The one major downside about a HK weapon is the amount of money it costs. These weapons are incredibly expensive and they have a good reason for being so. Heckler and Koch works specifically out of Oberndorf, Germany. All HK products and HK parts come directly from their factory, and are exported all over the world.

The Glock has a slightly faster cyclic rate, but the HK VP9's just a little smoother on the recoil impulse. It's going to depend on what type of gun you prefer. I personally really like the way a Glock shoots. It seems a little bit faster and snappier to me, which I like, whereas the HK VP9 has more of a slower push.

H&K has been accused of shipping small arms to conflict regions such as Bosnia and Nepal, and has licensed its weapons for production by governments with poor human rights records such as Sudan, Thailand and Myanmar.

Yes, civilians can buy Heckler & Koch 416. There is a semi-automatic version available for civilians, which uses a gas piston system with a rod that prevents propellant gases from being introduced into the weapon.