Do police officers carry a backup firearm?

Absolutely! Although it is not to double our firepower, as some seem to believe- it is in case something breaks or is dropped/lost. When I first became a cop, we could carry anything we qualified with. read more

It’s been a while since I was a working cop, but I did carry a back-up gun when I worked the street. My department limited officers to carrying revolvers for most of my career. A few years before I left the department, we were authorized to carry the S&W Model 645, a full-frame semi-auto in .45 ACP. read more

Opponents often state that a backup gun could be used as a “drop gun” to help an officer cover a questionable shooting. Since responsible agencies record the serial numbers of their officer’s BUGs, inspect them, and provide training in their use, this is a highly unlikely scenario. read more

Carrying a backup gun: 6 things you need to know Your duty weapon can malfunction and will run out of ammo, so train and prepare for that moment – your life depends on it Unless you own a magical gun that never runs out of ammo and never malfunctions, you need to carry a backup gun (BUG). read more