How to Make a Weapon Selection When Arming Your Security Team
Firearms are a tool used to protect oneself and others from serious bodily injury or death. With more than 1.2 million people working in the security industry and roughly 900,000 of those personnel are working in a guard capacity, only around 15 percent of security professionals carry a firearm.
Firearms in the security industry are generally utilized in more specialized roles and distinctive functions in areas which have increased risk. Every single time an armed security professional goes to a situation, there is at least one firearm involved—their own. Carrying it properly and utilizing proper training are essential.
Choosing a firearm should also address the inherent risk that armed personnel face, along with required training making sure the weapon is secure when not needed. About 6 percent of firearms self-defense is conducted by a security professional or off-duty law enforcement officer. This does not include situations where a firearm was presented, and the situation then de-escalated without shots being fired. It also does not include situations where the presence of armed personnel deterred a potential attacker, however the number is believed to be high.
Examples of this include the Pulse Night Club attack in 2016. Prosecutors later said the shooter was deterred from two other clubs before choosing the Pulse, due to the visual presence of armed personnel. Additionally, the 2023 Nashville Covenant School shooter noted in a manifesto left behind that one of the reasons for attacking that school the school, as opposed to other schools, was the lack of a visual armed security presence. As of press time, armed security officers have also stopped at least eight school shooting events in the past five years.
Questions to help determine what firearm is needed for security personnel are to identify the needs of the role, what daily operations are like, and the dress code. Is the firearm going to be visible or concealed? Are there other guards on duty? Will this role be in an open area with a vehicle or enclosed area which requires a lot of walking?
Firearms Differences to Consider
The biggest and most intimidating firearm does not always need to be the first choice. If the role requires concealment and privacy, a smaller firearm would likely be considered. Additionally, if the role is concealed, does the dress code require nice clothing? Business dress clothing is often less sturdy, making carrying the firearm more difficult. Something smaller and lighter may be more appropriate.
Do you want a handgun that is striker-fired or is hammer fired? Do you want a firearm with a manual safety or only internal safety? Many of these are personal preferences but also may be determined by a shooter’s experiences, job requirements, and organizational policy.
When comparing firearms there will always be concessions that need to be made. A smaller and lighter firearm may be harder to grip, be less accurate, and have a lower round capacity than larger firearms. A larger firearm may be harder to conceal, heavier for all day carrying, and may be difficult for smaller shooters to use.
If the role requires a person to be in large, open spaces, a larger handgun with an increased site radius—the distances between the rear sight and front sight—may be more appropriate.
A slightly heavier handgun will also reduce recoil. Recoil is the energy and force the gun expels rearward as it’s fired. Less recoil and increased site radius can improve shooting accuracy, which will be more important the further away a target is.
Handgun choice also needs to revolve around the laws in that jurisdiction. Some U.S. states have restrictions on the number of bullets that a firearm can carry, which will often apply to security professionals.
If the handgun could be utilized at night or in dark spaces (such as a building during a power outage), choosing a firearm that will accept a weapon-mounted light should be considered. This is in addition to a handheld flashlight the security professional is carrying.
The caliber of the firearm refers to the diameter of the bullet, which is often measured in both inches and millimeters. Caliber selection is sometimes a sacred practice amongst gun enthusiasts and firearms instructors. The debate continues today as the best self defense caliber, with no clear winner.
Caliber selection should involve caliber and ammunition capable of increased speed, controllability, penetration, and terminal effectiveness. A projectile must penetrate deeply enough into the body to reach the large vital organs to cause rapid blood loss. This equates to a large wound channel of 12-18 inches. The most widely used calibers in law enforcement are 9MM, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.
Security professionals may want to look at what the local law enforcement agencies are carrying and mirror them. The calibers these agencies carry have already survived wide scrutiny and likely been approved through legal audits in their organizations. Some U.S. states have restrictions on even what guns are available, such as California’s handgun roster.
Neglecting firearms maintenance can have serious implications, including equipment failure and potential liability for the agency.
Something to consider is the pressure and felt recoil of each of these calibers. You might think that the larger the caliber, the more recoil is felt. That isn’t always the case. For instance, a .40 S&W is known to cause more pressure and increase felt recoil than other calibers. Likewise, .45 ACP may have decreased performance and lower ammunition capacity in the firearm. This is often a personal preference, but taking guidance from law, policy, and local law enforcement requirements may be helpful in decision making.
When I worked at my first law enforcement agency, the department required the carrying of a Glock handgun chambered in .40 S&W. While I was an instructor, a smaller female trainee attempted to qualify on the full-sized handgun several times and had significant difficulty. When I let her borrow a slightly smaller handgun, that was also made by Glock but chambered in 9MM, she had no problems qualifying and her accuracy was greatly improved.
At my second law enforcement agency, there were many guns authorized to be carried in one of the three popular law enforcement calibers. However, a decision was made that recruits could only carry a 9MM handgun made by one of two popular handgun makers. This was done to allow for quick understanding and adaptation to shooting principles without spending additional training time on guns with unique mechanisms, such as de-cocking levers and manual safeties.
Cost for ammunition must also be considered. 9MM ammunition is typically the least expensive while .45 ACP is typically the most expensive. This can vary by area depending on availability. Moreover, what calibers are the easiest to obtain in the area the security professional is working in needs to be considered.
Reliability
Next is choosing a firearm that is reliable. The firearm should be recognized as a reliable platform with easy to find parts for maintenance.
Like anything else, firearms are mass produced, can require break-in periods, and may have defects. All firearms should be tested prior to being placed in service. The weapon should operate reliably with the self-defense ammunition the security professional will carry.
With enough wear and tear, any weapon can fail, therefore regular maintenance and inspections are required. Neglecting firearms maintenance can have serious implications, including equipment failure and potential liability for the agency. Although there are no court cases regarding specific maintenance, it is recommended that a certified armorer conducts a comprehensive inspection of duty handguns at least once a year, covering components like the frame, slide assemblies, magazines, and barrel. These practices aim to ensure the reliability and safety of firearms used by security professionals.
Each branch of the U.S. military has its own guidelines when looking for small arms (handgun) reliability. While they aren’t all the same, there are some significant similarities that a security professional should consider prior to committing to a firearm for work operations.
Some of the military requirements are functionality in demanding conditions, snow, heat, rain, and dirt. The firearm should be easy and simple to maintain from a company that has a reputation of damage resistant firearms. The handgun should come from a company known to have accurate and reliable firearms and utilize a common caliber.
Additionally, it should be compatible with the available and easy to find accessories such as holsters, weapon-mounted lights, and optics.
Training Considerations
Training is a requirement. Familiarization with the firearm and regular training is also a must. Courts have determined that the use of force training needs to be recent, relevant, and realistic.
Initial training should include local law and accepted practices for carrying, self-defense, and what the legal standard is to meet those requirements. Training should include safety, understanding sight alignment, accuracy training, and firearms manipulation from a multitude of positions. Further training should include dealing with malfunctions, reloads, operating in low light conditions, single handed shooting, and decision making (often referred to as shoot/no shoot) shooting. Lastly, scenario training should be built into an initial training program.
Consider these two cases regarding law enforcement training that could be applied to security professionals who carry a firearm in the course of their work.
In Popow v. City of Margate, a police officer had regular firearms training, but it was limited to marksmanship style training and did not include real world conditions that might be encountered, such as low-light conditions, moving targets, and shooting in residential areas. While working the nightshift, the officer was pursuing a man he believed was involved in a kidnapping when a bystander, Darwin Popow, stepped outside. The officer shot Popow, killing him. Popow’s widow filed a lawsuit, and a federal district court judge ruled that firearms training should revolve around the realistic conditions that an officer might encounter while on the job.
In Zuchel v. Denver, a Colorado district court and then a circuit court of appeals upheld a decision that only training police officers on deadly force in lecture and classroom settings was inadequate. The ruling stemmed from an officer involved shooting of a man outside of a McDonald’s, which occurred after several officer involved shootings in the area and complaints that police department training should include “shoot/don’t shoot” training scenarios for law enforcement officers.
As pointed out with the three R’s (recent, relevant, and realistic), regular training needs to occur. Training programs need to be built on a yearly basis with at least one firearms qualification per year.
This includes stress inoculation training. Stress inoculation training involves raising the heart rate to the optimal training zone of 115-145 beats per minute. Heart rates above this zone cause physiological and cognitive impairments, creating additional panic. This will likely cause a person to fail either due to an inability to fight properly or freeze completely. Motor function also decreases, and debilitation increases.
Stress training in the optimal zone builds stress adaptability and helps security practitioners identify what those feelings are like. It also allows people to understand and operate in complex and confusing environments, avoid overreactions, and properly identify threats, while maintaining self-control and combat effectiveness.
Conducting a firearms qualification is a test. The point of the test is to ensure that each user can safely manipulate and use the weapon. Gun handling is a major part of this exam. It does not identify if a person is ready for to carry a firearm in the course of their work. That takes other training, as previously mentioned.
This is essentially only the beginning when addressing what an armed security professional will carry. There is clearly more thought that is required than just picking up whatever is on sale at the store. The wrong choice may have significant legal liabilities along with potential risks to the user. Thought, research, and training need to be the cornerstones of starting this process.
Kevin Jones, CPP, is a site security manager for a nationwide technology company. He previously worked as a school security manager, conducting armed protection and threat assessments. Prior to that role, Jones spent more than 19 years in law enforcement and more than a decade as a hostage negotiator. He regularly conducts behavioral threat assessments and security audits, and is passionate about crisis intervention, de-escalation, and early intervention. Jones has experienced firsthand active shooter and workplace violence incidents and strives to help prevent them, including by developing training curriculum from personal experiences.
© Kevin Jones
