Abstract:
A gun attachment adapted to fit to the subframe of a handgun and mount to a laterally extending member which can be a modified laterally extending member to extend beyond the lateral surfaces of the subframe, whereby an extension member which moves with respect to a base member applies a force to the trigger guard of the subframe, thereby creating a positive torque counteracted by engagement of a chamber region to the forward portion of the subframe whereby the gun attachment is rigidly attached to the subframe of the handgun without substantially modifying the same. The handgun attachment further comprises a forward member adapted to have load exerted thereon and transferring the load to the subframe and not to the slide, thereby maintaining the handgun in battery and allowing the handgun to be fired in a close quarter situation.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 60/518,232 filed Nov. 7, 2003. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Field of the Invention 
   Handguns are employed in various environments which generally require some sort of close quarter engagement with a combatant of some sort. By the nature of a handgun having a limited range with respect to a rifle, oftentimes a combatant is within a relatively close proximity to the operator of the handgun. In such tactical situations such as clearing a house, a law-enforcement officer may clear room to room approaching an unexpected environment where a combatant may be in close proximity to the officer. Because the handgun is generally extended outwardly from the officer toward the combatant, the closest object to the combatant is a front portion of the handgun which is particularly vulnerable with a slide operated semi-automatic handgun. 
   In general, slide operated semiautomatic handguns have become the standard for law enforcement due to their higher round capacity, quicker firing having a higher rate of fire, and for other reasons such as lower trigger pull weight as compared to the traditional revolvers. Semiautomatic handguns have become increasingly reliable and a preferred sidearm of choice for many agencies. However, one particular vulnerability of slide operated handguns is that if the slide repositions rearwardly with respect to the subframe and renders the firearm out of battery where the firearm will not fire. This can occur when a combatant (or other object) imparts a force upon the slide of the handgun in very close combat situations. 
   Strike plates are known in the prior art to have a forward plate that is adapted to impart energy from an impact to the subframe and hence keep the slide free from any direct external contact from the forward portion of the handgun. 
   In many handguns, a strike plate must be added by attaching a strike plate mechanism to the forward lower portion of the subframe of the handgun which often times is not intended to have such a load imparted thereon. The normal prior art method of attaching a strike plate is to drill a plurality of holes through the forward lower portion of the subframe which generally must be done by a competent gunsmith and thereafter attach a strike plate attachment thereto the subframe with screws. Of course this is very costly and oftentimes undesirable, in that the strike plate is permanently attached to the handgun, and further, the handgun must be sent to a competent gunsmith. In general, gunsmiths are not known for their punctuality of completing their work and timely returning firearms to their owners. This is particularly problematic for a duty firearm that the law-enforcement officer is familiar with and the officer does not want to be without their firearm for any extended period of time. 
   An additional issue with handguns is that a majority of shootings occur at night or in low light situations. Therefore, it is desirable to have light attachments retrofitted to handguns; this practice is becoming an increasingly popular option in modern handguns. One form of connecting a light to a handgun is by fitting a picatinny rail system-type light to a corresponding picatinny rail of the handgun. A few modern handguns have a picatinny rail system built-in to the subframe for this purpose. However, a vast majority of the handguns do not have a fixture for mounting a light thereto. One prior art system of mounting a light to a handgun incorporates mounting the light to a laterally extending crosspin; however, in this configuration, the light is fixedly attached to the handgun and cannot be removed without removing the laterally extending pin which renders the firearm inoperable until the pin is reinserted. In the case of mounting the light to the handgun, it is not feasible for the possessor of the handgun to render the handgun inoperable for a period of time by removing the laterally extending pins to retrofit the light to the handgun in a real-life and tactical scenario. This confrontational scenario would require for a quick attachment of a light to the handgun for operation or detachment of the light. Further, in situations where one light may have to operate on more than one firearm, it is very advantageous to be able to quickly position the light onto say, for example, a rifle, such as an M4 rifle, and in a rather expedient manner, fit the light to a handgun while all of the weapons are operational and such switching of the light can be accomplished with minimal effort and training. This is particularly advantageous for scenarios in the field where operatos desire to take the least amount of equipment into the field and get as much dual purpose use as possible out of the equipment. Therefore an operator can take one light (and perhaps a backup as he sees fit) and have it mount to a handgun as well as multiple firearms. 
   The prior art method of attaching a light to a subframe using the laterally extending crosspin does not incorporate any load transmission thereto the subframe and the slide is susceptible of being knocked out of battery. Further, such a retrofitting technique of mounting a light cannot be employed with the prior art method of attaching a strike plate because the dimensions of the skide plate and light are not such to allow both items to be simultaneously attached to the handgun. 
   The prior art method of attaching the strike plate as described above is fundamentally flawed because the attachment primarily is predicted upon the strength of the forward lower portion of the subframe (referred to the dust cover in some models) which traditionally is not designed to handle such a load being imparted thereon as previously discussed. Normally, the dust cover (or the forward lower portion of the handgun) is potentially the weakest portion of the handgun. Further, if a load is imparted on the forward lower portion of the subframe to bend the forward lower portion of the subframe, the firearm may become inoperable. 
   However, imparting the load from a strike-plate-like surface to the rearward portion of the firearm has the added and unexpected capability of imparting a portion of the load exerted upon the forwardmost portion of the gun attachment to a laterally extending member. This improvement has the added functionality in one form of imparting the load to a pin whereby the strength of material of the laterally extending pin and hardness is such that if the imparted load upon the gun attachment is excessive, the laterally extending pin will shear and not bend. This is particularly useful in that the firearm is still functional when the laterally extending pin extends through the central region of the handgun and maintains the relationship of the various components that engage the pin. This functionality is maintained even if the outwardly protruding lateral portions of the pin are sheared off. When this occurs, the strike plate will fall off from the firearm; however, the firearm will remain functional. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is a gun attachment adapted to be fitted to a handgun having a vertical, longitudinal and lateral axis, a subframe and a slide. The handgun has a laterally extending member and a trigger guard. The gun attachment comprises a locking system having an extension member, such as a set screw in one form, having a forward surface that is adapted to engage the trigger guard of the handgun, a slotted surface defining an open region adapted to engage the subframe of the handgun, and a forward member extending vertically having a forward engagement surface adapted to have an external force applied thereto and transfer the energy of said force to the subframe of the handgun. The extension member such as a set screw in one form is adapted to move with respect to the base region and forcefully engage the trigger guard to provide a positive movement whereby the slotted surface forcefully engages the subframe and the gun attachment adapted to be rigidly attached to the handgun. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows an isometric view of the base member which is a component of the gun attachment; 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of a firearm with the gun attachment attached thereto showing the forward lower portions of the firearm in a hidden hatched line; 
       FIG. 3  is another side view of the gun attachment showing the laterally extending pin having an extension extending rearwardly similar to the stock firearm retention pin; 
       FIG. 4  is a partial sectional view of the gun attachment and further shows the force vector diagrams and illustrates the attachment mechanism exerting pressure upon the attachment of the base member to the subframe of the handgun; 
       FIG. 5  shows a side view of the gun attachment without the laterally extending crosspin showing the shoulder region in the left-hand portion; 
       FIG. 6  is another side view of the gun attachment; 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the gun attachment and in particular the base member; 
       FIG. 8  is a top view of the base member; 
       FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the base member; 
       FIG. 10  is a sectional view taken along line  10 — 10  of  FIG. 5  of the base member showing cross-sectionally one form of the attachment system; 
       FIG. 11  shows an attachment to the attachment system which in one form is a flashlight attachment; 
       FIG. 12  shows a side view of the compensator attachment adapted to be mounted to the forward portion of the gun attachment; 
       FIG. 13  is a top view of the compensator attachment; 
       FIG. 14  is a partial sectional view of the forward portion of the gun attachment and the compensator attachment illustrating one mode of attaching the compensator to the forward portion of the base member; 
       FIG. 15  shows one embodiment where an auxiliary item is attached to the lateral portion of the gun attachment wherein, in one form, the upper portion is a mount for an optic such as a red dot scope; 
       FIG. 16  shows another embodiment where a punch member is attached to the forward portion of the base member; 
       FIG. 17  illustrates one method of breaking a brittle material such as glass which in one form where the gun attachment is used to apprehend a hostile suspect in an environment such as within a car where the operator of the handgun with the gun attachment attached thereto can break the glass without sacrificing his or her tactical advantage; 
       FIG. 18  is a side view of another embodiment of the gun attachment whereby the forward portion is adapted to fit a suppressor adapter thereto; 
       FIG. 19  is a top view of the forward portion of the base member; 
       FIG. 20  is a side view of the suppressor adapter adapted to fit to the forward portion of the base member; 
       FIG. 21  is a cross sectional view of the suppressor adapter taken along line  21 — 21  of  FIG. 20 ; 
       FIG. 22  shows another embodiment of the gun attachment; 
       FIG. 23  shows yet another embodiment of the gun attachment; 
       FIGS. 24A–24D  shows actual target groups by the same shooter with the gun attachment attached in  FIGS. 24B and 24D  as well as a set of groupings in  FIGS. 24A and 24C  where the gun attachment was not attached to the handgun. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , there is a base member  41  that is a portion of the handgun attachment  20 . In general, the hand gun attachment  20  comprises a forward region  22 , a central region  24  and a rearward region  26 . To assist in describing the handgun attachment, an axes system is defined whereby the arrow indicated at  28  indicates the longitudinal axis and the arrow  30  indicates a lateral axis. Finally, arrow  32  indicates a vertical axis. 
   The gun attachment  20  as shown in  FIG. 1  in one form comprises a base member  41  and as seen in  FIG. 2  further comprises a laterally extending member  23  and a locking system  43 . 
   In general, the gun attachment  20  is adapted to mount to a firearm, specifically a handgun and more specifically a slide-operated handgun such as a semiautomatic handgun or a double action only handgun  21  as shown in  FIG. 2 . In general, the handgun  21  comprises a slide region  33  and a subframe  35 . The subframe  35  has a forward portion where a forward lower portion of the subframe  29  is located. The handgun  21  has a laterally extending member  23  that is used to retrofit the base member  41  thereto. The attachment process is described in detail following a description of the gun attachment  20 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the gun attachment  20  comprises a mounting region  34 , an attachment region  36  and a reinforcement region  38 . These regions are discussed in detail below. 
   The mounted region  34  is adapted to mount to an existing slide-operated handgun. The preferred form of mounting the attachment  20  to a handgun is to employ a laterally extending opening adapted to have the laterally extending member such as a structure extend therethrough. The original laterally extending pin is replaced by a slightly longer member  23  that extends into the shoulder region  40  by a distance  45  that is generally between ⅛ to ½ of an inch as indicated in  FIG. 9 . In general, the thickness of the shoulder region as shown in  FIG. 9  should be such to have sufficient strength and rigidity to allow the base member  42  to be firmly fitted and rigidly attached to the handgun  21 . It is important to note that in a handgun such as that by Sigarms® or other firearms, the laterally extending member can have a threaded portion that is exposed to the lateral portion of the subframe whereas another engagement member can engage the threaded portion to provide the circular surface for engagement of the attachment region of the strike plate. It should further be noted that the laterally extending member does not have to have a circular or cylindrical outer surface; it can be any type of surface, such as triangular, because the rotation about that medial region is quite minimal to engage the subframe. 
   Now referring back to  FIG. 2 , the apparatus  20  is mounted to a slide-operated pistol indicated at  21 . A slide-operated pistol  21  comprises a laterally extending pin that is adapted to hold various components of the firearm together and allow for easy disassembly for routine maintenance and cleaning. As mentioned above, the member  23  is removed and replaced with a slightly longer pin that is adapted to extend through the firearm as well as through the shoulder region  40  of the mounting region  34 . The shoulder region  44  comprises a surface  47  defining the opening  44  or otherwise referred to as the receiving portion as shown in  FIG. 1  that is adapted to receive the member  23  or other laterally extending member of the handgun and exert a force thereon. The surface  47  which is one form of a receiving portion is adapted to receive a laterally extending member of the handgun and has a point of rotation which as shown in  FIG. 1  is the center of the surface  47  which in one form is cylindrical. 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , the mounting region  34  further comprises an engagement portion  48 . The engagement portion  48  in one form is comprised out of an extension  50  that is positioned vertically below the opening  44 . The engagement portion  48  is comprised of an extension member  50  which in one form is a longitudinally extending set screw which is adapted to engage the threads of the opening  52  in the base member  41 . In a preferred form, the screw has a countersunk head that is adapted to engage the interior portion  53  of the opening  52 . 
   Now referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the gun attachment  20  is attached to the firearm  21 . The member  23  extends through the firearm and provides the functionality that is inherent with the placement of the pin and further, the pin extends through the portion of the shoulders  40  to provide a first mounting region of the mounting system  34 . Located vertically below the first mounting system, the engagement portion  48  engages the trigger guard  27  of the firearm  21 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , because the engagement force indicated at  52  is vertically below the force exerted upon the firearm at the laterally extending member  23  by a distance indicated by  57 , a moment is produced in the direction indicated by arrow  58  is produced. This moment (torque) provides a thrust force upon the lower portion of the forward lower portion of the subframe  29  from the chamber region  56  of the attachment  20 . 
   Now referring to  FIG. 7 , the gun attachment  20  further comprises a central chamber region  56 . The chamber region  56  has a lower surface  59 , a first lateral surface  60  and a second lateral surface  62  (see  FIG. 8 ) opposite to surface  60  and not shown in  FIG. 7 . The chamber region  56  is adapted to house a forward lower portion of the subframe  29  of a firearm as shown in  FIG. 4 . The lower surface  58  is adapted to forcefully engage the lower surface of the forward lower portion of the subframe  29  as described below. 
   Either one shoulder extension  40  (see  FIG. 9 ) or two shoulder extensions can be employed where the pin extends through both shoulders for extra rigidity. As shown in  FIG. 8 , if one shoulder extension is employed, the opposing lateral inner surface  60  of the chamber region  56  imparts a force on the corresponding lateral surface of the forward lower portion of the subframe, adding extra stability to the device. This lateral force upon the inner surface of the chamber region and the lateral portion of the forward lower portion of the subframe occurs when the engagement region  48  is imparting a force upon the forward portion of the trigger guard  27  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
   Now referring to  FIG. 7 , the gun attachment  20  further comprises a central chamber region  56 . The chamber region  56  has a lower surface  59 , a first lateral surface  60  and a second lateral surface  62  (see  FIG. 8 ) opposite to surface  60  and not shown in  FIG. 7 . The chamber region  56  is adapted to house a forward lower portion of the subframe  29  of a firearm as shown in  FIG. 4 . The lower surface  58  is adapted to forcefully engage the lower surface of the forward lower portion of the subframe  29  as described below. 
   Now referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the gun attachment  20  is attached to the firearm  21 . The member  23  extends through the firearm and provides the functionality that is inherent with the placement of the pin and further, the pin extends through the portion of the shoulders  40  to provide a first mounting region of the mounting system  34 . Located vertically below the first mounting system, the engagement portion  48  engages the trigger guard  27  of the firearm  21 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , because the engagement force indicated at  52  is vertically below the force exerted upon the firearm at the laterally extending member  23  by a distance indicated by  57 , a movement in the direction indicated by arrow  58  is produced. This provides a thrust force upon the lower portion of the forward lower portion of the subframe  29  from the chamber region  56  of the attachment  20 . 
   It should be noted that any laterally extending pin would suffice to provide a first connection region for the firearm. In some cases the pin is not replaced if the pin naturally extends laterally beyond the side lateral surfaces of the subframe  35 . However, in most installations the laterally extending pin of the handgun  21  is replaced with a new pin that is longer. In one form it is advantageous to use a material for the member  23  that is harder and hence more likely to shear than bend. This material property is advantageous in the situation where a heavy impact is imparted upon the attachment  20 . When the pins shear off between the attachment  20  and the subframe  35  of the handgun, the handgun is still operable and functions in a similar manner as when the gun attachment is removed and the original pins are inserted therethrough the gun  21 . In other words the laterally extending pin still holds the various components of the handgun together even though the extreme lateral members are sheared off. At a later time the sheared pin can be removed by a punch and replaced. As shown in  FIG. 9 , a lateral interface location is defined as indicated at  123 . The lateral interface location  123  is the area of engagement between the laterally inward surface  121  of the shoulder region  40  and the laterally outward surface of the handgun positioned on the subframe. The lateral interface location  123  is the point of shear whereby the laterally extending pin is designed to fail and keep the firearm operational even though the gun attachment will now presumably fall or otherwise be jerked off by the handgun during the course of the recoil if the handgun is fired. However, it should be reiterated that the incising shear action without bending the laterally extending pin allows the handgun to be operational even thought the strike plate is no longer supported. 
   There will now be a discussion of the reinforcement region  38  referring to  FIG. 1 . As shown in these figures, the reinforcement region  38  is located in the forward region  22 . The reinforcement region has an inner surface  61  that defines an opening  63 . The opening is adapted to allow the bullet projectile from the firearm to pass therethrough unobstructed. The opening  63  allows the channeled gases to pass and present analysis indicates that the opening functions to relieve pressure off the projectile as the projectile passes at a high rate of velocity. In one form the inner surface  61   a  is adapted to engage the bushing  19  of the handgun  21  as shown in  FIG. 3 . It has been found that this inner surface  61  a as shown in  FIG. 1  can build up residue form the combusted material after firing rounds where the bushing lock up provides a more rigid lock up to the slide. This is particularly advantageous for slides that do not have a tight fit loose accuracy. It has been found that over 17,000 .45 caliber rounds have been fired through a Para-Ordinance P-14 with the gun attachment attached thereto without any cleaning of the surface  61   a  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Present analysis indicated that bushing appeared to be fitted to the gun attachment when the handgun was in battery with this residue build up. Further, there appeared to be no issue of the gun not returning to battery due to the build up even though such a high volume of rounds passed therethrough. 
   The inner surfaces  61  and  61   a  are positioned in a vertical wall  64  that has a front surface  70 . The reinforcement region  38  is rigidly formed the base member in one form is integral therewith and made from a solid block of material such as aluminum. 
   Now referring to  FIG. 2 , the front surface  70  is adapted to engage foreign objects that can potentially interfere with the operation of the firearm. The enforcement region  38  operates to protect the slide  33  of the firearm from being knocked out of battery. One common problem with slide-operated handguns is that if the slide  33  is repositioned rearwardly with respect to the lower subframe  35 , the gun will not fire. It has been known in law enforcement and self-defense tactics that depressing the forward region of a gun prior to pulling the trigger can render the gun temporarily inoperable. Therefore, because the gun attachment  20  is mounted to the subframe  35  and not to the movable slide, the enforcement region  38  will deliver the force to the subframe  35  from an impact from a foreign object and not allow the force to be transmitted to the slide  33 . As mentioned above it should be reiterated that when any impact is imparted upon the reinforcement region  38 , the load is distributed to the subframe  35  through the pins  23  and additionally through the trigger guard  27  by the engagement portion  48 . If the force is sufficiently large to shear the member  23 , then the gun is still operable. 
   There will now be a discussion of the attachment region  36  with reference to  FIGS. 6 and 10 . As shown in these figures, the attachment region  36  has a longitudinally extending slotted region  80  that is adapted to mount to various attachments to a firearm. One form of the slot is dovetail alignment and the derivatives such as a picatinny rail system that has a custom width and flange to allow an assortment of attachments to be attached thereto. For example, attachments such as lasers, flashlights, and infrared illuminators can be attached to assist the operator of the firearm to in executing his or her duties. The light, which is one form of external paraphernalia as shown in FIG.  11 , can be a regular incandescent light or an infer-red type light of various electromagnetic frequencies, which is particularly conducive for night vision applications where the operator is wearing a night vision type optical device. Further, the illumination source from the external paraphernalia can be an LED type of light, or any other device to provide illumination. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the longitudinally extending slotted region  80  has surfaces  81  defining a lower laterally outward region  83  that is well suited for applying a load thereto and having a solid surface that accurately and repeatedly aligns any attachment. 
   It should be noted that the picatinny rail standard dates back to the early part of the 20 th  century, whereby various deviations, change in tolerances, and positioning of certain surfaces are derived from this standard. Therefore, the standard is defined broadly to generally define the laterally extending slots that are adapted to receive a majority of items adapted to fit a rail. The attachment region can be adapted to other standards such as standards such as methods that include pivot locking members on the paraphernalia to forcefully engage the attachment region. 
   As shown in  FIG. 5 , a flash light attachment  85  has an upper portion  87  that matches the contour as shown a lower part of  FIG. 10  of the longitudinally extending slotted region  80 . In general, the attachments such as the light  85  in  FIG. 11  are well suited for attaching to any picatinny rail system. Of course other standard rail systems can be employed; however, the picatinny rail system is very common. Many newer firearms have a lower picatinny rail directly mounted to the subframe of the handgun. However, there are numerous handguns without such a fitting molded therein. For example, one of the most popular handguns in the world is the government model 1911 that has a lower dust cover (or forward lower portion of the subframe), and the vast majority of these handguns do not have a picatinny or other type of rail mounted system to the subframe to allow attachments to be applied thereto. Therefore, the gun attachment  20  allows for the adaptation of the attachment region  36  and further the reinforcement region  38  to prevent the handgun  20  from being knocked out of battery. 
   As shown in  FIG. 11 , the light attachment  85  has a locking mechanism  89  that consists of a spring-loaded member that is adapted to engage the laterally extending slots  51 . The laterally extending slots  51  have surfaces  53  and  55  as shown in  FIG. 4  that are adapted to engage vertical surfaces of the locking mechanism  89  as shown in  FIG. 11  to prevent longitudinal movement of the attachment such as that as shown in  FIG. 11  with respect to the gun attachment  20 . 
   Now referring to  FIGS. 12–14 , an optional variation of the reinforcement region  38  is to allow for surfaces defining vertically extending slots  91  that are located on the upper portion of the compensator attachment  93 . The slots are located approximately at the upper portion of the compensator attachment  93  and allow for gas to channel therethrough to exit vertically providing a vertical outlet, thereby reducing muzzle lift. Any common compensating slot system can be employed by those skilled in the art. The compensator attachment  93  as shown in  FIGS. 12 and 14  can be attached to the base member  41  by an attachment screw  95  that is adapted to be received by a surface defining a recessed region  97  and a lower front portion of the vertical wall  64 . The attachment screw can have a forward region that extends from the front surface of the suppressor  93  and have a pointed hardened member similar to that of the punch  90  in  FIG. 16 . Referring back to  FIGS. 12–14 , the compensator attachment  93  can further have an alignment pin  99  that is adapted to engage a recessed region somewhere within the front surface of the base member  41  for proper alignment and position of the compensator attachment  93  with respect to the base member  41 . 
     FIG. 15  shows a modification to the gun attachment  20   b  whereby the lateral regions of the gun attachment  20   b  are adapted to fit an optic mount  120 . The optic mount comprises a base region  122  having a lower portion  124  with mounting elements  126  that are adapted to mount to the gun attachment  20   b . The arms  128  and  130  can both be employed, or alternatively, a single arm can be employed for a base region. The upper portion of the optic mount  120  has a platform for mounting an optical device that is adapted to be mounted in the mounting region indicated at  132  above the slide of the gun. In one form, the region  132  repositions laterally inwardly and has an inner conical surface with a center that is substantially in line with the bore of the barrel and positioned substantially vertically thereabove. 
   In a further embodiment, a railing system that is similar to the attachment region  36  (such as a dovetail/picatinny rail standard) can be added to the side lateral region  140 . This allows for additional attachments to be attached thereto. Further, in the embodiment as shown in  FIG. 15  the mounting elements  126  of the optical mount can be attached to this similar style of mounting system such as the mounting system  87  and  89  of the light the attachment  85  as shown in  FIG. 11 . This can provide for an easy attachment and disengagement of the optics. 
   Now referring to  FIG. 16 , another embodiment is shown whereby the reinforcement region  38   a  has an impact punch  90 . The impact punch is adapted to be mounted to the front surface  70   a  of the reinforcement region  38   a . The impact punch  90  has a forward region  92  of relatively small surface area to provide a high-pressure impact pressure with a modest amount of force. The base member  41   a  as shown in  FIG. 16  can be similar to the base member  41  as shown in  FIG. 14  whereby the inner cavity surface  97  defines similar style threads to engage corresponding male threads  101  of the impact punch  90 . In one form, the impact punch is made of a hardened material which is unyielding and provides high pressure when impacted upon surfaces, particularly those consisting of brittle materials. 
   Now referring to  FIG. 17 , the impact punch  90  is particularly useful for the tactical operation of shattering a window. A police officer, a security officer or other law enforcement personnel oftentimes may have to approach a vehicle with a gun drawn in a potentially hostile situation. If the driver or passenger residing behind a glass window is noncompliant, oftentimes a law enforcement officer must break the glass to get inside the vehicle and apprehend a suspect or person of interest. A prior art method of accomplishing this consists of the individual transffering the firearm from his or her strong hand to his or her weak hand, grasping a rigid member such as a flashlight or baton and withdrawing it from his or her utility belt, and then striking the window several times with the rigid member until the window breaks. Thereafter, the law enforcement officer must reposition the baton back to his or her utility belt and reposition the firearm to his or her strong hand. 
   This process requires many steps and is prone to causing undesirable incidents and accidents. Further, after striking the window, the suspect may act in retaliation and the law enforcement officer would not be in a proper position to respond accordingly. When the officer switches the firearm to his weak hand, he is switching the point of dominance to the potential suspect where he is no longer in a position of strength of his highest proficiency levels. 
   The embodiment as shown in  FIG. 16  is particularly advantageous for such a situation described above. As shown in  FIG. 17 , there is a vehicle  100  where a suspect (not shown) is behind a window  104 . The law enforcement officer indicated at  106  is holding a firearm  21  with the attachment  20  attached thereto. When the individual  102  is noncompliant with the officer, the officer can bow his arms as indicated in  FIG. 10 , place his trigger finger off the trigger alongside the frame of the firearm  21 , and as shown in  FIG. 17 , strike the window with the reinforcement region  38  of the attachment  20 . The second embodiment is particularly advantageous for breaking the window whereby the point region  92  of the impact punch  90  provides a very high-pressure blow which is well adapted for breaking brittle materials such as glass. 
   After the officer has broken the glass, he or she can reposition his or her firearm and use it accordingly if necessary. It should be noted that the officer does not have to take his or her sight index off of the suspect during this operation; the sight index may remain at the suspect&#39;s vital target regions. Alternately, the officer can strike the window with the muzzle point slightly away from the suspect. After the window has broken, the officer only has to place his or her trigger finger upon the trigger as required to operate the firearm if needed. This operation can be employed without the center punch because the gun attachment  20  transfers force to the subframe  35  and maintains functionality of the firearm; however, the center punch is helpful for breaking glass. 
   There will now be a discussion of a suppressor adapter  440  as shown in  FIG. 20 . In general, the suppressor adapter is adapted to quickly mount to the forward region of the base member  441  that is shown in  FIG. 18 .  FIG. 18  shows this additional embodiment whereby the gun attachment  420  comprises a slot system  422  positioned on the reinforcement region  438 . As shown in  FIG. 19 , there is a top view of the slot system  422  where laterally positioned surfaces  424  and  426  define a recess region that is adapted to engage the laterally inward extensions  428  and  430  as shown in  FIG. 21  of the suppressor adapter  440 . 
   The suppressor adapter  440  as shown in  FIG. 20  has a forward region which in one form has surfaces defining threads  446  where the male threads are adapted to threadedly engage corresponding female threads of a suppressor or the like. As shown in  FIG. 20 , the suppressor adapter  440  has a lower rearward region  450  that has a lower open portion that exposes the laterally inward extensions  428  and  430  as cross-sectionally shown in  FIG. 21 . 
   In one form of fitting the suppressor adapter  440  to the base member  441  is to position the adapter  440  in a manner as shown in  FIG. 20  and aligning the laterally inward extensions  428  and  430  (as shown in  FIG. 21 ) with the laterally inward slots  424  and  426 . After the alignment the adapter  440  is positioned downwardly with respect to the base member  441  so the central opening of the inner cavity of the attachment member is substantially in line with the barrel. Of course other methods of attaching a suppressor can be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility of the adapter. It should be noted that a suppressor could be integral with the adapter  440 , whereby it is not threaded thereto but is permanently attached or otherwise fixed and operationally engaged to the adapter to function as one. 
   Now referring to  FIG. 22 , there is shown another embodiment of the gun attachment  520  whereby the firearm  521  has a subframe  535  which comprises a lower forward portion  529 . The lower forward portion  529  in one form has a generic exterior surface that does not conform to any rail standard. This is particularly the case with older firearms that were not produced within the past few years previous to this writing. The firearm has an opening adapted to have a laterally extending member  523  extending therethrough. This particular firearm laterally extending member is a crosspin adapted to house the trigger assembly and maintain the relative relationship of the components relating to the trigger and other mechanisms therein. This laterally extending member can be replaced with one that extends slightly longer than the immediate adjacent surface indicated at  540  and, in a similar manner as described above, this replaced laterally extending member is adapted to extend through the engagement region  544  as shown in the lower right hand portion of  FIG. 22 . The engagement region in this form has inner cylindrical surface  545  that is adapted to receive the extended pin  523 . The other components of the attachment  520  function similarly as described above in that the engagement portion  534  operates in a similar manner, engaging the front surface  555  of the trigger guard  556 . Further, in the preferred form, there is an attachment region  536  and a reinforcement region  538  adapted to receive loads impacted thereon, and transmit such loads to the slide  533  of the handgun  535 . These portions are similar to the embodiment  620  as shown in the following  FIG. 23 . 
   Embodiment  620  is shown in  FIG. 23  has similar components to those described in the embodiments above, including an engagement region  644 , an attachment region  636  and the reinforcement region  638 . The handgun  635  has a rail system  650 , which one form is a picatinny style rail. Therefore, the gun attachment  620  has an interior chamber  651  that is adapted to have a negative imprint of this rail system and engage thereto along the longitudinal axis of the gun  635 . In other words, to attached the gun attachment  620  it must be repositioned at the forward region of the gun and slid rearwardly to engage the rail system  650 . Thereafter, in one form, a reinforcement member that is laterally extending indicated at  623  engages the opening  644  to further securely lock the gun attachment  620  to the handgun  635 . This embodiment may or may not have the extension member such as a set screw engage the trigger guard. 
   Now referring to  FIGS. 24A–24D ,  FIG. 24A  shows a fair and accurate representation of a shot grouping of five shots fired by a former female Olympic team member for bulls-eye shooting without the attachment  20 .  FIG. 24B  shows a second grouping at the same distance (20 yards) with the attachment  20  employed to the same gun. As you can see, the groupings in  FIG. 24B  are much tighter than those in  FIG. 24C . Now referring to  FIG. 24C , the same shooter fired  20  shots at 20 yards without the attachment  20  attached to the firearm. Thereafter, after attaching the attachment  20  to the firearm, the groupings are shown in  FIG. 24D . It should be noted that 30 shots were fired in  FIG. 24D  with the attachment and the groups are substantially smaller than in  FIG. 24C . It should also be noted that nothing was changed between any of the groups fired in  FIGS. 24A–24D  except for adding the assembly  20  to the handgun ( FIGS. 24A and 24C  are without the attachment  20  and  FIGS. 24B–24D  are with the attachment  20  employed). 
   Of course various modifications and alterations can be performed without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.