Handgun Defined

Many people claim that a handgun isn't necessary for self-defense with today's technology.  They claim there are viable alternatives to using a handgun (indeed, they'll blindly apply it to any firearm). They will tell you about pepper sprays, stun guns and the Taser as examples.

I recently had a run-in with a local resident here in California who held these kinds of views.  It was his assertion that these technological marvels have replaced the lethal force of the handgun.  I decided to ask him what a handgun was and he gave me a dictionary's definition.  I found that definition somewhat lacking as far as describing the useful attributes of a handgun, so I invented my own.

Webster's dictionary: 
A firearm (as a revolver or pistol) designed to be held and fired with one hand. 


Bill's Definition: 
A reliable, concealable, all-weather, multi-purpose defensive weapon which can operated with one hand, usable by a wide variety of people from young to old, small to large in defense of their lives and those of their families because it is capable of effectively engaging multiple targets over both long and short distances, and/or can often be used to prevent a violent criminal act by its mere presence and its ability to inflict great bodily injury or death. 


What do you think?  Did I miss any attributes? 


I think it'll be a long, long time before handguns are replaced as a defensive weapon of choice.