The demand for self-defense was born at the dawn of time when the first cave man bitch-slapped the second cave man. Ever since, we humans have scratched and clawed our way up the evolutionary ladder of personal defense tools.
Starting with brute physical strength (punching, kicking, grappling, etc.), our ancestors found that stabbing with an edged weapon and smashing people over the head with impact weapons, were quite effective in stopping a threat. A good example of this in later millennia, (when we were much more civilized – circa 790AD), is Charles Martel[1] who dominated the Battle of Tours[2] with a large mace, earning him the historical moniker “The Hammer”.
As time marched on, well into the 1500’s, sharp pointy things such as rapiers (highly developed fighting swords made with top-grade steel) and daggers, where, at the time, the most advanced self-defense weapons available. However, according to Giacomo di Grassi (acclaimed 16th century fencing master), “It takes a minimum of 30 hours of training weekly to defend one’s honor.” Again, those with the stamina, wherewithal (reliable swords were not cheap!), physical strength, martial skills and conditioning prevailed.
Even though gunpowder was discovered in China (some sources say as early as 800AD), use of it to effectively launch directed projectiles didn’t occur until the advent of the match lock in the 1400’s (which didn’t work on rainy days). By the 1600’s the flint lock had replaced the wheel lock, but it wouldn’t be for another 200 years before percussion caps were introduced.
Rimfire and centerfire cartridges[3] finally arrived on scene in the late 1800’s, along with the corresponding revolving cylinder handgun (revolver) which is still available to us today.
A repeating rifle or shot gun was (and still is!) great for self-defense but neither fit comfortably in a business suit, hence why pistols, lighter and less cumbersome than rifles to carry connected to your body, became all the rage with the settling of the old West.
The quintessential six-round wheel-gun ruled the roost until the late 1890’s when John Moses Browning developed and later patented the first functional (U.S. military-approved and mass producible) semi-automatic high-capacity handgun – the M1911 in .45 ACP. A design utilized to this very day.
Although we may have evolved into a more civilized society, some things never change. Extreme physical violence remains both prevalent and persistent. Bottom line is, bad guys are just as intent on trying to kill you today as did their ancestors 10,000 years ago.
Given the advent of modern firearms technology at the start of the 20th century, small became the new big. To this very day, defense-minded citizens demand a personal defense tool that is reliable, light weight, comfortable to wear, and easy to shoot.
Even though it may be thin, flat and light (three good reasons to carry a semi-auto pistol), it both shoots well and provides unparallel comfort in either pocket carry or holstered inside the waistband (IWB). In fact, its concealability (short, thin, slide assembly), lends itself quite nicely to appendix inside the waistband (AIWB) carry.
Circumstances such as business suit or business casual or an environment where printing may not be so very socially acceptable, warrant the carry and accessibility of such an easily concealable firearm.
Imagine you find yourself in a self-defense situation where you may be pitted against two or more barbarians, intent on smashing and/ or hacking you into bite-size pieces. What peace of mind to know that you can rely on a highly evolved tool for your personal defense.
[1] Charles Martel was a Frankish statesman and military leader who was Duke and Prince of the Franks and ruler of Francia from 718 until his death in 741.
[2] Battle of Tours (aka Battle of Poitiers) 10 Oct 732 a significant battle where the Franks defended their homeland from Arab and Berber invaders.
[3] Colonel Hiram Berdan (American inventor of the Berdan primer) and Rear-Admiral Edward Boxer (British inventor of the boxer primer)