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The Glock 19 is the universal recommendation for a first gun because it is relatively cheap, extremely reliable, and is small enough to conceal while still being large enough to easily control.

That said, if you know with 100% certainty that your first gun is strictly going to be for home defense, I would recommend going larger. Larger guns are easier to control as there is more mass to absorb recoil and you get a larger sight radius (his is of course assuming the caliber stays the same). The Glock 17 is the larger, more home defense appropriate, version of the Glock 19. The Glock 34 is even larger still but at that point you are getting into competition gun territory (was literally built for IDPA) so that may be a bit much for home defense.

You'll also want to think about other factors like ergonomics; a Glock is fine but there is a good chance there is another 9mm that will fit your hand better. The Smith and Wesson M&P 9 is a comparable alternative that can also come with an external safety. The Ruger Security 9 is another option to look for that comes in a few hundred cheaper than a Glock. You may even find that metal offerings like a CZ-75B or Beretta 92FS feel better to you than a polymer double stack. Again there is absolutely nothing wrong with the Glock 19 but you might find the other guns fit your hand better. Ideally you would go to a gun range to rent so you could try before you buy.

What ever you go with, make sure the wife is fine with it as well. No I don't just mean that from a budget point of view; if you both went to class then she has to be just as comfortable using the firearm as you are. If anything it is even more important that the spouse is comfortable with the gun than you are as she may need to use it when you aren't around.

You seem fine with the range bag, eye/ear protection, and maintenance supplies so that seems good.

For kids I would recommend educating them to remove the mystic about firearms as well as a good wall mounted pistol safe for storage. I'm personally a fan of the Shotlock mechanical handgun safe as a mechanical tends to be more reliable than digital (for that price range) and you can bolt it above your night stand for easy access.

I assume you mean home defense. I’m not familiar with CA laws but I suspect that getting a Concealed Carry permit is a rather difficult process.

So for home defense either caliber would be effective. But there are some things you may want to consider before buying. Assuming you are choosing between the two calibers you me mentioned.

The brand, size, cost of the gun is less important than your ability under stress to fire at your target and get a first round hit in a critical area.

Think about that statement carefully because it really matters. So your ability to build up your skill level, comfortability, muscle memory and situational awareness with your chosen firearm must be priority number one when preparing to defend yourself.

You build those skills through a lot of practice and discipline. Unless money is not a problem for you, you should plan on firing at hundreds of rounds per practice session at the range. The cost of ammo is a factor then, so thats one good reason to choose 9mm.

Now when getting to the type of gun. If it’s for home, meaning you are not carrying this thing on your belt every day, bigger with more the most rounds your state will allow in the magazine is better. A full size gun with roughly a 5” barrel would be a good start. Something like a CZ 75B is not a bad starter. It’s all steel which helps reduce the felt recoil. You cant go wrong with a Glock G17 either, but there are many more good sub $650 options.

If you can swing the extra $100 get a set of Tritium Night Sights.

Lastly if you are a new gun owner I recommend reading either or both of these great books about defending yourself.

Deadly Force: Understanding Your Right to Self Defense Ayoob Massad

And/or

The Law of Self Defense: The Indispensable Guide to the Armed Citizen

Good Luck during your journey

Everyone can recommend you a bunch of items. How much are you wanting to spend?

He probably has hearing protection but if he just has buds, get some howard leight pros for $30. Also there are some generic bore snakes on amazon.

Howard Leights

.45 Pistol Boresnake

Shotgun Boresnake

and Midway has a really nice bag for a good price. They make different variations too if you want to look around.

That's all about $100 but it's a nice bag, ear protection, and some useful cleaning stuff but he'll still need patches and a cleaning kit. The shotgun would honestly be fine with just the bore snake especially if it's a pump at least for the time being unless he shoots a lot. Get something more pistol specific to keep that running nicely.

> I'm not sure what sort of things I may not be considering

-Get training/instruction. The most effective thing you can do is to take a marksmanship class at your local range, probably for 2-4 hours long. You can watch all the YouTube videos you want; it's not as effective as relevant feedback from an experienced instructor. Learn the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship and how perform dry-practice effectively. If time is available, tune your marksmanship fundamentals, and learn & practice malfunction clearance, reloads, drawing from a holster. Find a local NRA instructor, or ask at your local range. You need to ask at YOUR local range, or contact your LOCAL instructors (hint: if it is not on the website, e-mail/contact the people that teach NRA Basic Pistol).

-Listen to this Tom Givens interview to learn what skills should be prioritized for training for a CHL holder. Tom Givens has trained a couple ten-thousand CHL/CCW students over the years, and most of them have won their gun fights. Trends for success have been identified. (Implied: learn and practice those things that he recommends)

-Get legal instruction and instruction about what to do AFTER the gunfight. Your mandatory CCW training provides the minimal legally required instruction; you need more than that. Attend a MAG-40 or -20 course (Rules of Engagement for the Armed Citizen, by the Massad Ayoob Group), or a Law of Self-Defense seminar by Andrew Branca. Both instructors have content in book form (Deadly Force, LoSD), or even Kindle, but the books lack instructor/class interaction. [/shilling]

-Paul Lathrop shares the story of this defensive gun use, and the legal aftermath, in this podcast interview.

-Find and take advantage of opportunities for regular practice. Preferably under moderate pressure, where you engage a variety of targets, will be evaluated on both speed and accuracy, have the opportunity to fire from varied positions, and maybe perform reloads or malfunction clearances. Chances are good that you can find an IDPA, USPSA, or Steel Challenge match somewhere near to you (each of the national organization websites have a club locator). You don't need a lot of extra stuff to start shooting competitively.

> what sorts of other things I may need to purchase that I haven't mentioned.

Hmmm... I haven't said much about buying more stuff (hardware); most of that have been software upgrades. Strange. (;

Are those skull candy in-ear headphones?...sonic defenders are pretty great but normal foamie ear pods work better, whichever generic flavor you prefer (on a sound decibel level that is, but not for reuse) personally I love the impact sports ear muffs as they can let you hear range commands/whats going on around you while providing protection. Im sure you already know that though/for those looking into improving ear pro its something often over looked

Always double up. Electronic muffs over earplugs.

Not only do you get better protection, but crank the muff volume up and you can hear basically normally and enjoy how funny everyone else sounds talking with earplugs in.

Howard Leight Impact Sports are only $36 at Amazon

Buy foam plugs in bulk they're less than $0.10 a pair.

You'd have to be a super mega cheapskate to blow your hearing over saving the cost of 1 box of ammo.

Youtube is a vast resource for almost any gun these days.

Four basic rules of gun safety:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQrlDUIZ3f0

Basic range safety and ettiquette:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COvFyw-6Fqs


How to operate an AR15:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFFN_j3WD80

How to zero it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9oXGT55cV8


How to shoot it (like a boss):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ligUEAJH25E

How to maintain it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW4DQ5QlwrA

How it works:

P1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKKQcJnMEOo

P2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VntwFqcE4-g

Development history:

Early development and current ongoing modernization
https://www.full30.com/video/9b50f8a825ab510b4c227c7b32a76bc1

A2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX5RoaYqQ04

Army approved camouflaging methods:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE_Ly61h10w

Things you should consider if your going to involve yourself in gun ownership and the greater gun community:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGYf9AZlSyU



Literature (for your library of badassery):

Owners guide:

http://www.amazon.com/NEW-AR-15-Complete-Owners-Guide/dp/1888722193/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244413&sr=1-3&keywords=ar15

Builders guide:

http://www.amazon.com/AR-15-Complete-Assembly-Guide-Kuleck/dp/1888722126/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244598&sr=1-4&keywords=ar15

DOD technical manual (vintage repro) A1:

http://www.amazon.com/The-M16A1-Rifle-Preventive-Maintenance/dp/1616088648/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1NXC05W604YBE436A34P

DOD technical manual A2/M4:

http://www.amazon.com/M16A2-Carbine-5-56mm-Technical-Manual/dp/1601700199/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419244734&sr=1-3&keywords=m16+manual

Another manual:

http://www.amazon.com/M16-Weapon-Gordon-Rottman/dp/1849086907/ref=sr_1_31?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245604&sr=1-31&keywords=black+rifle

Collectors guide (early rifles):

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rifle-Retrospective-Modern-Military/dp/0889351155/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245668&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=black+rifle+retrospective

Collectors guide (modernized rifles & carbines):

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rifle-II-Into-Century/dp/0889353484/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419245763&sr=1-5&keywords=black+rifle


Wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-15

If you decide to get into gun ownership taking a firearms safety course and getting what you need to participate in an Appleseed marksmanship clinic are good first steps into getting some hands on experience with firearms and the history of the 2nd amendment. Safety courses are held all over the place some googling will find you one in your area pretty easily they are usually fairly inexpensive. Appleseed clinics are scheduled events that are at predetermined ranges. https://www.appleseedinfo.org/ Beyond that if you choose to get an AR15 there are a lot of schools that host "Introductory Carbine Classes" designed around the AR15. They are good ways to get some hands on training but they usually require you to bring your own rifle, mags, some basic load bearing kit, and ammo. If you can afford to get into an entry level carbine class they are usually worth it. Watching youtube videos and reading some text on the stuff can be greatly useful but there is a limit to how much you can learn without getting hands on experience.

I dont understand what verbal diarrhea is. I used complete sentences.

boring mil search What I had to use on my 11 year old dell inspirion as a piece of meat intern working on navy projects. Treasure trove of documents if you want to actually understand what I mean by testing procedure.

You can also use everyspec.com, which is a lot less disgusting-looking.

A lot of it is redundant and poorly specified, but in the few years I worked under master gunsmiths and factory armorers, industry just did not have that daily level of rigor. There is no reason for them to change, except for the ISO cert requirements.

This fairly recent book Is where I learned a lot about Gaston, and it also reaffirmed my cynicism for the firearms industry. It is ironic, because the fanboy tunnel vision that he smashed through and flipped on his head is the same thing that keeps Glock's marketing on point. Its also just a really good read for so many reasons. I seriously recommend it.

You are better served getting a real technical viewpoint from a real old armor/gunsmith who has a good experience with handguns. But the book still gives a lot of deep information into the evolution of the first handguns in the early 80's to today.

Gen 1's are rare as hell, and outside of a museum or wealthy collector, the next best place is a gunsmith shop.

I just bought this scope for my new 10/22. Nothing too fancy but the price was right and my friend bought the same one and loved it. For $180 gun I didn't see myself spending more than that on optics but you can.... easy.

I use this one as a bedside pistol safe.

https://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-FTK-PB-Pistol-Handgun/dp/B004H6MKI8

It is super durable, and I think the lock is a good blend of simple yet secure enough.

One thing that is worth considering for your husband is to carry a firearm while in the house. A comfortable OWB holster and a good belt places the loaded firearm in his direct control at all times. The other guns can then go into the safe.

If he's not inclined to do that for comfort reasons or just not wanting to carry in the house, there are numerous "quick access" vaults that can keep curious hands away without necessarily adding too much time for accessing the weapon. I would go for a mechanically actuated vault vs those electronic ones with buttons or fingerprint scanners. You don't want to be fumbling with electronics and sweaty fingers when time is of the essence.

Depending on the level of "readiness" that your husband wants to achieve, storing the firearms with loaded magazines but closed bolts/slides on empty chambers can add another layer of security/complexity towards discharging the firearms. Some may view it as a hindrance or something to forget in times of stress or injury, but it's worth considering all the options.

It's worth discussing with your husband the level of readiness he desires along with the element of risk that you both are willing to accept. Currently, it's pretty much grab-and-go from the closet. Does he move a gun closer to the bed when sleeping? If someone's trying to break in when everyone's around, is it a "honey go grab the gun" sort of situation? You already mentioned having to lock the bedroom door when family/friends are around. How does he feel about security when no one is home? While you live in a low crime neighborhood, most crimes happen during the day when most people are away. Also consider investing in upgraded/reinforced door frames, deadbolts, sliding doors, and windows. Those are elements that can buy you precious time in the hypothetical home intrusion to access the guns however they are stored.

Most importantly, make sure that you and your husband have a plan for such incidents. Make sure you know how to communicate with each other and have a plan for who goes where, does what, calls 911, etc. Might be worth stocking some basic first aid such as tourniquets and gauze as well.

Here are some mechanically actuated safes that seem to be relatively well-received:

Pistol shot-lock

AR-15 shot-lock


Here's an RFID vault

RFID Pistol

EDIT:
Here's some more mechanical vaults

Fort Knox


V-Line

It's very common for new shooters to hit low-left. There is a wonderful drill you can do to detect and solve this problem very easily.

Get a pack of these:

http://www.amazon.com/A-ZOOM-15116-Hunting-And-Shooting-Equipment/dp/B0002IKANW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457829953&sr=8-1&keywords=9mm+snap+cap

Have a friend load a few at random in a magazine filled with live rounds. They will feed normally and you won't know it's there until you press the trigger and hear a click instead of a bang.

Chances are, when that happens, you'll see the gun dip slightly down and to the left. Now you know what's wrong and you know how to fix it.

With the snap cap still in place, dry fire a few times, being careful not to let the sights move at all. Once you think you've got it, cycle the action to eject the snap cap, and try again. While you are being careful you'll be striking closer to the center of the target. If you remain careful, the next snap cap will reward you by showing that your sights haven't moved.

It's not uncommon for skilled shooters to balance a nickel across the front sight, and dry fire the gun without the nickel falling off. When you can do that consistently you'll be shooting very well.

I just use one of those rechargeable passive devices like this. Simple and seems to work just fine, I've been using it for 5 years and no rust on anything in my safe, which I keep in the basement only a few feet from my sump pump.

New and Improved Eva-dry E-333 Renewable Mini Dehumidifier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H0XFCS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Gn5sybK1M3RRG

I got this one and am fairly happy with it.

Fort knox

It fits either my p220 or sp-01 perfectly with 4 magazines, or both guns set yin-yang without extra mags.

I run a Bushnell TRS-25 on my slab-side Competition and I'm happy enough with it. I mostly just plink steel with it and it's good enough for me.

The fingerprint scanner on a $700 iphone is meh and you want to trust that technology on a $180 quick access safe containing the tool that can save your life?

I hate to give a generic answer.....but to be completely honest......I poked around this forum as well as /r/ar15 for advice & tutorials...coupled with buying The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide of Amazon.

I'm a total amateur...and this was my first build...but it was very easy.

Anyone else know of any second amendment scholars like Joyce? She's got an impressive amount of writing on the subject

Another fun tidbit about her is one of her books was cited in the Heller case

https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Amplification-Electronic-R-01526/dp/B001T7QJ9O hearing protection could probably be better, but they work well enough for range and hunting, they don't interfere with cheek weld, and while hunting i can turn up the hearing to be slightly better than i can hear without them (albeit with imperfect frequency range and susceptibility to wind noise)

Howard Leight Impact Sport

If the reviews aren't enough to show you they're great I can personally say they rock. I don't have experience with anything fancier though.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001T7QJ9O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qZGnyb6C094G5

This is the one you want. To Keep and Bear Arms: The Origins of the Anglo-American Right https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Bear-Arms-Origins-Anglo-American/dp/0674893077

Justice Scalia references this book a great deal in his opinion in DC v Heller (2008)

These ones are pretty nice. https://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Electronic-Protection-Amplification-Suppression/dp/B01AAH8CMA/ref=sr_1_1?fst=as%3Aoff&qid=1554129576&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A3451704011%2Cp_89%3AWalker%27s+Game+Ear&rnid=2528832011&s=sports-and-fitness&sr=1-1

I also have a couple pairs of Howard Leight's for guests. They are ok, but not as good as the above. https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Amplification-Electronic-R-01526/dp/B001T7QJ9O/ref=sr_1_1?fst=as%3Aoff&qid=1554129673&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A3451704011%2Cp_89%3AHoward+Leight&rnid=2528832011&s=sports-and-fitness&sr=1-1

Fort Knox makes a nicer looking one for the same price.

http://www.amazon.com/Fort-Knox-FTK-PB-Pistol-Handgun/dp/B004H6MKI8

Amazon, actually.

And yes, I know that's not enriched.

Yes it is a book.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1621575802/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482204172&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=war+on+guns&dpPl=1&dpID=51DElp6j%2B4L&ref=plSrch

Electronic muffs. Not only will they protect your hearing, they can also amplify other sounds.

This is the one.

Most people don't spend $65 on this. It goes on sale frequently for under $40. Then pick up something like a UTG magnifier and mount. It should all total around $100.

I don't use a full laserlyte system.

I use this.

And combine it with this and this.

That way I'm using my real gun with its trigger break, etc.

Faaaaantastic for dry-fire practice.

Do that daily with nice slow, precise, control and it will absolutely perfect your live fire shooting.

But I wouldn't train with the system in the OP listing. I'm sure it's nice, but I'd rather use my own weapon.

Buy a torque driver for that front takedown screw. Without bedding or hardening the wood, 15 in lbs will work wonders. You can use it to safely tighten your scope screws, too (15inlb max, read the rings' manual).

I wouldn't buy it from CTD because they like to crank up their shipping prices, meaning you'll probably pay $30 to ship that thing. I found it at Opticsplanet and Amazon where it should be more reasonable.

For all those on the left I have the "Perfect" book for you, it's #1 in the Political Ideologies section of Amazon! Why Socialism Works

An important book everyone thinking about joining these groups should read: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Socialism-Works-Harrison-Lievesley/dp/1521531218

Get aluminum snap caps and have a friend load them randomly in your magazine. Not worth going out seeking to intentionally blow up your gun or get a squib load just to practice clearance drills.

I got the Barska 3-9x scope and it looks like it's on sale for $40. It's a nice 22 scope and you can't beat it for that price.

I've had mine for about 6 months and I have nothing but positive things to say. I did upgrade the scope rings to These for another $10.

These are pricey but excellent: https://www.amazon.com/ShotLock-Handgun-200M-Solo-Vault-Mechanical/dp/B00844HGVU

The cool thing is that this is 100% mechanical, so won't fail in a power outage or due to dead batteries! Or if there's an EMP.... one of the top reasons to own a gun.

Amazon Link if you want to buy the book.

>hard hand gun case

Its likely that any new handgun you buy will come with one. It might not be great quality, but it matters what you need it for.

>Earmuffs & Glasses

You can just pick up a cheap pair at Walmart (or any sporting gun store that sells gun stuff) for $10 that will work fine.
But if you want some nice earmuffs, I suggest Howard Leight Impact Sport.

I would look into getting a range bag/box to carry everything you need to the range.

A magazine loader is very handy, some guns come with one.

I recently read John Lott's "The War On Guns" and it was rife with stats, graphs, etc. that are useful in this discussion as well. He also cites all the data profusely.

Dessicants saturate with water and become useless within a couple days so unless you plan on digging them out and drying them in the oven once or twice a week it's a waste of time. They are really only good if you buy them new, or dry out the crystals from ones you collect and then use them in small airtight containers like ammo boxes or vaccuum sealed packs.

Buy a couple of these and recharge them as needed. http://www.amazon.com/Eva-dry-Renewable-E-333-Wireless-Dehumidifer/dp/B000H0XFCS/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1416422512&sr=1-1

Don't need to use an oven to dry out, just plug in and wait.

One option: get this and this. Loop the cable around something solid (bed frame) and stick the case inside a bag that you lean against the anchor (bed frame). No one will see the cable or the box unless they move your bag aground. Won't stop a determined thief but they'll have to make a lot of noise and effort. Opening the box is fast if you know the code.

I'm running a Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 on my Ruger MkIII 22/45.

I keep a GunVault Nano under my truck seat cabled around a seat post.

is that right?

Has anyone else read this, or excerpts at least?
http://www.amazon.com/This-Nonviolent-Stuffll-Get-Killed/dp/0465033105
I remember reading Hunter Thompson's Hells Angels book and reading about armed blacks following cops around. When a black motorist got pulled over several armed (open carry) black men would get out and observe, as is their right.

Wait for this http://www.amazon.com/Gunvault-SpeedVault-SVB500-gun-safe/dp/B006OGOHD0 to go on sale and get it instead.

https://www.amazon.com/Glock-Americas-Paul-M-Barrett/dp/0307719952

Maybe give this a try:

LaserLyte Laser Trainer Target

>I recently read the book "Glock"

This one?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307719952/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_AF9QwbP813TQ4

It's actually really easy, I've done it a couple of times now:

• Get a NanoVault or similar. The gun goes in there, along with the ammo (load the magazines, it's more space-efficient than using ammo boxes)
  
• The NanoVault goes in your suitcase. You might use the cable lock to loop through something to make sure it doesn't disappear.
  
• Go to the ticket counter and tell them you need to declare a firearm in checked baggage. They'll give you a "firearms unloaded" declaration or some such. They've always placed the sticker on the case inside the bag. I don't fret too much about it, as long as it's not visible from outside the bag.
  
• They'll usually escort you to the TSA super plasma pulse-phased radiation detector (or whatever the hell it is). TSA will do their thing and send you on your way.
  
• Go get Gate Raped at Security, then go catch your plane.

Gitmo, the secret prisons in Chicago, and Stop and Frisk, are all rights violations.

I do not support any rights violations by the Fed, State, or Local Governments.

You have a choice - you may stay ignorant.

OR - you can be come educated.

I advise reading the following:

Battle of Athens:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Athens_(1946)

TLDR: WWII Vets remove corrupt Mayor & Sheriff from office, after inaction from the Fed.


This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed:

http://www.amazon.com/This-Nonviolent-Stuffll-Get-Killed/dp/0465033105

TLDR: Visiting Martin Luther King Jr. at the peak of the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, journalist William Worthy almost sat on a loaded pistol. “Just for self defense,” King assured him. It was not the only weapon King kept for such a purpose; one of his advisors remembered the reverend’s Montgomery, Alabama home as “an arsenal.”

Like King, many ostensibly “nonviolent” civil rights activists embraced their constitutional right to selfprotection—yet this crucial dimension of the Afro-American freedom struggle has been long ignored by history.


A People's History of the United States

http://www.amazon.com/A-Peoples-History-United-States/dp/0060838655

TLDR: We have a 40 hour work week, weekends, the right to organize and join a Union. All purchased with bloodshed, and via the barrel of a gun.

Banning guns = Tyranny.

All forward social progress will cease if we give in to tyranny.

I think this one falls under common sense and they at least had something for you to use. Crap if i went into my range bag I would see 5 pairs of Howard Leight Impact Sports. Along with a 10 pack of throw away plugs and my own three tier silicon plugs that i use when shooting rifles along with my howard leights.

I've been using a LaserLyte Target for about 2 years that does the exact same thing. I've never had a bit of problems with it.

https://www.amazon.com/LaserLyte-TLB-1-Laser-Trainer-Target/dp/B004GFDTNA/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1472750860&sr=1-2&keywords=laserlyte

Yeah, I've thought about that too, it would take me several minutes to access my long guns. I normally have to do the combo 2 or 3 times in very un-stressful times, but now imaging trying to do it under extreme stress. One reason I keep my bedside gun (Glock 41, fully loaded and light attached) in a quick access safe that takes four rapid button presses to unlock. I can do that one in the dark, under stress in just seconds. SVB-500 GunVault. Still secure enough to keep a 5year old away from it, but I can get it when I need it.

how long ago? i see it currently for 56.40 :( https://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Trophy-TRS-25-Sight-Riflescope/dp/B00200E0HM/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1520801302&sr=1-3&keywords=Bushnell+Trophy+TRS-25

This is what I use to install scopes. (Amazon link)

The documentation that came with the scope and the rings should have the appropriate torque, or you can almost certainly find it online. $43 is a decent investment to keep from cranking down too much and stripping the screws or, worse, distorting the scope tube or too little and having a wobbly scope.

The Streamlight TLR-1 is the cheapest light I'd put on a weapon. Keep in mind, the TLR-1s are very durable and reliable, don't let their low price fool you into thinking that they're low quality lights.

Here it is for a hair over $100 from Amazon so you can take advantage of Prime shipping.

Another option to look at is the Insight M3.

John Lott is the author of a few very interesting reads such as The War on Guns: Arming Yourself Against Gun Control Lies and More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws, Third Edition (Studies in Law and Economics)