IF I knew I was going to be the victim of an attack by a "bad guy", I'd be carrying my 12 gauge riot (shotgun) gun... but to carry it even once-in-a-while would be a major pain in the fanny!
If they didn't weigh so much and weren't so hard to conceal, I'd constantly carry one of my 1911A1's in .45 ACP, but that's not "reality".
The "bottom line" is that I constantly carry the little P3AT (.380) 'cause it's small and light... and the vast majority of time, I don't even feel it in my pocket, but the few times the "situation" began to look like it might get "unpleasant", it SURE was reassuring to feel the "heft" of the P3AT's 10 ounces or so in my pocket together with his 7 "little friends".
No... the .380 isn't a big, bad round... but it's a whole lot better than "nothing"... and considerably better than a knife or club.
I carry the P3AT (legally... I have my CCW permit) because it will, in a time-of-need, get-the-job-done with reasonable bullet placement. In the past several years, my pistol has stopped what was going to be "aggressive action" by one or, in one case, multiple potential "attackers" in four instances.
Just "showing" it stopped three of the potential attacks and caused the aggressors to become very "polite" and "reasonable". I only had to shoot on one occasion at which point the attacker decided to "retire" from the scene and left the immediate area at warp speed.
Fortunately, my shots missed him (I think... he didn't wait around so I could see if he was bleeding) which eliminated the hassle that was sure to come if I had hit him. The sheriff (who was called by a neighbor upon hearing the shooting) told me that if it should happen again, I should wait until the potential rapist (of my then young & pretty wife) was INSIDE my home before "taking-care-of-business" (this happened 50 years ago). There had been several house-breakings followed by the rape of the female inside the home in the area in which we then lived during the previous 3 months... and the sheriff felt that the fella I shot at was possibly the rapist since his actions prior to my intervention were very similar to the previous rapes.
What gave me "pause" was that, in my mind, I was
SORRY I "missed" !~!~!
After thinking about it later, I was surprised that my intent turned so
deadly so quickly when I felt my wife was very likely his "target"... I really WANTED to "nail" that SOB... and put an end to his "career" !!! But then... back then, I was young & dumb... and didn't think things through.
Attacks by criminals happen SUDDENLY... and we're often not really "prepared" for them. It's a real shame we have to deal with such things... but that's "reality".
I'd rather NOT carry a gun... it's a pain-in-the-azz and carries with doing so a tremendous responsibility... and I wish "carrying" wasn't necessary, but sadly, that's just not the case in these days of liberal judges, profitable crime, the wide-spread use of drugs and aggressive predator-criminals who don't give-a-darn about their victims.
Jus' my 2¢...
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.