What’s a prepared citizen? It’s a phrase I use to describe someone who isn’t a tactical Timmy, doesn’t bear the title sheepdog, but does carry a gun, maybe some medical supplies, and of course a knife. They tend to like a little bit of everything in that realm: EDC stuff, gun stuff, knife stuff, medical stuff, a little bit of everything. If you know one of those people, or maybe you are one, I’ve made a list for you. My goal is to make your life simpler while hawking my favorite stuff. I’ve put together ten gifts for every gun guy or gal, every prepared citizen, police officer, or military member. I tried to make it diverse in pricing, while at the same time only including quality pieces of gear on it.
Tourniquets
As far as I’m concerned, a tourniquet is a perfect gift for anyone: a high-quality, TCCC proven, tourniquet, of course. Tourniquets save lives, and they are one of the more affordable gifts on this list. There are two tourniquets that I’d personally suggest. The classic CAT tourniquet used widely by the United States military, and the SOF-T and SOF-T wide. These TQs can be carried via the pocket, kept in the car, or even in the medical cabinet. I believe every single person who can utilize a TQ should have one.
A Good Flashlight
There are lots of good flashlights I can recommend, but the Surefire Stiletto is an elegant and innovative EDC light. The unique flattish nature of the light makes it easy to carry in the pocket. You can also put it between your teeth or clip it to the brim of your hat. The Stiletto has an ultra-low 5 lumens, a medium 250-lumen setting, and a high 650-lumen setting. It’s rechargeable via a Micro USB, and a gauge allows you to track the battery’s capacity. This is a lightweight light that weighs in under 2.8 ounces. The Stiletto comes in a standard and Pro model, and the standard model is available for under a hundred bucks on Amazon right now.
A New Blade
Knives are always fun, and the Gerber Covert Auto is a degree cooler than most. The Covert Auto is an out the side automatic knife with an S30V blade with an Applegate-Fairbairn dagger style blade. Hit the button, and the blade flies out in a flash. The Covert Auto sharpens up nicely, and the blade is well suited for defensive use. It’s quite pointy, and as far as Automatic knives go, it’s an affordable one with a typical retail price of under 120 dollars.
Multitool
Everyone needs a multitool, but admittedly not everyone wants to carry a big rectangular tool in their pocket. The SOG Baton offers you a multitool worth of tools in a compact package that is more vertical than horizontal. The Baton comes in a variety of models with different tools, but the Q3 is the standard multitool. The Q3 packs a knife, pliers, screwdrivers, a bottle opener, and more in a convenient to carry option. The SOG Baton is my favorite multitool for daily carry, and it makes all other multitools seem outdated.
Sunglasses
As someone who shoots a lot, I never buy sunglasses that do not provide ballistic protection. I also won’t buy sunglasses that make me look like I’m stepping off for a patrol in Afghanistan. Sorry Oakley, but you’re a bit extra for me. The Magpul Terrain glasses offer plenty of protection and don’t look like I should be on the cover of some pulp fiction military space novel. They are simple, comfortable, and pretty damn durable. They are even stylish, and I appreciate I can wear them off the range without looking like a mall commando. If you’re a mom who wants your little shooter to be safer here you go, as far as safe gifts go this is the coolest.
Tactical Pen
A tactical pen is an odd moniker for well-made metal pens, but it seems to the in-vogue term for these things. The Gerber Impromptu is a machined steel-bodied pen that’s easy to grip and very durable. I like to carry all-metal pens like this for multiple reasons. They can be used to break glass, break faces, as a windlass in an improvised tourniquet, and to take notes, of course. There are lots of crappy Chinese-made ‘tactical pens’ that suck. The Impromptu is made in the USA by a company I trust. It has a Rite in the Rain ink cartridge and writes super smoothly and just glides over the paper.
Notebook
There is no point in gifting a pen without a notebook. You can go to Walmart to get something cheap, or you can actually like the person you’re gifting the notebook to. If you are the latter type, the notebooks from Moleskine are fantastic little gifts for the note taker in your life. Having a notebook in 2020 seems a bit old school, but they can be invaluable tools. Why risk forgetting anything important when you can jot it down? Especially for those who like to take training classes.
The Moleskine notebook is slim, and the cover is rugged and durable. An elastic strap can be used to secure the book or as a bookmark. The Moleskine notebooks are most certainly gift-worthy notebooks to go along with your Gerber pen.
Magazines (Duh)
This blog is called The Mag Life and the website that hosts it is called GunMag Warehouse. Of course, we are going to mention magazines. Outside of shilling, gun mags are always a good option. You can’t ever have enough of them. They come in at every price range if budget is a concern. If I were buying mags, I’d go big and get someone with an AR 15 a Magpul or KCI drum. If it’s Glock, you still have drum options, and the same goes for AKs. Make it fun, ya know.
Buying magazines requires you to know what guns the person on your gift list has. And If you don’t, then maybe consider magazine pouches. That sounds tricky too, but the HSGI pistol magazine pouch will fit just about every kind of pistol magazine out there. HSGI makes solid gear, and it’s in use by professionals around the world. The rifle magazine pouch will work for all AR magazines, but you are limited to AR 15 magazines and most standard 5.56 mags.
Ammo To Fill Them
You can never have too much ammunition. If you got magazines, you might as well fill them with ammo. It’s also easier to figure out what caliber someone shoots that the gun they fire it out of. This is another gift that can come at any price point, from an 8 dollar box of 9mm to 4 bucks a round for all Brass Shotgun shells.
A Lego Gun
I’m a fan of giving guns as gifts, but some states have made that quite complicated to do so. To cover everyone in this gift list, I’d suggest giving the gift of a build-it-yourself Glock. This is an 80% frame that isn’t considered a gun.
You can use common power tools to finish one. Mine was finished with nothing more than a Dremel and a hand drill. They’ve become super cheap on websites like Brownells, and they’re typically paired with the parts needed to finish one. It’s a fun project that can be quite affordable. Yeah, it’s giving a gun as a gift with more steps, buts it’s tons of fun and can be an awesome gun once it’s finished.
Gifts for All!
Admittedly this list comes from my heart. I’d love anything on it, even though I pretty much own everything on the list. If you are completely lost on what to get the gun and gear fellow or lady in your life, I want to assure you that the gifts on this list are quality pieces of gear from companies that are respected in the industry. The gifts on this list would be universally appreciated by the folks who read and enjoy websites like ours.