Does your caliber choice change if you're carrying in an area where drugs are prevalent?

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TomJ said:
My office is in the downtown area of the Chicago suburb I live in and lately we've seen an increase in drug activity, specifically some run ins with heroin users. When I was a LEO I had the experience of arresting drug users who were not co-operative, and depending on the drug they were using their strength and obliviousness to pain can be scary. I understand the pluses and minuses of the common handgun calibers, but was wondering if anyone uses a larger caliber when in an area where drugs are more prevalent or does the effectiveness of the calibers not change regardless of whether someone is on drugs or not.
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In high crime areas while a crackmonster is a concern, I think a larger concern is multiple armed criminals who are just up to no good. Quick accurate shots is what you want.

If I were being charged by a crackmonster I'd want a bullet that penetrated well so that it would reach the spine if properly placed. Breaking the hips or femur seems like a gamble with a 9mm depending on the bullet but it would require some luck I think.

Anyways, if I were charged by a crackmonster or attacked by a gang, I would prefer 16 rounds of 10mm 180gr Federal Trophy Bonded at 1275fps to 17 rounds of 147gr 9mm at 1100fps ... assuming I could shoot the 10mm well.
 
With the drug problem in my area, there’s a greater concern of finding someone down in respiratory depression and needing help, than in being out and having someone run around in a drug-induced rage. No, the drugs here have nothing to do with my carry choices.
 
To answer the OP- Yes. I go from 9MM to .45 if can't just go to 12 ga. or 5.56. I tend to follow Dad's advice when I can- "If you don't have actual business there, you probably don't have ANY business there."
 
I tend to carry either one of my 38s or my 9mm. Not much considering where I go. It’s too late. The world is turned. You can’t tell the difference anymore in who is on what wherever you are. Prescription pain pills or whatever else.
 
TomJ said:
I do that as well. The problem is the drugs are coming to us. I live and work in the same suburb. The overall crime rate is about as low as you'll find in the Chicago area, but it's not crime free.
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Ditto and likewise. Same ammo, just lots more of it.
 
No matter the caliber, accurate shooting is the key...as ordinary citizens do not have the opportunity to fire a weapon under heavy stress we need to shoot often and more often and more often till your accuracy is the best it can be.......and maybe that accuracy will be roped in to your action that stress is limited and you are a survivor rather than a victim......I practice a lot on moving targets.....its important..
 
No. Mostly they are too busy minding their kids, to bother me.

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Had that problem in Iraq. I ditched the 9mm and went with a .45. Although it’s a rare instance you’d need your pistol there, the need arose a few times.
As a civilian, I don’t think any autoloading cartridge is going to matter past that. A .357 mag can be a game changer, but then your stuck with a revolver depending on your lifestyle choices
 
Klint Beastwood said:
Had that problem in Iraq. I ditched the 9mm and went with a .45. Although it’s a rare instance you’d need your pistol there, the need arose a few times.
As a civilian, I don’t think any autoloading cartridge is going to matter past that. A .357 mag can be a game changer, but then your stuck with a revolver depending on your lifestyle choices
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.357 Sig? That comes in the handy 1911 package, too.
 
I grew up in a small city that has quick access to multiple interstates going north/south and east/west. We had drug dealers, drug users, but the worst of it was the gang activity that controlled trafficking. Gangs breed violence funded by and feeding upon drugs, but that stayed pretty well off the main streets and in certain rough parts of town. I had to go down the main streets that ran alongside the different hoods, and made sure I maintained an easy exit route, and firepower to make somebody duck while I made that happen. M9, officer 1911, j frame 38, but the one I liked the most and felt most comfortable with was a 5 shot k frame sized 40sw revolver loaded with gold dots or lawman ammo.

Those same areas now are getting worse. When I go home I carry my ar15 pistol with ballistic tips. The town has ties to ms13, crips, and bloods for certain, likely to other gangs as well. Growing up with folks in those hoods allowed me to see and understand things that I would rather not have ever seen.

So short answer to your question, kinda change the weaponry, but most importantly change the methodology. Druggies come in all shapes sizes, colors, and creeds. We live among them without knowing it, but when you enter into an area more prevalent for it you have to consider your situation and be prepared.
 
I just carry a small black balloon filled with sand in my pocket. I figure if I toss it and run, they won't be chasing after me.
 
No, the only thing that generally changes my choice in carry weapon is clothing.

I carry a little 32 Pocket Gun at work because I wear tucked in shirts and slacks in a no-carry environment

Outside of work I either carry the same little 32 or a micro 9mm when I'm wearing cargo shorts or pants with deeper pockets that also hide the print better.

Sometimes I'll carry an NAA Black Widow in the pocket or my CZ p01 in a fannypack if I'm doing stuff on the water, as both my other carry pistols have a crimson trace on them.
 
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No. I carry what I can conceal best and shoot the best. For me it's the aforementioned "woman's gun" the 9mm. Where I'm going determines whether I carry or not. I don't carry everywhere I go. I realize you never know where a situation might arise but there are some places I don't choose to carry.
 
I haven't visited this thread in some time, but I see that some think drug users are on drugs all the time and therefore not a threat.

In my experience, many drug users can be a threat when they are sober and they are figuring out how to fund their next high. Addicts can get desperate and do desperate things. I've seen it first hand.
 
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chicharrones said:
I haven't visited this thread in some time, but I see that some think drug users are on drugs all the time and therefore not a threat.

In my experience, many drug users can be a threat when they are sober and they are figuring out how to fund their next high. Addicts can get desperate and do desperate things. I've seen it first hand.
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Absolutely. That's the major reason for the home invasions we see in our area. Most of these are committed in nice higher end semi rural neighborhoods. Most thieves used to choose to break in when no one was at home but with these drug motivated home invasions they don't seem to care you're home or not.
 
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