Ed Ames: "Your game is to take general statements and try to find specific cases where the general rule doesn't apply."
You're the first person here to point that out. You're right -- I'm uncomfortable making general statements, as there are always exceptions, sometimes the exceptions swallow the rule, and in a given situation the generalization may be wrong. When I make a general statement, I often hedge by saying, for example, "as a general thing, revolvers, particularly the double-action Colts shot single-action, are more accurate than autoloaders" as opposed to "autoloaders are useless for accurate shooting." And if someone said that to me, I'd counter not with "no, it's revolvers that are are useless for accurate shooting," but instead by pointing out specific examples of accurate autoloaders and inaccurate revolvers based on my own direct personal experience. I know that my experiences are true and can prove them, as opposed to general statements which may be true or false, and incapable of proof one way or another.
That doesn't mean you have to do any of that; it's just my own personal style and I don't mind in the least that you noticed.
"That's useful when the exceptions are generally relevant. In this case, however, WWII Stalingrad, Modern Chicago, and your ability to find a range near your home that hasn't closed yet, are not generalizable to the normal American urban experience. Most cities are not battle grounds. Most US cities are not totally anti-handgun. Most urbanites can't find a nice range 10 minutes from home."
See my long-winded paragraph above. My opinions are formed by my own observations and experiences. I don't claim they are true in all cases, but in my experience, rifles definitely have a role in urban combat. I have some footage from Bucaresti, 25.XII.1989 which I'd love to share, someday when I figure out the technical means. Were I tasked with defending a loft apartment against a gang of assailants, a rifle and some pre-sighted, scouted vantage points and lines of sight beat a handgun hands down.