But having the ability to shoot accurately farther is not a bad thing.
Never said that i was, Grizz.
to blow off any ability to shoot accurately is folly.
Not blowin' it off. Just stating a few facts about how a defensive handgun will most likely be deployed by John Q. Citizen, and the reasons that a snub .38 and small autopistols are chosen BY John and his brethren...but apparently you have a one-track mind in this matter.
John Q. et al buy and sometimes even carry a gun because they have a perceived need to be armed...real or imagined. They don't intend to engage in gunfights. They don't intend to present the weapon unless they can't get away from the threat by any other means. By and large...if John Q's moment of truth comes...there's a very high probability that it will happen at arm's length or closer, and it will also likely be at night or in such low lighting that he won't be able to see the sights or have time to use them even if he could see them.
By and large...Most John Q type people that I know aren't really into guns, and don't shoot very often. Some of'em buy their gun and never shoot it...or only a few times just to get a feel for it. By and large...people like that tend to revert back to instinctual body motions when the adrenalin dump comes, and simply point the gun and pull the trigger. They don't think about sights or trigger control because the threat is within touching distance.
By and large...Most prickly scenarios are stopped by the mere presence of the gun.
By and large...John Q and his ilk couldn't shoot accurately at 10 paces from sandbags given 3 minutes per shot.
Do I believe that this means that they're well-armed and prepared? No. Of course not.
I'm not an idiot. Do I believe that they stand a better chance...
chance...than they would unarmed? Yes. Of course I do. It's been proven too many times over the last 10 or 12 decades.
Men and women who have never fired a gun in their lives very often come out alive via the use of a snub-nosed .38 or even a .22 rimfire put to use at night at powder burn distances.
See, Grizz...not all deadly encounters involve a gunfight. Some of'em are classic cases of
a fool bringin' a knife or stick to a gunfight. Some involve serial rapists who grab women and stuff'em into the trunk of a car and headin' out into the boonies for a night of fun and games. Some involve home invasions and taking physical control of the occupants who...if they have a diminutive little handgun...can put a stop to such foolishness before it gets out of hand.
These things are what the snubs and mini autos are for...not showdowns at high noon.
In that role, they've very often proven themselves fully capable of saving innocent lives.
No guarantees, understand...but it's not about guarantees. It's about the odds.
Here's a cut/paste exerpt. Bernie Goetz...not a "shooter" by any stretch...managed to hit 4 at close quarters with a 5-shot M36 snub, therefore coming out unscathed by what could easily have been death or crippling injury.
>>Goetz fired an unlicensed revolver five times, seriously wounding three of the would-be muggers and rendering the fourth a paraplegic. The initially unknown shooter, dubbed the "Subway Vigilante" by the New York press, was both exalted and vilified in the media and in public opinion.<<
