----------
...They rode in the holsters of explorers and adventures across the world and granted safe conduct in the back alleys of industrial slums right up until the last quarter of the 19th Century. Handguns possess a mystique distinctly different from that of other firearms. They are tools of personal empowerment-chosen by their owners to provide independence and freedom of movement. In the ambitious, optimistic early years of western industrial civilization they were the emblem of liberty and equality and the bane of repressive governments and social movements...
----------
-From the back cover and introduction page of Percussion Pistols and Revolvers: History, Performance, and Practical Use, by Mike E. Cumpston, leading expert on percussion lock and early Colt single action revolvers.
The above snippet STILL holds true for all guns, and especially handguns, to this day and beyond. We still live in a world where predators, both two-legged and four-legged, attack innocents at will. And as surveillance, genetic coding/ID, and population mapping technology continues to evolve, we are in greater danger of being victims of tyranny and predatory social movements than any other time in history. Until the next world-changing technological upgrade in portable personal weaponry, the revolver and semiautomatic pistol will be the ultimate tool of discreet personal defense, mobility, freedom, and peace of mind.