other emergency situations.

The most critical thing you should do is build up your food and water supply.

In the event of a nuclear attack, you would want to stay inside your home in a basement or shelter and have plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal off a room for at least 24 hours.

The longer you can stay confined indoors the less radiation you will be exposed to when you do eventually go outside. At the very least stay inside for 24 hours, but longer is better.

Also, get some potassium iodide tablets.

 

I moved into a 55+ community for retired folks. I rent a one-story condo. My problem is I’m limited to what security measures I can put in place. For example, there are no dogs allowed and I can’t put bars on the windows. What should I do?

-From Monty T.

Answer: When renting, you are limited in the security measures you can install since you don’t own the place.

With that being said, I would consider a home security system that doesn’t require a contract and one that doesn’t require a lot of hardware installation.

For example, I would look into SimpliSafe, which you can remove if you end up moving out of the condo. If you don’t want a security system I would try a doorstopper alarm, which creates a very loud alarm if someone opens your door.

Another thing to consider is putting a piece of wood in the sliding door so that it can’t be opened. In addition, you should install a quality deadbolt lock such as Medeco or Schlage if your landlord will allow it.

 

Since the pandemic I have been buying ammo any time I can. If I’m at the local hardware store and they have some in stock I will buy all they have. But I’ve started worrying that I don’t need it all. Does ammunition have a “shelf life”.

-From Ryan C.

Answer: While ammunition doesn’t technically have a shelf life, there are two aspects that can go bad, the casing and the powder.

The casing can rust, causing jams and other malfunctions. The powder can become damp and unreliable, which may also cause malfunctions if it fires at all.

Properly stored, ammunition should be good forever. This means keeping it dry. So, be careful where you stockpile all your ammo. Try to find a cool, dry place where it isn’t exposed to the elements such as your basement.