Appendix carry for striker-fired pistols is insane!

Throughout my life, I’ve tried every possible  way to carry handguns, seeking a balance of accessibility, convenience, comfort, concealment, and, most importantly, safety. It can be a very challenging goal, especially when it comes to larger firearms.

When Glock popularized reliable striker-fired pistols, many manufacturers followed suit. These pistols, however, lack the traditional manual safety lever. Instead, they have a small trigger safety that must be depressed to fire the weapon.

Now, imagine pulling your gun in a high-stress situation. Recall the female Secret Service agent fumbling for her gun during the first attempt on Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania. If she had accidentally discharged the firearm, the risk of injury would have been minimal with a hip holster. Had she been using an appendix carry position, the consequences could have been much more serious.

Our bodies aren’t uniform. While some men might handle appendix carry without issue, the reality is that many have a bit of a belly, which makes safe appendix carry even more difficult. This method becomes particularly risky when reholstering under stress, such as after a physical altercation or while apprehending a criminal.

I strongly advocate for sticking to traditional hip or shoulder holsters. Appendix carry poses significant risks—self-inflicted injuries, including self-castration or severing the femoral artery, are real possibilities.

Most appendix carry holsters are cheap Kydex scabbards. If you’re looking for a holster, choose carefully from established manufacturers. Your life depends on it, so price should never be a concern. Personally, I’ve trusted Galco holsters for over 50 years. While they do offer some well-designed appendix models, their shoulder and hip holsters are the safest bet, providing protection without endangering the family jewels.  

SHOT SHOW 2025: A Must-Attend Event for Firearms and Outdoor Enthusiasts

The SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show) returns in 2025, once again drawing professionals from around the globe to the largest event of its kind. From January 21-24, 2025, Las Vegas will host this annual expo that has become a cornerstone of the firearms, ammunition, and outdoor gear industries.  If you are not an industry professional, beware that the public is not invited to this event.  

What to Expect at SHOT Show 2025

As the world’s premier event for the shooting sports industry, SHOT Show 2025 promises to be even bigger and better than previous years. The event will feature over 2,500 exhibitors, offering the latest in firearms, ammunition, tactical equipment, and outdoor accessories. Attendees will have access to new product showcases, hands-on demonstrations, and the opportunity to connect with industry leaders.

Why You Can’t Miss SHOT Show 2025

Even with that missing tech push, SHOT Show 2025 will still be the place to be for professionals in the shooting, hunting, and law enforcement industries. Whether you’re a dealer, distributor, or manufacturer, the networking and educational opportunities are unparalleled. Attendees will have the chance to sit in on seminars, witness the latest tactical gear, and possibly get an early glimpse of prototypes or other emerging trends.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the action, explore the latest innovations, and engage with the leaders shaping the future of firearms and outdoor equipment.

Register Now for SHOT Show 2025

SHOT Show 2024 Reminder SHOT Show 2024 Reminder

Yes, the SHOT Show will be coming once again to the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.  There will be Miles of aisles loaded with the latest and greatest firearms, hunting gear and outdoor equipment of every description. 

The real emphasis on firearms is changing rapidly, where every gun is a work of art.  From the design of the metal to the grips it’s going to be beautiful.  No, it’s not to heyday of the 70s with lots of engravers.  Things are changing and a lot of the new firearm art is computer generated and or laser engraved.  Color is everywhere now and the amazing new finishes on firearms  are bold and exciting.

If you’re in the industry, come join us in Las Vegas.  If you’re just consumer, don’t fret, there will be lots of videos all over YouTube including ours! 

Industry Day At The Range.  This is a select portion of the shot show where we will be out of the range, shooting the latest firearm offerings.  We will share that experience with our viewers!  

Is Obtaining a Gun for Self-Defense a Political Choice?

 Los Angeles--Self-preservation should never be a political issue.  It’s one of our most primal and basic instincts.  We were born to always feel the need to protect ourselves and loved ones from injury and death. 

 

However most governments are afraid of their own people and have made significant efforts to propagandize and convince people that their benevolent government will competently take over these responsibilities.  As we should know from history, Democide by government is the most prolific form of murder ever conceived. 

 

 

Even under the best of circumstances our police are dispatched only to arrive in time to clean up the mess and make reports.  They may or may not, apprehend the killers later.

 

We’ve also learned shocking lessons from both the Columbine High School and more recent Ulvade elementary school massacres that police refused to confront the deranged killers until long after our precious children have bled out from their wounds.  Even under the best conditions we’ve learned that police were unable to, or simply refused to do what’s expected of them. 

 

Another problem is that should the police arrive interrupting in-progress crimes they are not clairvoyant and within split-seconds they must figure out just who are the good and bad players.  Far too often police make tragic mistakes during this process. 

 

Hollywood has bombarded us with thousands of stories where the police arrive instantaneously, never make mistakes, the bad guys are arrested or killed, and the good guys live happily ever after.  Most every American has grown into believing this is somehow reality.  

 

Ineffective police work is not the exception but the norm.  It makes no difference who should be blamed politically.  The fact is we live in a dangerous world where thousands of criminals and mentally ill people are out there waiting for opportunities to inflict harm on innocent victims.  

 

If like many people you’ve lived your life in relative safety, thoughts self-defense or fear is not part of your life.  Fortunate people live in safe neighborhoods traveled in nice automobiles to safe places where you attended school or work at your job.

 

Because of today’s superior public transportation the crime plagued ghetto has suddenly found its way to even the best neighborhoods.  Internet chat has brought like-minded criminals together where they plan and conspire to commit crimes.  Today they are also much more likely to work in teams rather than alone. 

 

Because of current prevailing political attitudes dangerous prisoners are being released from prisons by the tens of thousands.  People arrested and accused of crimes are allowed to remain free without posting cash bail. 

 

At the same time government has shut down mental institutions leaving the mentally ill on our streets left to their own devices. 

 

You now ask, what can you do?  There is no simple answer other than you must become your own first responder. Yes, you must take the law into your own hands because there may be no one else to do this for you.  

 

You are not Superman, nor do you possess any significant extra-terrestrial powers. You are a mere mortal and without weapons and training you are basically helpless.

 

Government sometimes, not always offers you non-lethal weapons like pepper spray or electric stun guns that have various defense capabilities. Frankly, most of these things will get you into much more trouble and danger. 

 

Lethal weapons however, somewhat level the playing field.  If properly employed they will either interrupt an attack or stop it cold.  But first you must make the commitment to use deadly force without hesitation.  Never forget Your goal is not to kill, but to simply stop any further harm being waged against you or your loved ones.  

 

Yes, let there be no doubt that should you shoot or stab somebody, death can result.  What most people don't know today is its modern emergency medicine save nearly 90% of the people who are shot by various firearms.

 

By now you're deciding whether to take advantage of your Constitutional Right to possess and carry firearms.  It is a heavy choice, followed by a commitment that you will get the proper training and develop the skill to effectively use a firearm.  You can trust me when I say this is not going to be a difficult learning curve if you pay strict attention to your trainer. 

 

The only thing I implore you to do, is to never allow politicians to interfere with the basic survival of you and your loved ones.   Survival always trumps obedience to the gun bans of our land.  Either you will give yourself a fighting chance to survive or not. 

 

 

Meet My Pal, Raj Singh and he will Tell you the Eagle Gun Grips Story!

A Wonderful Self-Defense Handgun!

This SIG P245 has been around at least 20 years.  Releasable, accurate and simple to operate!

Divorce, Guns and Public Court Records

Chicago, IL—Before 1969 divorce was no simple process in most jurisdictions.  The laws were designed to make divorce difficult with the idea that couples could solve their differences and continue to responsibly raise their children.

There had to be specific grounds and the most popular was “extreme cruelty”. 

There was abandonment and adultery, however they were much more difficult to prove.  The petitioner had to prove that the marriage had not only failed but was dangerous! Without what we’d today call terroristic threats, a divorce would not be granted.

The lawyers would all tell their clients, “Don’t worry it’s only a formality, just sign here or no divorce.”

If you go to the court clerk’s office and pull random case files they’re all carbon copies of each other.

“The Respondent has repeatedly pulled a handgun on Petitioner threatening to kill her” was written right at the top of nearly every petition!

The respondent in most cases also wanted the divorce and simply failed to appear in court to guarantee the divorce was granted by default. 

The petition was always made under oath meaning that in all but an insignificant few cases perjury was committed.

The lawyers and judges all knew the petitions were perjured but they all played along in an exercise of pragmatism. 

I have had a few clients over the years ask me to obtain their parents divorce records to satisfy curiosity after they’d hear extreme cruelty was the basis for the divorce.  It would affect how they regarded their fathers.

In a very large percentage of these cases there was never a gun kept in these homes!

Finally in 1969 the no-fault divorce laws swept the nation to end the filing of these outrageous documents.

Thankfully I’m old enough to know how things were done.  I would have to reassure my clients that their fathers were not deranged gunslingers.  Sometimes it was a tough sell because it made a perjurer out of their mothers.

I can’t help but wonder how many divorce filings led to the rejection of security clearances, job rejections or promising romances after various background investigations.

A Thirteen Minute Peek at the 2014 Las Vegas SHOT Show

Las Vegas, NV—Firearms, and accessory manufacturers, along with law enforcement and hunting related exhibitors filled the Sands Convention Center last week.

Some 67,000 people attended and Sin City got a needed financial boost.  Local businesses benefit along with the tax coffers.

What’s so amazing is that cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC will never get that financial benefit of this or the NRA Annual Meeting, Convention and Exhibit.  If we ever came to these cites we’d all wind up wearing handcuffs and watch our property confiscated. 

With all the guns and gun toting attendees there are never accidents or any kind of violence in the cities we visit.  The crime rate goes down because the local thugs all know they are in for a serious challenge if they try and victimize these convention visitors.  More guns never brings more crime. 

The SHOT Show is huge.  Covering the show as a full time multimedia journalist is impossible for me because I have certain commitments I must keep that prevents me from getting out on the show floor with my camera gear.

This year I brought a tiny GoPro 3+ camera and shot video with my pals at Eagle Grips both in the Convention Center and after hours. 

I have put together a 13 minute video with some cool music that’s blocked in Europe and by some cell phone and mobile devices.

If you can, please enjoy the video.

The 2014 SHOT Show in Las Vegas

Paul Huebl at the 2014 Shot Show

Las Vegas, NV--some 67.000 people came to Sin City from every corner of the globe to celebrate firearms.  Exhibitors and firearms trade professionals came to town. Most everyone was armed however there were no murders or accidents involving people associated with this event. 

I can be found hanging out with the fine folks at Eagle Grips and hope for a moment to go out and shoot and edit some video.

Rocker and gun rights advocate Ted Nugent has a little fun with his long time friend Raj Singh, President of Eagle Grips. You can see that below. 

I have a lot of video to edit and will do so as time permits. 

Unintended Dangerous Consequences of Immigration Amnesty

Los Angeles, CA—In addition to the felons and mental patients we know about there are some 11,000,000 people that are forbidden to possess guns in America.  Illegal aliens are currently in the class of prohibited possessors.  Most of them are from Mexico or Central America.  

Things being the way they are we cannot determine these alien's criminal histories in their home nations.  Try getting criminal and mental health records from any of our Southern neighboring nations.  Background checks in that regard simply cannot be accomplished.  

If our government grants Green Card status or citizenship to the illegal aliens they will automatically be able to purchase, possess and carry firearms.  We will have no way of knowing if they have criminal records for wife beating, robbery, rape burglary, drug trafficking in their own countries.  How about the dangerous mentally ill among them?  It only makes sense that once criminals are discovered they will want to relocate where their recent past is far behind them. Coming to the USA is an obvious first choice. 

It is the political Left that is demanding amnesty for those that have trespassed into America.  It is the political Left that's been demanding full background checks on gun purchasers.  Here these two philosophies are colliding like speeding freight trains in the night.

Remember the political Left long ago put in lifetime gun bans for people convicted of a huge laundry list of crimes.  Here the illegal aliens are set escape whatever crimes they committed in the past like they never happened.  If you’re a dangerous illegal alien with amnesty you will suddenly have total legal access to firearms.  Of course if you are a natural born American citizen you will never have gun rights if you did something regrettable even as a juvenile and you’ve lived a clean life for decades.

Remember what George Orwell wrote in his book, Animal Farm, (under Socialism), “Some pigs are more equal than others.” 

The New Importance of Handgun Grips and the Aftermarket

Carol Stream, IL—In the Western suburb of The Windy City stands a business called Eagle Grips.  I have had a personal association with this firm since it began in 1971.  Back then I was a young cop just out of the Army.  I always liked guns so when I could get off on weekends I’d hit local gun shows. 

Back then there were fewer gun bans and the gun shows were larger however the selection of available guns and accessories were limited by today’s standards.   Aftermarket gun grips were the made by a few companies and the pickings were slim.  That changed for me when I saw a Sikh Indian man at a table exhibiting grips at the then popular Waukegan Gun Show.

At the time gun grip materials were usually either made from walnut wood or rubber.  The choices were limited.  There are problems with rubber grabbing your clothes and printing out through your clothing with telltale signs that you’re packing heat.   Walnut wood is too soft and for grips and the material must be sealed with some type of varnish.  Walnut is such a bland looking wood that it hurts my eyes. 

The Sikh fellow was exhibiting really gorgeous rosewood and ebony wood grips.  The colors were much richer than what Colt, Smith & Wesson or Ruger was putting on their stock products.   I was so impressed I bought two sets from him.   That was the beginning of a terrific love affair with a company’s products and a lasting friendship with that Sikh man, Harbans Singh.

Singh learned I was a cop and asked my lots of questions in relation to law enforcement needs and product design.   Ever since I’ve been heavily involved on a part time basis with product development and design.  Additionally I handle public relations for the firm and attend several of the largest gun shows in the world each year.  That firm is, Eagle Grips.

Harbans retired and his son Raj Singh is now the President and CEO.    The younger Singh had grown up with guns, gun enthusiasts, firearms trainers, cops, collectors and firearms journalists.  Raj Singh has followed in his father's footsteps. 

Why do you need after market grips for your handguns?

Essentially every handgun other than the polymer frame guns like Glock come with grips from the factory.  They are generally well designed and attractive but why settle for the routine if you don’t have to? Additionally factory grips almost fit nobody's hands!  This is Where Eagle Grips has take the lead. 

Your handgun is an important part of you if you are like me and carry one.  It’s the first thing you see when you wake up and the last thing you see before going to sleep.   Your gun is a highly prized personal item and should be personalized to your needs, taste and style.  We are all different and now we can demand that our guns reflect our persona.  Once you’ve seen Eagle’s products you will want to banish walnut and rubber from your life.  

Eagle offers real ivory, Mother of Pearl, Sambar Stagg, Rosewood and Ebony Wood.  In addition there are some polymer and synthetic offerings that mimic the natural materials. 

Suddenly the game was changed when Raj Singh sought to bring color into the otherwise drab world of gun grips.  A new process was discovered to make the most durable and terrific grip material ever!  It is called Kirinite.  The colors are incredibly vivid and the selection is limitless.  The material must be cut, shaped and polished like gems.  The more you polish the material the more it adheres to your hands!  The material is not in anyway slippery.  Additionally it is impervious to scratching, dulling or breakage.

Knife makers just love working with Kirinite have take it to new heights.  Now you can have your gun grips match your favorite knife!  This truly the age  for the personalization of your security hardware.  You can order all of Eagle Grip’s material from their website at www.eaglegrips.com.

Meet my dear friend Raj Singh:

Check out some Kirinite grips here:

Ignorant Journalists, Guns and Disinformation

Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .38 five-shot revolver with genuine stag Grips from www.eaglegrips.com

Los Angeles, CA—There are those journalists who seem to think are experts on firearms.   At least that’s what they want their readers and viewers think.  For the most part they’ve never fired a gun and if they have it was not under the supervision of a professional trainer.

These folks write and speak words for a living, so they want to be colorful and use what they feel are the strongest terms and phrases.  Too often they don’t have a clue what they are talking about.  That’s when their ignorance is laid bare.

Here are the most misused terms:

1.    Assault Rifle

2.    High Powered Rifle

3.    Point Blank Range

4.    Execution Style

5.    Clip

Journalists for some reason believe cops are experts on firearms.  Some of them are but its rarely the police bosses or their department spokespeople.  Reporters  most often quote gibberish from their police sources.

Most readers think they know just what these terms mean.  Okay here are the answers:

An assault rifle is a long gun or carbine that fires more than a single round for each pull of the trigger.  Often the term Machine gun is used and that can be wrong too.  Then there is the sub-machine gun.  Confused?  Each term has a different meaning.  It may be time to do a little enterprising research!

High Powered Rifles.  Carbines like the M-4, M-16 or AK-47 or the semi-automatic look-alike cousins are a lot of things but high powered is never one of them.  When you say high-powered you are speaking of heavy ammunition with a lot of lead and gun powder.  .308, 30-06 or larger rounds can be considered high powered compared to smaller round fired by the aforementioned carbines or hand gun rounds. 

Point Blank Range. I have seen great defense attorneys embarrass seasoned cops who have used this term during court testimony.  Okay officer, would you please explain to the jury just what point blank range is?  Are you scratching your head now?  Don’t ever use a term you can’t easily define just because it sounds cool.

Execution Style.  Again this term is generally misused when a defenseless victim is shot, perhaps while on their knees.  However execution style is being tied to a stake, blindfolded and shot by riflemen.  That hopefully only happens after some Due Process.  Avoid this term except in actual executions by firing squads.

Clip.  A clip for firearms is a metal device that holds ammunition rounds together.  There are very few types of firearms that require clips.  People trying to describe ammunition magazines redundantly and ignorantly use the term clip.  Clip and magazine are not synonyms.

I ask every so -called journalist who reports crime stories; why not take a simple firearms course?  Why stay ignorant?

One last thing!  Gun store owners or salespeople are not NRA spokespeople!  The may know guns but they are the wrong people to ask about gun control.  Call the NRA and they will get you to the right local person for a really interesting soundbite.