*Actual Shootout Using NAA Mini Click Here*
"At a minimum, these guns are your always carry gun. They are the foundation upon which you build your self-defense platform."
"At a minimum, these guns are your always carry gun. They are the foundation upon which you build your self-defense platform."
The Internet is absolutely incredible. Over a short period of time, it is possible to find out just about anything about any subject. There's plenty of disinformation out there, but the miracle of online video has allowed me to do a lot of thinking about the usefulness of North American Arms revolvers as concealed carry options.
I've scoured the forums and magazine articles regarding the NAA line of revolvers, and what I've found are pretty much two lines of thought:
1) The guns are absolutely useful deep conceal weapons if deployed as a last resort of self defense.
2) They are worthless toys only worth owning because of their novelty.
After shooting and carrying these guns around in my pocket for a bit, I've come to the conclusion that the first line of thought is appropriate.
Watch the following two videos of actual robberies foiled because the store clerk had a gun: (Please be aware that they are a bit graphic)
One thing I've noticed about robberies is that they're almost always violent, wether the victim is armed or not. Armed robbers are extremely dangerous, which seems obvious. Gun control advocates might want to watch the next video before they think being unarmed makes them safer:
Here's another video that shows you should listen to your little voice. The attacker's body language was quite revealing about his intentions. He wasn't looking at the menu, but was sizing up his prey:
In the above scenarios, it's rather obvious to me that a mini revolver would be immediately out-gunned. If you have a concealed carry permit, you're going to want a much more powerful weapon at your disposal if you find yourself in any of those kinds of situations. It's not about weather it will stop or not, but about the fact that the aggressor is highly keyed up and less likely to be phased by a shot from a .22 magnum. In addition, they are almost always armed with semi-automatic weapons. They can fire off two or three rounds in the time it takes you to cock your mini revolver once. Does that mean the mini-revolver is useless? Absolutely not!
You must arm yourself appropriately for the occasion, and convenience stores, liquor stores and fast food restaurants at night are prime targets of armed thugs. The best thing to do is to avoid them entirely after dark. I personally would never work at any of those establishments--Ever! Just avoiding those situations will most likely prevent you from ever being in an armed encounter. The guy who was attacked at the counter could have prevented this incident simply by using the drive through.
Being aware of your surroundings and avoiding obvious crime hot spots will keep you out of trouble most of the time, but armed crimes aren't isolated to public places. Your home, car, family and person are always potential targets, and that's why being prepared with a concealed carry permit is appropriate.
For home defense, you don't have to worry about conceal ability. A 12 or 20 gauge shotgun with 00 buckshot will do just fine, and is about the ultimate bad guy stopper you can have at your disposal. So what scenarios would a Mini Magnum revolver be useful?
Photo Courtesy Flickr User yuan2003
In locations where you may not feel comfortable carrying your larger firearm, a North American Arms revolver tucked into your pocket could come in quite handy. Think of office buildings, universities hospitals and the like. These are locations where a gunman will sometimes take hostages while shooting up the place. If you barricade yourself in a closet or room, having your revolver at the ready could come in quite handy if the person is roaming the hallways searching for more victims. A recent shooting this week highlights my point and gives food for thought.
A man was forced to resign for theft. He returned to the building moments later with a handgun and proceeded to shoot and kill multiple victims. One of those he shot survived, barricaded himself in a room and called 911. If any of his victims had been armed, they could have helped put a stop to the violence.
Again, this comes down to thinking about your environment as well as being armed. Workplace violence is not going to end. There's a reason security usually walks people out of the building and it's to avoid the kinds of situations you just read about. When that fails, your safety is up to you.
For joggers, bicyclists and people who are more active, carrying even a compact 9mm is just too much. It is this kind of scenario where the NAA shines. They are easy to tuck into jogging or bicycling shorts and go unnoticed. For women who walk or jog alone, these guns can be the difference between a violent attack and bad scare. Rapists and muggers seem to like knives. A Mini in this scenario is an ideal defense weapon. It immediately places the victim in a position of power.
I was recently watching a show where a woman was viscously accosted for over three hours in her own home. Before the rapist left, he slit her throat and stabbed her more than 30 times. He had come to her door hours earlier and asked to use the phone, but she refused. Later that night, she heard banging from her kitchen and when she went to investigate, he was standing there with one of her kitchen knives and proceeded to attack her. A gun, even a .22 Mini Magnum, would have stopped him.
My Dad always says you have to use the proper tool for the job. For certain jobs, the best tool is a North American Arms Mini Revolver. At a minimum, these guns are your always carry gun. They are the foundation upon which you build your self-defense platform.
