Nicely put. Thank you for that thoughtful exegesis.
Personally, I think an across the board ban on handguns while claiming that people can defend themselves using a rifle or shotgun either demonstrates a profound lack of knowledge about guns. For example, rifles have high muzzle velocity and are far more likely to penetrate a target and exit it with enough velocity to seriously endanger whatever is behind the target or inflict a serious, even fatal, wound on another person. Next, in close quarters, the longer barrel of a rifle gets in the way and if the attackers is three arm lengths away, they can effectively prevent the defender from getting off a shot by grabbing the barrel.
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I do not think that your information is accurante. A .223 has less penetration than a .45. However, a .308 is another story! A 16" barrel is about the same length as a hand gun fully extended.
A pistol is able to be concealed. That is the only advantage that a pistol has over a rifle.