Slightly off topic - Anita Blake/Laurell K. Really interesting world she live in/she writes about.
An impressive post. One random question: any particular choices security guards usually make?
Generally whatever gun is the cheapest, that the company specifies is OK.
Most commonly they would have Glock, Ruger, or S&W autos; though some use Berettas.
Private security tend to use .357 sig or .45 acp from Glock, SIG, H&K, or in a high end 1911.
Yes it’s Keith. I just thought I would let you know that I saw a Sheriffs Deputy with what look to be a customized 1911. It would appear that they have rather lax rules on what weapons they can use, compared to other law enforcement agencies.
Ed McBain complained that he got more complaints from readers when he made a mistake about firearms than any other type of complaint.
Good informative post, Chris. Now if you can just educate the movie makers to the same level... geezus, if I see one more actor chamber a round into the gun he just shot (and still has rounds in it). Other pet peeve is actors who shoot many more rounds than a gun can hold, without a reload. Oh, and exploding cars! Man, the military would be really delighted if you could sell them a pistol that could blow up a car! If any of you writers ever get your book made into a movie, I hope you can exercise some control over the script, and maintain some reality.
Re: NY City
My cousin is married to a NY City Detective. He carries a 9mm Sig on and off duty (I believe its a 226, but am not positive) Its a pretty sweet shooting gun.
Chris,
I hate to be a stickler but you got one insy winsy detail wrong. The government can ban hi-caps and require all citizens to turn them in without violating the ex post facto provision of the constitution. What they cannot do is penalize those who owned hi-caps prior to any such ban without giving them an opportunity to turn them in.
Of course, I would also argue that any such ban would violate Amendment No. 2.
The powder charge : more properly referred to as the propellant, which is not actually "gun powder" any more, it's now an extruded nitrocellulose compound (even ball is initially extruded), which is ignited by...
.. and 99.9% of the time it is NOT cordite. Please don't write about the "acrid tang of cordite in the air" - savvy gunners laugh at you.
Cordite was an early nitrocellulose powder (dating back to the 1890's that no-one in his right mind uses anymore.
Good luck with the writing career. 
"The government can ban hi-caps and require all citizens to turn them in without violating the ex post facto provision of the constitution. What they cannot do is penalize those who owned hi-caps prior to any such ban without giving them an opportunity to turn them in."
Hmm...It seems to me that stealing someone's legally obtained property is penalizing them. In my mind this is theft by the government.
The founding fathers would've been ashamed of what we've allowed our government to become.
Actually through the justified takings doctrine they COULD in theory require them all to be turned in, IF they provided just compensation...
HOWEVER there would be HUGE second amendment issue to get around.
It still amazes me that no-one ever mounted a serious second amendment challenge to the AWB based on the millr "military use" doctrine.
Oh and yes, Anita Blakes (and Merry Gentrys) world is a VERY interesting place to be.
A lot of women are writing decent modern fantasy these days; because a lot of other women are buying it. Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Laurell Hamilton, Mary Janice Davidson etc...
They are writing from a definite female perspective, but they are writing as authors who are women, not as "women authors"... I really like that.
Chris,
I agree its unconstitutional, its just that people read more teeth into the ex post facto provision than it really has. The proper vehicle is the 2nd Amendment.
Happy, no; they read the PROPER amount of teeth into it. It's the lawmakers that are getting it wrong.
Chris Byrne
I was in ABQ a few weeks back and most of the cops I saw had 1911s.
Doesn't "parabellum" mean "PREPARE (for) war"?
Not exactly
para when used as a prefix can be "for" (or of), Belli is war; and prepare is either paratus or praeperet.
Given that, it is possible that para could be conjugated here as a prefix, rather than joined as a compound word, but the compounding would be more gramatically apropriate here.
Paratus is actually more properly rendered in the sense of preparedness as vigilance (as for example in the Coast Guard motto "Semper Paratus", and praeparet is prepare as in train and stockpile.
Technically, either meaning could be correct. The problem is that english and latin word and sentence structure are functionally incomaptible, so when translating you need to make your own constructions.
The quote I think you are referencing in particular is:
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.
* Therefore, whoever wishes for peace, let him prepare for war.
And sometimes praeparet is rendered as paratum, or as
Si vis pacem, para bellum
Chris - ya missed my favorite pet peeve...
Clips versus magazines.
Clips feed magazines. Magazines feed the weapon.
Not that common usage isn't trumping my schoolmarmishness on this issue.
Oh - and did someone mention cordite?
http://www.thedonovan.com/archiv...ves/
002148.html
John I did mention it for a sentence, but I was gettging a bit concenred on lenght.
I also wanted to talk about thye silencer myth, neverending ammo, exploive bullets, dumdums, cop killers, ....
THe list goes on and on.
In fact I think I'll have to write a part 2
You may have me there, Chris.
"Sic vis pacem, parabellum" is the motto I was thinking of- " If you want peace, prepare for war".
But hey, it's been 40 years since my last Latin class!
Moot point anyway, I'm a .45 guy!
I'd be very interested in seeing the part two, as soon as you have the time and concentration to spare.
It should be noted that, while almost all guns currently hold over 4 ounces of metal, there are some firearms allegedly in development by the FBI and similar groups that would be nearly completely plastic. A fictional hero could probably run across one of these, although they look more like oneshot Star Trek-esque phaser than a Glock, which has more than a pound of metal in it.
Those "all-plastic" would be more like ceramic or a non-ferrous metal so as not to set off detectors.
Thanks for this, Chris. My editor has lots of questions - I should just direct her here.
*Still* waiting for Part two. 
LOVE this post. While I do fire a hand gun from time to time (like maybe once a week, 100 or 200 rounds or so) it's still great to have a quick reference for those busy nights hammering at a computer.
It serves a dual purpose for a bridge between intro gun stuff and intermediate, which can be a difficult bridge to cross. Thanks, Chris!!
Great post.
My pet peeve in novels are manual safeties & cocking hammers on pistols that don't have safeties or hammers.
"He flipped he safety off his Glock and cocked the hammer."
(disregarding of course the potential for a Cominolli Custom safety)
Speaking of authors, my wife loves Laurell K, Kim Harrison and a host of others. If I ever get caught up on my readling list I am planning on going back to read much of her library.
I have also always enjoyed Stephen Hunter's novels since he tries to get the firearms info right.
anybody shoot the 50 GI? i am fascinated by this gnarly looking bad boy.
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