One of the constantly raging debates in the concealed carry community is whether or not your carry gun should have a manual safety. Many modern striker fired polymer framed guns, such as the GX4 family of pistols don’t have safeties. Neither do most revolvers, either. However, 1911 pattern pistols and certain models in the Taurus G3 family do have manual safeties. So how can you figure out which option is best?

Unfortunately, that largely depends on you, the shooter. Some people, and especially people who carry at the appendix position, prefer the feeling of security that a manual safety offers. That extra layer of safety especially makes sense in a world of striker-fired guns with 2 pound trigger pulls. Or when you’re dealing with a true single action pistol like a 1911, putting a manual safety on it seems wise.

However, if you have a gun with a longer trigger pull like a revolver or a G3, maybe a manual safety isn’t a great idea. The distance that the trigger has to travel acts as preventative measure against unintentional discharges. Of course that doesn’t mean that you should violate common gun safety rules.

Regardless of which option you chose, it’s important to train with it. If you select a gun with a manual safety, you need to practice in both dry fire and live fire with your gun. Work on establishing your grip and disengaging that safety so that when the gun comes flat and level with the target, it’s ready to fire.

For more on safeties, check out KC Eusebio and Jessie Harrison from Team Taurus discussing the topic: