Deadly force in self-defense, Florida

1. Never display a handgun to gain "leverage" in an argument, even if it isn't loaded or you never intend to use it.


2. The amount of force that you use to defend yourself must not be excessive under the circumstances.

• Never use deadly force in self-defense unless you are afraid that if you don't, you will be killed or seriously injured;

• Verbal threats never justify your use of deadly force;

• If you think someone has a weapon and will use it unless you kill him, be sure you are right and are not overreacting to the situation.

3. The law permits you to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense. Carrying a concealed weapon does not make you a free-lance policeman or a "good samaritan."

4. Never carry your concealed weapon into any place where the statute prohibits carrying it. (Section 790.06, Florida Statutes) That statute lists several places where you may not carry a concealed weapon. You should read subsection 12 for a complete list, but some examples are football, baseball, and basketball games (college or professional) and bars.

A cool head and even temper can keep handgun carriers out of trouble. You should never carry a gun into a situation where you might get angry.

This is not a complete summary of all the statutes and court opinions on the use of deadly force. Because the concealed weapons statute specifies that concealed weapons are to be used for lawful self-defense, we have not attempted to summarize the body of law on lawful defense of property. This information is not intended as legal advice. Every self-defense case has its own unique set of facts, and it is unwise to try to predict how a particular case would be decided. It is clear, however, that the law protects people who keep their tempers under control and use deadly force only as a last resort.

http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/self_defense.html

Basic Glock Upgrades

First thing buy this book, it has a lot of good info and you will have a good starting point (you do not have to do the work yourself, but some thing are easily done by you):


“How to Customize Your Glock”
This will give you a great starting point. I have customized several of my Glocks.

The first thing I do is a .25 trigger job - polish all metal touching parts in the trigger group

Next, the addition of an Ameriglo Pro Glo Front sight that is designed to shine with a orange circle in the daylight and has a glowing green dot at night will help you keep your eye on the front sight, import in order to aim properly.
You can also consider changing the trigger spring to a NY#1 and a Glock OEM 3.5 connector, this changes the trigger pull and break point. I have found it to my liking and it gives ME better control.

These are the things that I have done that are Glock concentric.
You can also change barrels, add magazine well, add laser, change rear sight to metal adjustable, plug hollow on back-strap of grip, have grip angle changed by gunsmith, change pistol color, change out lower frame for a metal one, and the list goes on. This is the most customizable handgun after the 1911.

So you want to carry concealed and have never used a handgun before.

First go to a range take a basic pistol class, after training rent a weapon and try it, do this with several. You need to feel comfortable with your handgun. Most of my friends as a first firearm got a Glock 19 (9mm), it is compact in size and you can get HiCap magazines for it. It has a safety-action system which is safe and good for new shooters! This weapon is very mainstream, with lots of after market options available. A large variety of holsters are available. The addition of an Ameriglo Pro Glo Front sight that is designed to shine with a orange circle in the daylight and has a glowing green dot at night will help you keep your eye on the front sight, important in order to aim properly. You will need a good holster to cc with; this is not the place to save money. A custom IWB holster that fits your handgun and has a sweat shield, together with a reinforced mouth is a good investment. Custom holsters fit you better, and last 4 to 5 times longer than production ones in my experience. After you are comfortable with your handgun and how it functions take a home defense class.

As to ammo use a hollow point round (Gold Dot +P) as your defensive round. While some may feel a caliber larger than 9mm will work better only you can decide what is comfortable to shoot.

Check out GSSF for events and information on Glocks and shooting.

Be sure to get licensed before you start carrying your handgun.

Hope this helps, remember practice is what builds your comfort level and improves your shooting skills.