Defensive Realities

This may be heresy, but the fact is handguns aren’t very good weapons. They don’t have enough power. So many of our perceptions come from TV, where the bad guy takes a hit from a snubby .38 and goes flying 30 feet through a plate glass window. But those guys weren’t really criminals and they weren’t really shot.

“Ask any peace officer — if circumstances permit they will always select a rifle or shotgun over a handgun. The great value of a handgun is its size and weight, the fact it is there when needed.”

The quote is from one of the first feature articles I wrote for Handgunner, appearing in the July/August 1990 issue. Don’t take this to mean you don’t need a handgun. On the contrary, a handgun is a vital component of personal defense. If you’re going to own just one defensive firearm it almost has to be a handgun. A handgun may have only one major advantage over a long gun, but it’s a decisive one. A handgun is there when needed. The advantages of a long gun — power, accuracy, shootability, range — don’t mean a darn thing if the gun is back at home or locked in the car when trouble comes.

It’s great to see so many new gun owners ready to take responsibility for their own defense. But I do worry about new shooters choosing as their first (often their only) defensive firearm, a tiny pocket autopistol or lightweight snubby revolver. These guns are kind of like sports cars. They really need a competent operator, and they can be a bit temperamental and need high maintenance. My view is they are best suited as backups for competent shooters.

“Everyman’s” Gun?

I believe most people, most of the time, are best suited with a medium-sized 9mm or .38 Spl. The exception would be if a handgunner has the experience and skill to handle a bit more recoil, without sacrificing accuracy and speed. I wish people would obsess as much about shooting skill as about gun and cartridge choice. The only way to acquire it is by putting in the time. Competent instruction can save a lot of trial and error, and likely pay for itself in terms of ammunition saved by practicing good habits.

Look, I know practicing can be boring. I know it’s hard. I love shooting, and even so there’s a point at which it becomes work. To quote Mark Twain, “You see, this has got to be learned; there isn’t any getting around it.”

Long Gun Finality

Understand, a violent attack will be very hard to stop. We sometimes read of drugged-up assailants being abnormally strong and impervious to pain. Well, we all carry with us a very powerful chemical called “adrenaline” which has just such an effect, and it will certainly be present in a violent assault.

Most people find it easier to shoot accurately with a long gun. But the decisive advantage is far more power. Until you’ve seen it, the power of a 12-gauge load of buckshot at close range is hard to believe. Long ago I read an article by a hunter of man-eating lions in Africa. If threatened with a lion charge he would switch from a rifle to a double barrel 12-gauge loaded with buckshot. He said if a hunter stayed cool and held fire until the range was a few feet, there was absolutely no way the lion could get to him.

I consider a handgun and a shotgun the minimal home- and personal-defense battery. The only shortcoming is lack of range. If this is a factor (if you live in the country, for example), consider adding a rifle. His Serene Highness editor Roy and I both live in the country. There probably aren’t any more enthusiastic or devoted supporters of handguns.

Even so, in “What We Carry” article some time ago I found it interesting to note Roy always has a shortened Winchester 94 .30-30 nearby. If trouble comes he wants a rifle in his hands. Just as I do.

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