Wow, this may take the prize for a resurrected thread, being from 2002.
Interestingly enough, there's a timely thread about NAA revolvers going on at another gun forum, too.
I've had one of the basic, shortest barreled .22LR versions for some years. It's been languishing in the safe for at least 15 years because there came a point when anything below .32 ACP was specifically prohibited for off-duty/secondary carry. I was doing so much training and shooting as a firearms instructor/armorer that I was seldom thinking of doing any shooting for "fun & leisure", so my .22's hardly ever came out of the safe. (When they did, it was either my older Ruger Standard 6", or my 4" MKII.)
Now that I'm retired, the little .22 has seen some time outside the safe and on the range ... and in my pocket, occasionally.
I've always looked at the NAA revolvers as being interesting and fun, as well as something that might be handy for a last-ditch hideout weapon in an Onion Field type situation.
Their diminutive size and single action operation does make them more difficult to manipulate and shoot, granted, but I grew up learning to shoot using single action revolvers. The ultra small size required some familiarization and practice. If my hands were any larger, it might not be as easy to use them.
A close friend of mine (another retired peace officer & firearms instructor) recently examined my .22LR version. He decided to pick one up and carry it as a 3rd retirement weapon (he commonly carries a pair of guns during his normal daily activities, having done so for a lot of years). It's basically become a "backup" to his "backup" LCP or .22 MAG kitgun.
I think there's an element of nostalgic enjoyment in owning the little NAA guns. I also think they can be a bit gimmicky (belt buckle, where legal, and the folding grip).
I tend to think of them, in the hands of a skilled and experienced revolver shooter, as probably being a better last-ditch defensive option than a "tactical pen".
They can certainly be carried unobtrusively (I use a leather pocket holster, and carry in the condition recommended by the gun maker).
I recently asked one of the cop shops where I know the folks to order one of the basic, short barreled .22 MAG versions for me. The local retail gun stores where I've seen them in the display case have them marked quite a bit above the MSRP listed on the NAA website, so I decided to have the cop shop find one for me. Oddly enough, I was told that their usual handful of distributors all reported being out-of-stock, so they had to order one for me.
Maybe there's something going around about the little NAA's, making them suddenly interesting? Dunno. I probably should've bought the one that was in the display case of the cop shop a couple years ago, but I didn't know I was going to want one.
Anyway, it's something I've decided I'd like to have, and I've spent more than enough years ordering/buying the larger common pistols and revolvers. I could carry the pistols & revolvers with which I've trained and qualified, and not have to carry the same one twice in more than a month. Now, I'd like to buy something just because it might be fun, as well as possibly practical in some limited sense.
I think
Bill probably offered the most common reason for owning one ...
Everyone should own at least one-just because they are cute.
As good a reason as any.
