By Tamara Keel

In a perfect world, every decent citizen would have the raw pistol-shooting skills of a B-class USPSA competitor, have taken dozens of hours of scenario-based training from qualified instructors, and tote a double-stack pistol in a service caliber, complete with a reload or two, every time they step foot out their front door.

Alas, this world is not that world, and for a multitude of reasons.

First, even with the best concealment holster systems out there, like the PHLster Enigma, carrying a decent-sized handgun requires a certain commitment to the bit. The need to “dress around the gun” is reduced, but not entirely eliminated, and that can cause some folks to pause and reconsider the size of handgun they’re willing to accommodate in their life.

The second reason is that for some people, the consequences of being caught toting could be life altering… and we’re not just talking people who decide to flout corporate regulations.

So the very compact blaster still has a place in life. In 2024 these are generally divided into two types of handgun: Small-caliber semi-auto pistols, typically chambered in chamberings from .22LR to .380ACP, and also small-frame 2” snub-nosed revolvers chambered in the calibers derived from .32 Smith & Wesson Long and .38 Special.

For those restricted by dress codes, a micro compact pistol in .22LR or .380 ACP might just be the ticket for a reassuring defense piece in a pants pocket or the concealed carry compartment of a purse without weighing things down to a suspicious degree.

Similarly, these flyweight pistols won’t be obtrusive for the person who wants to remain armed on those days when they’re home and just lounging around the house. A pistol that weighs less than a pound isn’t likely to drag down one’s trousers when pocket carried or clipped inside the waistband with a small holster like a De Santis Slim Tuk, and can be reassuring when answering a surprise knock at the door or dragging the trash cans to the curb after midnight.

Of course, these little handguns are easy to carry and can serve as backup pieces for a bigger primary carry piece, which is one of their more common carry uses, especially among law enforcement, but there’s a different “backup” purpose for which they’re very well-suited.

Your humble correspondent is one of those people who lives in a part of the U.S.A. that gets… well, let’s not mince words: It gets really frickin’ cold here in the winters.

In the middle of a Hoosier winter, I’m not hardy enough to go wandering around outside with my coat unzipped, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still have to venture out on errands between November and February.

During that time of the year, it’s reassuring to have a small revolver, like a 2” barreled Taurus 327, tucked in an outside coat pocket, where it’s easier to reach than my actual primary CCW pistol, that’s buried under layers of cold weather clothing.

As a bonus, by using the upper left outside breast pocket to store the little wheelgun in its Uncle Mike’s pocket holster, I can reach it even when seated in a car with the seatbelt fastened without the need to unzip my coat when getting in the car.

It may be a world that favors big, duty-sized handguns, but the small pocket pistol will always satisfy the proverbial “First Rule of Gunfights”: Have a gun.