So…with all this pestilence going around, what is the best way to make sure our defensive weaponry doesn’t become a disease vector? We clean our guns, but it has never before occurred to me to sterilize them.
What comes to mind first are things like chlorox wipes, but that seems like it might damage the gun, or at least make it more likely to jam.
Bleach is not kind to steel. Frankly, I am not worried about it. If I wash my hands well before I handle the gun, and after, I believe that alone would be fine.
I would not use chlorox, but rubbing alcohol might be an option. I use it when I am cleaning guns to remove solvents that might break down the oil on areas such as hinge pins. I have not used it on non-metal parts however. It is a very select group who will be in contact with my guns so I am not too worried about them becoming a problem.
Glocks are dishwasher safe… I don’t own one and I haven’t attempted it myself, but I’ve heard from a lot of people that they have tried it. 
What is wrong with Nitro Solvent?
If your carry weapon has been exposed to the point of concern it is already too late to worry about it.
Things are getting blown clear out of proportion. Less contagious, and far less dangerous than the flu that occupies the country every year.
70% isopropyl alcohol cleans from every kind of virus and germs.
100% safe for firearms.
I actually use it once a year to clean my firearms after full disassembly.
Virus’s and Bacteria BOTH are VERY temperature sensitive. If you are truly worried about your EDC being a vector then there is no reason not to wash it. Some (most) dishwashers have a high heat drying cycle which will evaporate all the water from your chosen EDC. That said you should remove things like grip panels and such if possible. Some folks who live in areas with “hard” water or other minerals may wish to go a different route. Go to the “pick a pharmacy” and get a gallon of “DI” (Distilled) Water and disassemble your bang stick to what ever degree you are comfortable with add add antibacterial dish soap and BOIL it.
I have no idea what temp polymers form and deform at so if you have a plastic gun you might want to look at that first.
Toss the whole mess in the oven at 175*F for an hour or two to dry it. If you are still worried about residual water in your gun, hose it down with WD-40, the “WD” stands for Water Displacement then protect with the gun lube of your preference. For rubber and wood grips and things Lysol or similar wipes / spray are good options for a chemical kill.
Now that I think about it I wouldn’t even bother with the washing part unless you want to. I’d just chuck it in the oven at 175*F for a couple hours.
UN-LOAD IT FIRST!!!
Cheers,
Craig6
I have heard of someone in the UP doing the oven thing. She hid the loaded Glock in the oven and forgot it, she went to bake something and 
I’m sure it was sanitized.
I am confused. Unless someone else has touched my weapon (very unlikely) why would it not be safe for me to touch? The virus or whatever would have had to get on it from me so I would already have been exposed.
Shoot it until it is too hot to touch. 
Some finishes can be very sensitive to chemicals (Dan Wesson) so be careful.
Or you can get the new Sig Sauer germ proof tactical gear… 
An AR can survive a shower…… so can a 1911 and a Browning Hi-Power.
I hope it is mean only for viruses and bacteria… and not ‘sterilizing’ as in removing of serial numbers…
If I am the only one that handles my firearms, there should be no problem.
Some studies seem to suggest that you can have this virus for over a month without showing symptoms. They say it can also live on non-living surfaces for a long time without dying, and since this virus has reinfected people who have recovered, even if you are the only one to handle your guns, they may become dangerous to you.
Not exactly, but it might be getting a bit carried away, but the mortality rate at the current numbers is over 3% while the flu is 0.1%.
And the flu is something we have been dealing with since 1918… the Spanish Flu, H1N1, which is the same flu we deal with today and even had a pandemic in 2009, but in 1918, it was devastating.
Perspective is needed.
The latest numbers for flu in the U.S. 00013% of the population died from the flu.
In China 0000009% of the population died from Covid 19.
United States 46,000 flu deaths 350,000,000 people.
China 1,400 Covid 19 deaths 1,500,000,000 people.
Sterilize my guns? I’ll call the vet and see what they can do.
I don’t know about the need to sterilize, but I"m thinking of an ultrasonic cleaner to deep clean them. And wash brass.
While that ‘perspective’ is valid up to a point, it ignores or avoids the facts of mortality rates.
Mortality is not based on total population, it is based on total known cases and total fatalities from the disease.
The mortality rate over 3% does not mean that is where it will remain, as the disease spreads it may infect more people with a lower number of those infected perishing.
The Spanish Flu, (H1N1) which is one of the flus we still deal with annually, had a mortality rate of over 3% in 1918. It has since been reduced.
Avoiding the facts, trying to make them sound better, does nothing except mislead people, and is as bad as over exaggerating the disease to cause panic.