VT guy showed how effective .22 is, unfortunately.
9mm is a great compromise between stopping power and affordability. Can have all the stopping power you want but if you cant shoot well with it, than it's a waste.
Discussion
This is true, I use handguns like a ten foot long sword. I think at ranges longer than 10-15 feet the use of deadly force is questionable unless the assailant is armed and menacing, and if that is the case, you are likely going to be shot drawing your piece. In defense, ftlbs of energy absorbed is really important, placement and number of shells mean a lot less when 1300 ftlbs of impact energy just blew your arm or leg clean off. Same thing with malfunctions. Give me a large bore revolver any day, or a 9mm magnum (.357). Semi automatic 9mm makes sense for police, but not defensive carry IMO.
Reloading a revolver mid engagement? No thank you.
Defensive? Reloading very unlikely to be necessary. More than 5 shots fired? Likely you are going to jail regardless of circumstance.
if you really want to be defensive (here is my more than twenty years of defensive martial art experience) you put signs on your property in plain view that state TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT
and then you store your handgun somewhere safe that only you can access
and/or you get one of these ;)
HP 9mm has plenty of stopping power ..
Disagree, have you ever shot a living thing with it?
I've seen plenty of human beings shut right down with it.
To each their own, I kill a lot of pigs, in different ways, different sizes, different shot placement, and I can tell you, 9mm is not enough to stop a 300 pound man with a knife at ten feet unless you hit center face, spinal cord, or one of five major arteries which would take amazing skill under duress that probably one in ten trained soldiers with combat experience could pull off. Good luck!
Looking at the statistics of handgun survivability, there is a marked difference between any handgun and any rifle (firing an intermediate or above cartridge). I think 9mm is a decent enough compromise at least if you have enough rounds on you. To counterpoint what Jack is saying about a revolver being enough, that is not the case anymore. Attackers are grouping up exponentially more often. 6 rounds on tap is NOT enough. But also one 17 round magazine (welcome winter carry!) is also not enough in case you have a malfunction. You should be training to dump the mag, slap in a new mag, and rack the slide, so you ALWAYS need at least one spare mag, no matter the capacity.
Once again, I can’t disagree, but if a semi automatic with spare mags is an urban necessity, why not 10mm or at least .357 Sig? When it comes to adequate penetration, proper expansion, and bone mass is concerned, 9mm doesn’t cut it. A decent layer of visceral fat stops a hollow point 9mm as effectively as body armor. Obesity rates in America again? Fifty percent at least? You wouldn’t hunt a 200 pound puma with your 9mm, are humans not dangerous game in these circumstances?
Because it's much, much easier to carry a compact 9mm. 357 Sig is effective but really, really loud. There are no excellent compact 10mm pistols that I've seen. (I don't consider Glocks to be excellent, and I would not want to shoot the shorty 10mm, anyway.)
All handguns are a compromise. A modern thin 9mm with enough capacity and good defense ammo stop be more than enough RI not be outgunned in most cases.