The old saying goes “The handgun is used to fight to your long gun”. The phrasing may vary sightly but the intent of the message remains consistent. Get to a rifle or shotgun as quickly as you can in a fight and you will have a considerable advantage.
Long guns trump handguns in every feasible scenario, save within arms reach. Even in that event using the 6-9lb blunt instrument with plenty of hard, often metallic, striking surfaces may prove plenty adequate if not still superior.
Long guns have drastic force advantages in ease of accurate use and energy delivered to the target. In the case of most auto loading rifles and PCC’s you can add capacity and recoil management to that list.
Hearkening back to last weeks lesson we can tie in several behavior points.
First the disclaimer: If you know going somewhere will initiate a violent contact, unless it is literally your job to do so (aka. Infantry or Special Operations), don’t go there. You will be both shot and shot at significantly less if you avoid triggering a fight.
Now then… think and plan ahead for the fight. If you know ahead of time where you are going and who you are going with equipping yourselves, your vehicle, or vehicles appropriately and legally isn’t that difficult. If all that you can legally bring are “handguns” there are plenty of options still. My braced Zenith Z5RS MP5 is a handgun in most locals because if it’s legally defined configuration. Other long guns can be stored in a disassembled state (I.E. upper and lower receiver split but next to each other).
The end state of this preparation is that you and those traveling with you can very quickly ‘up gun’ from handguns to the far more effective long guns in a very short period of time. Once the carbines get in the fight and as your group fully employs them it would be a very determined and eminently well prepared adversary that could still prevail, no one else.
There are two things most aggressors won’t expect:
The Spanish Inquisition
And overwhelming return fire
