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It is definitely worth thinking about. For me, I have trained with the handgun faithfully for the 4 years I have been a licensed gun owner (in my country it is a process to get licensed, and a 500 Dollar Glock goes for about $2,500 here). I've spent a lot of money getting good training (mostly Israeli based), and on getting good ammo (progressed from S&B 115gr HPs, to a source for 124gr HydraShok, to a major breakthrough in 147gr Ranger Bonded when some MARSOC Marines came over - apparently US Spec Ops units use HPs in case you didn't know - and a few months ago the holy grail when I got 147gr HST). My normal carry load is one magazine filled with HST and two spare mags with Ranger Bonded.

Now, I train for what I am most likely to meet. While it's possible I can bump into an escaped lion or Cape buffalo, chances are anything that goes bump in the night will be two legged (belonging to Al Shabaab). Chances also are if I shoot the bad guy several times center mass with good quality HPs, that he'll probably decide to go meet his virgins. Additionally, and this is important, I am very good with the 9mm, i am IDPA ranked as a sharpshooter (and I am sure with more practice I can go to Expert), and I love the capacity of the 9mm in a Glock. Also important, if my mate has, say, a 1911 with 7 rounds of .45, and I shoot the terrorist center mass several times with my 9mm Glock and NOTHING happens, then I can assure you my mate with his .45 1911 will also get the same reaction: nothing. We will know we are shooting at a zombie (or a terrorist with body armor), and opt for another approach.

Bottom line is this - with modern HP ammo, the caliber wars are dead (and the 9mm won). While there is a place for other calibers, and there are many who are deadly accurate and fast with bigger calipers (including 10mm and .45s), for most the 9mm is the perfect equation of penetration, expansion, controllability, capacity and cost! That is hard to beat.

Citizen carry is not legal where I live so any defensive gun use would be home defence. It that case, size/weight doesn’t matter, and the main consideration is the cost of practice ammunition (which reloading takes care of).

In any case i split my time between what, for the moment, are two very safe cities.

If the risk was just street crime, I wouldn’t carry even if I could. What I do worry about is a Mumbai type attack. We have already had a terrorist murder a soldier near the Parliament and then get gunned down after he ran inside the building. (5 blocks from where I live).

According to FBI and other stats, certain 9, 357, 40 and 45 all approach 95_% one shot stopping capability.

On the other hand, a 9 may expand, but a 45 won’t ever shrink.....

The 9 may be more “shootable” for some, but 40s and 45s are not difficult to learn to shoot well either.

What I find amazing I is the shot/hit ratio compared between citizens and LEs. 6 and 4 compared to 14 and 3.....