By Tim Schimdt
USCCA Founder
Dear responsibly armed citizen,
Whether you’ve owned guns for decades or are going shopping for your first gun this weekend, chances are you’ve heard more than your fair share of opinions about which guns are best for personal defense.  One of the most common factors that I hear people talk about is accuracy.
“Can the gun shoot tight groups at 10 yards?  15 yards?  How about 25 yards?  After all, you’re going to need your shots to be accurate if you’re going to take down a bad guy.”  I’ve heard this one thousands of times, and I’m sure you can relate.  Most often these types of questions are good to ask, but sometimes they can over complicate the decision-making process and cause people to the wrong gun.
FBI research shows that 81.4% of gun fights happen at a distance of under 20 feet.  This means that the average attack on a victim unfolds very quickly and at a close distance.  This is not always on people’s minds when they are buying a personal defense gun, and it’s certainly not on most people’s minds when they are at the range.  So what is the most important thing to look for when considering which gun to carry for personal defense?