Hey all. I come from Miami originally. I carried when I lived down there almost all the time. People down there would shoot you over a parking space, or stepping on their tennis shoe by accident. One thing is for certain. If you carry an auto, keeping a spare magazine ( clips are strips inserted at the top of older rifles, I think) is not really all that difficult. Good idea to have it, just in case.
If you happen to get into a firefight, you may or may not know exactly how many rounds you fired. But if you ended up having to shoot a bad guy, or even had an exchange of gunfire, the best thing to do ASAP is reload, and check your sectors ( Flanks ) just in case the guy has a friend. Always assume if you see one, there are 2, and 2, there are three or more.
Some people think that it is overkill. That may very well be true. To be completely honest, I think that heady feeling that people get right when they first get their carry permits and strap their weapons on disappears in about an hour. You then begin to realize that carrying a weapon, practicing, cleaning, doing draw and fire drills ( practice in a mirror, since most ranges won't let you do draw and fire ) is kind of like work. Gaining proficiency with your chosen sidearms, defense against deady force, elevated threat levels, etc, begin to take their toll on you. People either get tired of doing it or complacent, and stop worrying about it. That's the attitude that gets a lot of people who do choose to carry killed. Just having a gun isn't enough. Being able to punch holes in paper isn't enough. Proficiency in all areas of carry may keep you alive. May.
IF you choose to carry, then my best advise is to do it right. IS a flashlight necessary? You bet. One of the best pieces of emergency equipment available. Lots of uses. Get a book on them, or get training. A knife. Definitely. Knives are the ultimate survival tool. And you don't need to reload them. Firearms? Well, don't bring a knife to a gunfight. And if you do carry, definitely carry spare ammo. Because even the best trained people on the street have about a 30% hit rate. That may only mean 1 or 2 shots out of 6 actually hitting a target for the unwashed masses. Regardless of what you carry, with multiple assailants, that may not be enough.
As far as caliber is concerned, I think that geographical area, and the relation to real cover is a determining factor. I have seen guys plug targets with comped .45s out to about 100 yds. If you live in the wide open spaces, you may need a bigger caliber. In tighter quarters, smaller calibers may be better.
Penetration, target aquisition, and believe it or not, bullet speed, may make a difference. Always helps to be able to hit your target faster and recover better for followup shots. Speed can and does make a difference. Even if your rounds don't drop your intended target, getting hit will definitely mess up your point of aim. Getting hit faster also has a greater psychological impact. May enable you to disengage the target and seek cover.
If you can, you will want to practice on targets that move. Milk jugs on rope filled with water are effective for that. They can swing, or be released and slide down a rope on the handle.
If you do carry an auto, your best bet is to carry your spare mag horizontally where you can reach it with either hand, in case you are wounded in either arm. Same holds true for speedloaders. Forget strips, they are impossible under stress. There are 2 types of speedloaders. The best ones are the ones that release when pressed. Twisting can be difficult when you only have one hand.
Does that qualify for over the top? It is simple, really. If you are going to go through all the trouble of securing a permit, buying and carrying a weapon, then the rest of what has been suggested is relatively easy in comparison. What will it give you? A distinct tactical advantage over some street punk who stole a firewarm last week and has never even fired it. IF you are willing to take the step of arming yourself for defensive purposes, and don't take it as seriously as possible, then you are doing yourself a great disservice by not being as prepared as possible. Under stress, rational thought goes out the window, temporal distortions, tunnel vision, and an inbability to determine exactly what has happened until after it is over is the rule, not the exception. Training and muscle memory take over. Having the confidence to know what you can do under stress, instead of guessing, may make the difference between surviving an encounter or going down.
Not only that, but you also have to remember, being on the right side of the law will definitely put you at a tactical disadvantage. Bad guys have a plan, and that plan mostly means they're going to do their best to take you by surprise. Which means that if you are alone, and they have the drop on you, you may never get to your weapon to use it. Most of the time, when armed encounters take place, you will either find yourself firing in self defense after you have been alerted to a problem, or intervening. Pretty rare to win a head to head encounter on a weapon that is already drawn on you. It can be done. But is your wallet, or your life really worth trying, if there are other choices?
Food for thought. For me, over the top means peace of mind. Complacency will do nothing but get you killed. Beginners are nervous enough that they are going to do it because they feel they have to. Old timers do it because they know they have to. It's the guys in the middle who seem to get bagged the most. The bible basically says "Live by the sword, die by the sword", so even choosing to carry has put your feet on that path. Carrying half heartedly can be more dangerous than not carrying at all. Stay sharp out there, ok?
Stretch
