14 October 2013 A.D.
Greetings Concealed Weapons Permittees,
     Because the keeping and bearing of arms is a God given right,
enforced by the U.S. Constitution, no one can force anyone to
get competent training.  (Though many states have laws requiring
trivial training as a prerequisite for a permit to carry a concealed weapon.)
So, the vast majority of Americans have never taken any sort of
competent training, much less training taught by an expert.  Most
have learned from their relatives or friends, who in turn have learned
from their relatives or friends.  So, a lot of people know stuff that is
false.
     It is up to you to lead by example.  Get training from a reputable
instructor.  Attend a reputable gun school.  And then teach others.
Start with your friends and family.  And then, reach out to colleagues
and acquaintances.
     They might not recognize this invaluable gift that you are giving.
They might not say, thank you.  But, you will be doing them a great
favor.  You will be saving their life.  You will be starting a chain of
teaching that will save the lives of their descendents.

     This is why you must stay in condition yellow.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_LIGHT_RAIL_SHOOTING_?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-09-04-21-46
The bad guy displayed his gun for several minutes and nobody noticed
until he started shooting.

"In a world 3/5 covered with water,
it is wise to learn swimming.
In a world of warfare and crime,
it is wise to learn firearms."
-- Mike Mollenhour

     A lady with arthritis in her hands is presently taking our
Defensive Pistol class.  She complained that shooting her .38 caliber
snub nose revolver hurt her hands.  She correctly concluded that
the solution was not to use that pistol.  She then acquired a
.22 caliber pistol chambered for the .22 long rifle cartridge.
Unfortunately, this pistol was too small for her to manipulate,
and the recoil spring was too stiff for her to rack the slide.
     If your hands are impaired, the solution is to use a larger
pistol.  Larger objects are easier to manipulate.  If shooting
the pistol hurts your hands, the solution is to find a pistol
that fits your hands, that is ergonomic to you.  Everyone is
different, so there is no reason to believe that a pistol that
is comfortable for your buddy will be comfortable for you.
You have to try several pistols to see what feels comfortable. 
To see which one allows you to easily manipulate the trigger
and safeties.  You have to shoot several different pistols
to see which one feels comfortable.  I don't know of any way
to bypass this experimentation.  And I don't think you should
try to.  This is important experience.
Cheers,
Jon