Couple of things: I have a Kel-Tec in .40S&W, and I hate it. I know every gun manufacturer has a lemon now and then, and I have heard good things about their .32s, .380s, and 9mms, but if I were to get rid of any gun, that would be the one.
I didn't hear too much about this on the local news here, but apparently a man armed with a semi-auto rifle ambushed his ex-wife and son outdoors in Tyler, TX. He had on body armor.
A "gun enthusiast", Mr. Mark Wilson, attempted to intervene, and traded shots with the gunman. The news story I have contradicts itself, saying the gunman and Wilson missed each other, but then goes on to say that the shots that Mr. Wilson fired were ineffective due to the gunman's body armor.
Mr. Wilson was hit and went down, and the gunman walked up to him and killed him. The article says the authorities credited Mr. Wilson for saving the life of the second target, the gunman's son, who was in fair condition.
the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/02/25/tx.town.square.shootings.ap/index.htmlI view Mr. Wilson as a hero, and would hate to have been in his shoes. I always read how "distance is your friend", and practice with my handgun for a close-range scenario, which seem to counter each other.
I guess my practice is for when I "have to" defend myself. In your and Mr. Wilson's situations, the self-preservation thing to do would be to open range and get out of there. Mr. Wilson did what he didn't "have to", tried to protect someone else, and was killed.
Makes you think.