And no I am not talking about an insect infestation. The acronym for Back Up Gun. Now to set the record straight I personally do not carry a back up gun. My personal excuse for this is, I carry way too much crap day to day. Now, I am not saying that a back up gun isn't right. It is just not the right choice for me right now.
I know plenty of people that do carry a B.U.G., most are much smaller in size and caliber, which the size is intended to be. The choice of carrying a back up gun truly comes down to dedication. For instance; You have decided to carry a .38special airweight revolver (or the like) it will most likely ride either on the ankle or in a holster in a dedicated pocket. I run cargo pants on a daily basis. If you have watched our EDC pocket dump video then you know I carry a plethora of stuff. Another pound and the loss of a pocket, I am not dedicated to do. Plus I already sound like a junk truck on approach. But the fact is that a back up gun needs to be fairly accessible. The ankle is the last place I would place one. Leave the ankle to your trauma kit for after the encounter with a bad guy.
But here is my issue with most choices in a back up gun. most back ups, again, are in a Different caliber than your primary. Let me explain, I am the type of guy I like everything streamlined and simple when it comes to carry. I run a Glock 19 because it is simple to operate whether it is in a stressful situation or not. All of my EDC knives are razor sharp and have an assist opening with either a button (for out the front) or a flipper on the back strap to engage the knife one handed. Hell, even my writing pens need to be clicker pens for one handed operation. Sound a bit OCD? Not in my world. So running with that same logic I would be more inclined to carry a 9mm back up. If my primary goes down before I run out of ammo I can switch to my secondary and utilize all of my unused primary ammo to feed my secondary. Carrying an off caliber to my primary just does not make sense to me. Not that your choice is wrong, it's just wrong for me. I want the versatility to use every damn thing I have at my disposal to make sure I get home every night.
Now I know back up gun means just that. In case of SHTF with your primary. It's that Hail Mary or your one saving grace. I know it's supposed to play the roll of deep cover. But if your Hail Mary turns into your primary, 6 to 10 rounds later you are out of luck. I cannot compete with the argument that a NAA 22 mag revolver is a great backup due to it's size and relative effectiveness. But I cannot take the chance that if my trusty super dooper plastic wonder 9 has a catastrophic failure after 2 rounds that a 22 mag with 5 rounds is all I have left. Yes, carrying another 9mm may not be as easy as a NAA or (name your favorite petite deep concealed firearm of choice). But I would be willing to throw on a Beretta Nano, Ruger lc9s, Bersa BP9cc, etc for my backup.
In conclusion, K.I.S.S. has always been a model I try to employ in every aspect of my life, but never more so in my choices for my personal protection. I am positive you have done the same. If that Keltec P3AT is your back up to your M&P Shield I am sure you have your reasons.
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