Don't Fall In Love With A Little Gun
There is a fine line between a weapon and a talisman, and a little gun can cause you to cross it. Just because something technically qualifies as a "gun" doesn't necessarily make it an adequate self-defense tool. Sure, little guns can be deadly--eventually--but the issue is not and has never been lethality; it is the gun's ability to cease an attack with immediacy.

Little guns, and I'm talking .22 LRs, .25 ACPs, and even .22 Magnums, may not get the job done. Oh, they're plenty dangerous. Your attacker may expire from a nasty infection a month later or may immediately succumb to a particularly well-placed--read "lucky"--shot, but typically they do not quickly and reliably end attacks.

Yet they are easy to love. They are so convenient, so effortless to carry and conceal. They make concealed carry, which can be a real pain in the neck, almost bearable. The problem is that if convenience is that important to you, you're not that serious about personal protection.

There are only three valid reasons to carry a little gun. First, it's the only carry gun you own. Second, it's the only gun you can conceal under the immediate circumstances. Third, you are wearing it as backup to a larger gun.

The basic rule of thumb is to carry the biggest, most potent, best fitting gun that you can reasonably conceal on a given day. Yet being enraptured with a little gun will make you drop it in a jacket pocket on a crisp fall day, leaving the .40-cal. at home, all the while you're telling yourself that you're armed.

Options among carry guns have never been better. Unless you have trouble controlling them, pistols like the .32 ACP Kel-Tec P32 (6.6 ounces), .380 ACP Kel-Tec P3AT (8.3 ounces), and the brand-new .380 ACP Ruger LCP (9.3 ounces) and .380 ACP Kahr KP3833 (10 ounces) leave little reason to carry a small gun. In fact, some mouse guns weigh as much as or more than these new, more powerful pistols.

A P3AT in an Uncle Mike's pocket holster is about as convenient as carry guns get while still meeting the traditional power floor of .380 ACP. But should you carry it on those days you could readily conceal a Glock 23? Certainly...but as a backup to the Glock.

Carrying a mouse gun and kidding yourself that you are fairly "armed" is a delusion--a potentially dangerous one. If you're going to carry a gun regularly, get serious about it.

Start Small, But Not Puny
That said, if you are buying your first carry gun, or are planning on purchasing only one carry gun, go with a compact model in a suitable caliber. Yes, full-size guns are easier to handle and shoot accurately, but your first priority in a gunfight is to have a gun, so get one you can carry as often as possible. A compact gun allows you to carry in more situations than a full-size model. If you have the scratch and the inclination, you can get the full-size model at some point down the line and wear it as circumstances permit, but the compact model, for most people, will likely get far more use.

And by the way, when assessing the dimensions of a carry gun, follow what I call the Sir Mix-a-Lot Rule: pay attention to the size of the butt. More so than the barrel, it will most often determine a gun's practical concealability, particularly if you use an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster.

Different, Yet The Same
If you plan to purchase a battery of carry guns, make sure they operate the same way, at least in a broad sense. That is not to say they all have to be of the same make or even the same type of gun. What you want to avoid is reaching for your gun and having to try to recall how the one you're carrying that day operates.

"Let's see, did I wear the Hi Power today? If so, I'll have to disengage that safety. Um, wait, maybe I put on the SIG P220. There's no external safety, but I'd better be prepared for that transition from double-action to single-action. Oh, and I hope I remember to decock before reholstering. Oops, that's right, it's Wednesday, so I'm packing the H&K P7--gotta squeeze that frontstrap."