Handguns for Home Defense

Handguns are by far the most common defensive firearms, primarily because they are small and convenient to carry. It would not be terribly convenient for most people to go about their daily lives with a rifle or shotgun slung over their shoulder, but having a handgun in your belt is as easy as carrying a cellphone.

Because of this, a lot of people are familiar with handguns and automatically think of them when it comes to home defense. It's important to understand however, that home defense (HD) is a very different realm than defense outside the home.

Here are some pros of handguns for HD:

• Learning basic competence with a handgun at typical HD distances (<20ft) is fairly simple and straightforward.

• Handguns are quite small compared to long-guns, and this allows much greater maneuverability. Searching structures with a handgun is much easier than with a rifle or shotgun. Also, when in tight confines, engaging multiple targets can be faster with a handgun.

• If the need arises, they can be handled with one hand - think of handling a gun while talking on the phone or carrying a child.

• Modern defensive handguns have a reasonably high capacity. Many have a normal capacity of 12 to 19 rounds, and extended magazines of 33 are available in some cases.

• The muzzle blast of most defensive handguns is considerably less than that of rifles or shotguns. This is a concept not generally appreciated by those who have never fired a rifle or shotgun in the close confines of a hallway.

Here are some cons of handguns for HD:

• While it is possible to develop great skill with a handgun, it's more difficult to achieve eyeball-level accuracy with them than with rifles.

• Handguns are short range guns, and while most HD scenarios consist of short range engagements it's possible to need greater range, especially in rural environments.

• While a great deal of technology has gone into modern handgun ammunition and it is greatly superior to what was available many years ago, it is still much less powerful than most rifle or shotgun ammunition. Without going into a complex discussion of terminal ballistics, the probability of having to deliver multiple hits to stop a determined (or drugged) attacker is much greater when using a handgun than with a rifle or shotgun.
  
  

I would say the the biggest pro for using handguns for HD is their superior maneuverability, and the biggest con is their lack of decisive power, at least in comparison with rifles and shotguns.

After I post a couple articles on rifles (carbines) and shotguns, I will revisit exactly how handguns compare to these other choices as HD firearms.