The small “mouse guns” are often a bad idea because they may only server to further anger an attacker, and they do not have enough "whallop" to neutralize a determined attacker.
As evidence, you may remember this incident where a disgruntled client shoots his lawyer while the lawyer tries to hide behind a tree.
This video went viral because at one time or another, almost everybody has wanted to shoot a lawyer.
However, it’s not clear from the video, but the lawyer was hit several times, yet the small caliber of the gun did not do enough damage to incapacitate him.
A “pocket” moluse guns may not have enough power to stop an attacker
The news reports are full of stories about how criminals have won civil awards when the good guys get sued for using “excessive” force to stop a crook.
You can be sued for beating-up a robber as they attempt to flee from a bank robbery, and the “nanny states” have legislation that permits burglars to sue their victims whenever they get injured while breaking into their homes!
The height of this insanity is the legal concept of “excessive lethal force”, a case where a person is justified in shooting somebody who is threatening to kill them, but they can go to jail for homicide if they “double tap” a killer to protect themselves.
See my notes on the stupid laws against using excessive force against a violent criminal.
The take-away from this insane law on the excessive use of lethal force is that a citizen should use the most lethal gun that they can manage.
Some experts say that any home defense caliber is OK so long as it begins with a “4” (e.g. the .45 ACP, .44 Magnum), while others advocate using a 12 gauge shotgun for the best personal defense weapon.
Not all high caliber guns are unwieldy, and some, like the Kimber 45 caliber guns, are designed for reduced recoil so that even a 98 pound weakling can fire them:
