What you see before you is an example of the no longer mythical “pen gun,” a device designed to fire a single .22LR cartridge at…well…someone. Now before we get all Our Man Flint here, let’s note a couple of things. There are no sights (laser or otherwise). It’s a single shot, meaning is half as useful as a derringer. And it ain’t cheap. Apparently, this little jewel goes for somewhere around two and a half Benjamins. Oh, and you can shoot your mouth off with this. Literally. And inadvertently.
So I’m driving around yesterday, all situationally aware and all that, and I get a call from my offspring on her new iPhone. (Santa been belly belly good to her this year, mon.) She tells me that she and her mom are in their car, driving near a Chase Bank branch less than a mile from their (my former) house. And they can’t help but notice the place is surrounded by police. Armed police. And S.W.A.T. guys. In full battle regalia, armed with either AR-15s (at least) or M-16s (I presume police get to go full-auto, right?). My ex wisely decided that the best way to avoid trouble is to not be there when it happens, so she pulls a u-ey and moseys on outta there, taking a different route to home base. This got me to thinking, though, and what I thought does not make for a pretty picture.
What is the world’s most popular firearm? A lot of gun guys will immediately say 1911, AR-15 or perhaps a Remington 870. I suggest that there is one weapon—lets call it “The Little Carbine That Could”–that is the single most popular weapon of all time. The Sturm, Ruger & Company’s 10/22®. This rifle, ladies and gents, is not chambered in some macho cartridge like the .45 ACP. Nor is it designed to take out bad guys like the AR-15 or function as the “keys to the city” like an 870. Nope. The Ruger 10/22, chambered in the Rodney Dangerfield of cartridges (the .22LR) is my nominee for the world’s most popular firearm. Let’s take a look . . .
Most anti-gun types automatically assume that a non-law enforcement or military gun owner has limited skills. It’s the “civilians shouldn’t be trusted with a gun” argument. In a way, they are (kind of) not too far off the beam. The worst kind of self defense comes when you have a gun and don’t know how to use it, or use it badly. Pandemonium (or worse) ensues. So if you own a gun and expect to use it for self defense, you should learn how to use it effectively—if only to protect and justify your right to carry it.
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