[Ancapistani]

I strongly disagree.

A firearm is the most effective defensive weapon a person can have, surely - but not even close to the most destructive.

If someone’s goal is indiscriminate destruction, an automobile is much more effective. Explosive, incendiaries, or even poisons would be all cause more destruction than a firearm.

Handguns in particular are relatively ineffective as weapons go. A knife attack is more likely to result in the death of the victim than a handgun. The reason handguns are carried more than knives for defense is that knives typically kill through blood loss while firearms do so through immediate physical trauma.