POWERING DOWN

There seems to be a value system on the gun-related internet forums that says, "If you carry more than I do, you're a paranoid mall ninja; and if you carry less, you're a pathetic sheeple doomed to die in da streetz."

I don't buy it

Every lawfully armed American gets to determine their own "threat profile" and arm themselves accordingly. Back when Smith & Wesson was selling their LadySmith line with a slogan touting the best in "feminine protection," I wondered if they meant a .45 for heavy days and a .38 for light days.

Let's get real. On the one hand, the person carrying only a .380 with no spare ammo is a whole lot safer than the vast majority of citizens who go about their daily affairs unarmed. That said, we don't see a whole lot of bad guys instantly ceasing hostility from a single body shot with the 9mm Short. We see a whole lot more "one shot stops" with larger calibers and the more powerful the gun, the more likely a happy outcome is to be achieved. .....