You hope it never comes to this, no matter if you are a cop or lovable grandma. For one reason or another your primary weapon system has failed. Tap, rack and bang leave you with nothing but an expensive paperweight in your hand, and you don't have time to check and clear the weapon. At this point, I pray two words enter your head- cover and secondary. Given this situation, anything above throwing rocks is good considering your adversary is trying to cause you great harm. How easily can you access your secondary weapon?
 
Once you ascertain accessibility, concealment should come to mind. If things were to go bad and some scum gets the drop on you, why advertise that you have a back up? Some larger people could carry most any secondary weapon of their choice, while others may be restricted in doing so and proper caliber could become an issue. With today's wide array of very compact large caliber offerings there is no need to use a diminutive round as a secondary weapon system.
 
Cpl. Ed Sanow, of gunfight ballistics fame has mentioned that a caliber of at least .380 be used as it can have from a low sixty to mid-seventy percent one shot stop.
 
Practicing with your secondary weapon is essential and possibly life saving. I am guilty of loading up ammo for a couple of hours at the range, getting all safety equipment on board - and ammo for the rifle I take that day- but forgetting to take extra ammo for the secondary.
 
The awful realization is that when you need your secondary weapon, you REALLY need it and had best be proficient with it.
 
To make that point, there is a story that I can't give origin to that two uniformed LEOs were somehow unarmed and driven into a rural area.
 
It was an onion field.
 
Both LEOs were ordered to their knees as if for an execution style murder. As both officers' primary weapons were in the hands of scum, all hope seemed lost. During a diversionary tactic, one LEO was able to draw his secondary weapon and save his (hopefully both) of their lives.
 
Ever since it has been a prayer to never be without "onion field insurance".
 
Most every day you hear of some creep using a firearm illegally to get what he wants, what you don't hear is that firearms are used to deter crime at least 250,000 times a year.
 
Make sure your secondary is ready.
 
      nochains on liberty