ORIGINAL: jhilde
Uncle Matt---Can't argue with you on the stopping power of a twelve guage. I just feel a handgun is much more concealeable, possibly easier to get to and in a state of extreme adrenalin rush, such as a situation where you are really going to use it, you won't swing it into a door jamb trying to shoot down the hall. Saw a show on tv years ago where they interviewed three different people who shot and killed an intruder in their home or business and the guy that used the shotgun started crying due to flashbacks about the clean up after the authorities left were more than he could handle. All three were completely justified cases of self protection, but the aftermath for the shotgunner was pretty grim. Just a thought--John
WhenI was in medical school I did a rotation on the surgical trauma team at a hospital in a tough area of Philadelphia. I saw a large number of patients with wounds from handguns but never saw one wounded by a shotgun. One reason for this was probably that more shootings occur with handguns than shotguns. The other reason was most likely that people shot by shotgunsrarely go to the ER, they are taken straight to the morgue.