[ustification for Law Enforcement Partners
Rarely in law enforcement does a topic stir a more passionate debate than the choice of handgun
caliber made by a law enforcement organization. Many voice their opinions by repeating the ald
adage “bigger is better” while others have “heard of this one time” where a smaller caliber failed
and a larger caliber “would have performed much better.” Some even subscribe to the belief that a
_caliber exists which will provide a “one shot stop.” it has been stated, “Decisions on ammunition
selection are particularly difficult because many of the pertinent issues related to handguns and
ammunition are firmly rooted in myth and folklore.” This still holds as true today as it did when
originally stated 20 years ago.
Caliber, when considered alone, brings about a unique set of factors to consider such as magazine
capacity for a given weapon size, ammunition availability, felt recoil, weight and cost. What is rarely
discussed, but most relevant to the caliber debate is what projectile is being considered for use and
its terminal performance potential,
One should never debate on a gun make or caliber alone. The projectile is what wounds and
ultimately this is where the debate/discussion should focus. In each of the.three most common law
enforcement handgun calibers (9mm Luger, 40 Smith & Wesson and .45 AUTO) there are
projectiles which have a high likelihood of failing law enforcement officers and in each of these
three calibers there are projectiles which have a high likelihood of succeeding for law enforcement
officers during a shooting incident. The choice of a service projectile must undergo intense scrutiny
and scientific evaluation in order to select the best available option.
nding Handgun Caliber Termi isti iti
Many so-called “studies” have been performed and many analyses of statistical data have been
undertaken regarding this issue. Studies simply involving shooting deaths are irrelevant since the
goal of law enforcement is to stop a threat during a deadly force encounter as quickly as possible.
Whether or not death occurs is of no consequence as long as the threat of death or serious injury to
law enforcement personnel and innocent third parties is eliminated.
