I agree.
I am a daily watcher of Liveleak, which posts new videos of police officer involved shootings (and body camera footage) and civillian shootings as well.
I'll have to say, handguns sure as hell don't seem as ineffective as many Internet gurus tend to think for whatever reasons. In fact they usually do the intended job of stopping the threat quite well.
Someone above mentioned handguns "suck at killing men."
"Handguns suck at stopping people" or some version of it is parroted because its what they read.
If a person was shot from the side, as shooting a broadside deer, one bullet could perforate both lungs, the person (like a deer) would have up to ten seconds of voluntary action remaining; that doesn't correlate with suck, because a .243 would allow the same amount of time on a double lung hit.
People attacking someone would typically be shot facing forward, one bullet might get one lung but not both, time remaining for voluntary action has now increased; doesn't mean the bullet sucked, person still has one functional lung.
Equally annoying to the handguns suck cliche are the
"doctors can't tell a difference" and
"temporary cavity from handguns doesn't do any damage / matter".
Broad generalizations.
There are two possibilities:
(1.) There are photos of damage from different handgun rounds indicating the caliber and bullet used, for example subjects A, B, C shot with 9mm/40/45 HST, subjects D, E, F shot with 9mm/40/45 Gold Dot, and G, H, I were Golden Saber in 9mm/40/45 and a team of medical professionals can't discern any wound difference, how about you? Pics available for layperson review.
(2.) There are not comparison pics, rather this cliche is based on anecdotal observations of doctors more focused on saving a patients life than differentiating between the damage done by different bullets.
I assume it to be the 2nd of the two possibilities, possibility 1 would be a published book.
KE doesn't matter at handgun velocity generalization:
Very likely that differences in caliber and bullet type aside most people shot by police and civilians alike are with handgun bullets generating less than 400# KE including 9mm, 40, 45 and it is possible that less than 400# KE doesn't result in obvious or meaningful temporary cavity effect.
I've seen 2,000 fps cited as the velocity at which damage from the temporary cavity isn't so temporary, starts to matter. I am skeptical that there is
zero difference below the 2,000 fps threshold. Makes more sense that it might be zero effect at 1,000 fps, (350# KE) but some difference at 1,300 fps (500-600# KE) increasing with velocity (KE) up to 2,000 fps where apparently the effect is wow. (deer lungs turned into pulp)
Less commonly used carry calibers capable of generating 500+# KE are 357 Sig and 10mm.
Temporary cavity effect in gel is dismissed by "KE don't matter" people because gel is not tissue, accurate statement.
Find an example where someone took the time to take pics of a deer they shot with 10mm and the reply is "just one deer" or damage bigger than the bullet on entry is not the same as lungs, need to see the lungs. (actual replies)
I like deer meat and I've bowkilled a couple dozen.
Gun season opens soon and I'm taking a Delta Elite 10mm, not a bow.
Bullet is 155 XTP @ 1,400 fps (my chrono average) generating 675# KE at muzzle.
According to ballistics calculator that will have about 1,330 fps /608# KE at 18 yards, anticipated distance at which hopefully a deer will be shot.
If successful, I will see for myself whether 600# KE produces any tissue damage beyond the diameter of the bullet (temporary cavity effect that aint so temporary).
If no, then parroted generalization of
"KE don't matter at handgun velocity" accurate enough. However, if there is 1.5 inch of pulverized lung tissue from a bullet that only expands to .65 then the generalization is mythbusted and I will have pics for peer (layperson)
review.
Subsequent generalization parroted on internet will have to include a disclaimer like "KE don't matter from
commonly used handguns" cause it would not apply to someone carrying a Glock 20 or Delta Elite with ammo producing excess of 600# KE.