It’s interesting to me that so many “knowledgeable” men so often recommend revolvers to women as defense guns. They’ll go through the whole list of horrible things that can happen with semi-automatics, how revolvers are fool-proof, and how the revolver really is the woman’s gun because they say so.

Ladies, next time you’re in a gun shop and some guy tries to peddle a revolver on you over a semi, just ask them a question: “What do you carry and why?”

If he answers with anything other than “A revolver and this is why…” followed by a well-stated, logical argument as to why the revolver is the best defense firearm for him, then he’s an idiot. And here’s why:

Illogical Argument: Revolvers don’t jam and they don’t malfunction like semi-autos do!

Reality: Revolvers can and do malfunction. They have clockwork-like internals and any mishandling — like cylinder spinning and slamming the cylinder closed — will greatly decrease the reliability of the firearm.

Illogical Argument: Revolvers are easier to reload.

Reality: Clearly, anyone who says this has never tried to quickly extract a cylinder full of expanded cases from a revolver. Nor have they spent much time trying to position a speed-loader full of cartridges into a cylinder under pressure.

Illogical Argument: There’s no safeties to fiddle with on a revolver! Just point and click.

Reality: Lots of concealed-carry compact semi-autos don’t have any manual safeties other than a stout trigger pull just like a revolver does.

Illogical Argument: Revolvers are easier to operate than a semi!

Reality: This depends entirely on what your definition of “easier” is. Once you learn how to function something and spend a reasonable amount of time training with it, it’ll become second nature. There’s no “easier” or “harder” — it’s a learning thing.

Illogical Argument: A hammerless revolver won’t snag in your little designer purse!

Reality: Irrelevant for several reasons. Not all women carry a purse. Off-body carry isn’t always a good idea for everyone in every circumstance. And semi-autos designed for concealed carry are also designed to not snag.

Illogical Argument: A revolver is more compact than a semi automatic and will conceal in your purse better!

Reality: Clearly they’ve never heard of the Ruger LCP and LC9, the Sig P238, Kahrs, the S&W Bodyguard series, the Kel-Tec PF-9 and P-11, and a dozen other compact semi-automatics.

Illogical Argument: You can fire a revolver from inside your handbag/coat pocket!

Reality: Generally, I personally recommend against even considering doing this. The primary reason is that to do so, your pistol would have to be removed from any retention device (a holster!) enough to point it and to access the trigger, which would require a sufficient amount of free space to maintain concealment while extracting from said retention. With that kind of free space, any suitably-sized semi-auto would also function just fine in that space. If your life depends on it (and it does) then practice clearing concealment and getting on target. Every single time.

Illogical Argument: You need this small, little five-shot revolver with the one or two awkward five-shot reloads because you’re a woman and I need this semi-automatic with the 18+1 primary capacity and the two backup 18-round magazines because I’m a man! Just because I’m a man and I said so!

Reality: **head**desk**

Add your own!

My only conclusion is that the guys who promote this nonsense are narrow-minded, ignorant, bigoted — or all three.

So, what is the right concealed carry gun for a woman? It’s the same as the right concealed carry gun for a man: the one that fits, that you carry all the time, and that become proficient with.

There is no perfect firearm, but next time, I’ll put together a list of semi-autos that I think are reasonable concealed-carry pistols for anyone.