I'm aware that there are several articles which will be published in the general firearms press in the next few months. These articles will feature our family of minirevolvers. I'm usually amused by how the writers describe these guns, their utility and their effectiveness. I'd thought I'd share my thoughts.

     These guns are personal protection weapons. They are not hunting grade, nor are they target grade. I am happy - and proud - to characterize them by the title of this month's Soapbox. I would never argue that these guns are manstoppers (though in a surprising (to me) number of well-documented instances, they have proven to be). I strongly suggest that if you have the opportunity and inclination to carry a handgun of higher power and greater capacity, that you do so (by the way, the Guardian series of pocket-sized semiautos are very popular alternatives).

     If, however, the small size and ease of operation of the minis enable/prompt you to carry a defensive handgun where/when you might otherwise not carry, I offer you my personal assurance that having one at hand is infinitely better than not having one at hand. While unlikely to fell a drug-crazed or otherwise irrational individual, an NAA minirevolver will certainly impart a measure of deterrence that you wouldn't have if you didn't have the gun at hand. In the overwhelming majority of confrontational events, a defender needs only brandish a firearm to stop the threat.

     I'm chagrined by individuals who dismiss the threat that a minirevolver represents ("Who're yu gunna' hurt/scare with that little thing"). I would desperately love the opportunity to look into the eyes of one of these idiots were I to point a loaded mini aimed at their face from five feet away; I guarantee you, if someone did that to me, it would change my behavior, and I imagine it would for most of you as well.

     I have heard a slew of stories about the lethality of .22 caliber bullets and the way they tend to rattle around inside a human body; I would be interested in seeing some discussion about this on our message board. Lethality notwithstanding and in any event, I simply prefer not to leak. Coincidentally, a movie presently in the theatres, Assassination Tango (Robert Duval), prominently features an NAA mini (a 22MS, I believe).

     Additionally, people who complain that they're unable to group head shots at 50 feet clearly don't understand the purpose of this gun - or the laws regarding self-defense.

     To mini or not to mini; that is the question. I hope I've helped provide the answer; to mini - it's better than nothing.