I was recently waiting for a store to open in a small strip mall and wandered into a gun shop.  In the back of my mind has always been the idea that I would be better off with a gun in the RV.  I have often passed spots at which I would have stayed had I had one, they just seemed a bit dodgy.  My S&W is too nice for that, too bulky.  I also wanted something to carry when walking my dog in the woods.  We were harassed and followed home by coyotes a couple of times.

I looked, told the clerk that due to an old injury I had a mildly weak wrist, didn’t want anything larger than 9mm,  concealed carry-able, and semi-automatic.  He showed me several double-stack compact weapons, which were too thick.  (Double-stack refers to the clip.  Those are not quite but sort of side by side, and bigger.)  He hauls out this used Kel-Tec PF9, which for my purposes is ideal.  It’s cheap, small, a 9mm, single-stack, not obvious in a casual pocket.  It’s not exactly the best quality, needs a little buffing,  should be kept oiled, and has a picatinny rail for a small laser sight.  Not a gun which you could be proud of, but certainly useful for noise and to carry in the park.  With a laser sight, which I ordered on eBay for about $25 it would be pretty good for that.  Not a .45 ACP, but pretty good for almost anything except someone wearing body armor.  And if they have body armor, well, that’s a different league.  And one can make a 9mm a fairly deadly round with either a hollow-point or frangible bullet.

Came home, ordered a box of frangible bullets on the web.  Spent about $270, total, which wasn’t budgeted.  Thought I’d research the gun, which I hadn’t done.   It’s a modern-day Saturday night special.

It’s exactly the same weapon Zimmerman was carrying.  Small, cheap, concealable, I think he was up to no good.  If it had been me, the weapon would have given me the knowledge and assurance I could get the hell away.  It’s a dirty trick to willingly engage in a fight knowing you can kill the other guy if he gets the best of you if you are on neutral ground.   It’s not a war situation.

Then I looked