When searching for my first gun, I really liked the fit of the Glock (either 19 or 17, I forget), but it did not have a safety. I settled for a S&W Shield EZ 9mm bc of the second safety in the grip since I have kids and just in case they got a wild hair up their arse even after being taught gun safety.
What are y’all’s recommendations for when to use a Glock as a CCW? I guess I’m just concerned with it not having a safety. Obviously I’m not going to get it at this point with me being a newbie. Just curious about veterans opinions.
No external safety is always a concern. So people will always be bothered by Glocks not having them.
For me it’s not a big deal. I don’t feel the firearm is any more or less safe than any other reputable firearm available. Once you get past the love em or hate em folks Glocks are boringly reliable and very easy to use. There a many manufacturers that are very competitive with Glock.
At the end of the day chose something YOU feel safe carrying because that’s the only way you’ll actually carry it. The firearm you chose is a fantastic choice and I would trust my life carrying one.
Hey @Jessica7 welcome back. First of all a Glock, in my opinion, would be an awesome first choice for a new gun owner. Second, your finger is the safety. In fact the Glock has a trigger safety that if your finger doesn’t make contact with it, it will not fire. There’s also a thread you may be interested in regarding the M&P EZ being recalled. It’s called M&P EZ Recall search it on the forum.
Safeties are a comfort thing for some users. On a handgun such as a Glock, a manual safety is not needed other than for your comfort. Think of a revolver. A revolver has no safety, not even the trigger safety that a glock has and yet they are completely safe to carry (most modern manufactured revolvers, some single actions notwithstanding). The key to safely carrying a Glock, or any firearm for that matter, is to have it in a holster that completely covers the trigger and trigger guard. Over-reliance on safeties can be a bad thing. Safeties can forget to get engaged, bumped off, etc.
My point is, I am not going to tell you to carry a Glock if you are uncomfortable with a firearm without a safety. If you are uncomfortable with it, you are not going to carry it as often, and the goal is to carry as often as you can to as many places as you can to ensure your personal safety. But, that said, a Glock and many other firearms are completely safe to carry with a loaded chamber with no manual safety.
Hey! Thanks for the input. I liked the Glock for comfort when I was handling it and the reviews. My main concern was the safety for my kids since it would be the first fun I the house. It would definitely be my second gun choice when I get another one.
I will definitely check that out about the EZ, thanks. And yes, I agree about the trigger finger lol. Mostly my concern was for the kids with it being our first gun in the house. They’ve all had safety lessons and have even handled guns at other relatives, but you know how kids are…
Yeah, as already has been told… the owner is the safety. But…more safe you are less possibilities for neglect discharge.
I have to admit, I’m not a Glock fan, but forgetting about this… trigger safety is not the same as thumb or grip safety, especially while re-holstering… Of course it prevents firearm to fire without pulling the trigger, but doesn’t prevents pulling the trigger by your garments…
For kids safety…kids are so smart that only no ammo can prevent the tragedy. Safety level has to be adjusted to kids’ age, their abilities and ingenuity.
I echo the same that has been stated here. My only add-on would be please review the 4 uninversal rules of firearms safety with your children. This will prepare them for any negligence on your part and/or what to do if they are at a friend’s house or playground. @USCCA offers a great online training platform within the USCCA Protector Academy specifically designed as a “how-to” talk and teach firearm safety to children. It is broken down in a variety of age ranges.
I chose glock as my EDC in part because of no safety and training consistency and muscle memory.
I’m not a glock fan either… I have bought the ez9 for my wife and one for myself as I am getting up in years. The EZ is a much better gun in my opinion and to me-- the thumb safety is a big deal.
Our recommendations aren’t as important as your comfort level is.
When you feel comfortable carrying a Glock w/a round chambered in the holster. That’s probably a good day to start. Since you have children the Glock would have to 100% remain under your control or locked away where little fingers could not get to them.
Jessica, if you are a member of the USCCA they have an excellent series of videos for kid safety. I’m 64 and have a grandson living with us, so I went through the videos and tho’ some of them were old hat, I found very good info anyway… we are all here for you and for safety…
As to safeties, remember your firearm safety training, safeties are mechanical devices that can fail. You cannot trust a “safety” to work. I recall as a very young child, the first thing I can remember being told, my father told me not to rely on safeties, then related a story about a friend of his. Firearm safety is based on redundancies, if one rule is broken, you are still likely to be safe.
Yes, you need to be comfortable in whatever you carry. Young children can be of concern when there are firearms involved. When my daughter was young, the firearm was either on my person or in the safe. Whenever I showed her the firearms (unloaded), I would always explain the rules of firearm safety, or when very little, just don’t touch. My primary concern was not her finding one of mine, but what would happen when she was not with her parents, at friend’s house, etc.
When she was young, I would show her the unloaded firearms, and let her “play” with them, which gets boring real quick when they are inert. I would also explain how they worked, proper handling, how to make them safe, and break them down. Every time she was around when I cleaned them, she would get another safety lesson, how to make them safe and break them down. She learned real quick not to be around when I was cleaning my firearms. At about 8 years old, she decided she wanted to learn to shoot. By then, she already knew firearm safety and how to properly handle them (though she had previously only handled them unloaded).
Thanks for that. Like I said, with me being new to handling a gun, though I’m good with it and comfortable, I’m just trying to gain other more experienced views.
I do want to get a better lock box before getting a gun without a safety. That’s always been a huge concern for us. Thanks again.
That second line is key with kids, or even the possibility of kids being around, a good lock box. In my house, the guns are either on the person or locked in a safe. Some are big typical gun safes, and others are easy access biometrics. That is more important than a firearm having a mechanical safety. Both of my boys have touched guns, even if the oldest turns 5 tomorrow, and any button or lever will be pushed, and that includes safeties. So, if one were get ahold of a firearm, I would not expect the safety to provide any kind of safeguard against a negligent discharge.