Handguns

Most people buying a handgun are solving one of three problems: carrying it daily, keeping it by the bed, or shooting it at the range. Those pull in different directions. A gun small enough to disappear under a t-shirt is harder to shoot well; a gun that is a pleasure on the range is a brick on a belt at 2pm in August.

For concealed carry in Houston heat, size and weight beat everything else, because the gun you leave at home protects nobody. Micro-compact 9mms now hold 10–15 rounds in a frame that would have held six a decade ago. For home defence you can afford a full-size gun, a light and a red dot, and you should — none of that is a burden on a nightstand.

Revolvers still make sense for a first gun or a pocket gun: nothing to forget under stress, and they tolerate neglect. The trade is capacity and a heavier trigger. Whatever you pick, budget for a real holster and enough ammunition to actually learn the thing.