Assuming this article is fo real, I suggest that this dude go to Homedepot and buy a garden hoe.
Have one.
Good for some situations on my property (not all, though.)
Poor to unusable for all the others.
More seriously, I really am seriously interested in the technical / engineering side of what “shot” does in a rifled barrel, and why on earth the gov’t would enact barriers to someone having a .22 pistol with the ability for such a pistol to shoot a usable / moderately tight pattern of light shot, while someone can go out and buy a “Snake Slayer” and blow off someone’s face.* And, what would “fill the bill” for the usages I described (not just zapping a copperhead or three each year.)
*Don’t get me wrong, I think any non-felon should have any means they desire to protect themselves against snakes of any species. But the deterrent to, by comparison, having a smoothbore .22 pistol just don’t seem to make any sense at all. (I’m not even sure anyone even sells a .22 metal BB airgun — I think only rifled .22 pellet guns are available.)