I don't know much about guns. My step dad had one of those rugars or lugars something like that. It was a pistol that held 22 shells. One time when I was a kid a low life was using his fist on my sister and I got the gun and pointed it at the bastard. Another time a different low life scumbag was terrorizing my sister and I had my step dads 16 gauge browning shotgun pointed out the front window at that prick. Both times the slime slithered away. I wonder how it would have affected me as a kid if I had pulled the trigger. I'm sure the shotgun probably would have slammed my shoulder pretty good. I hate the damn things.
Well, there you go, you need a gun in situations like you described. If you had shot those low lifes - would it really be a great loss?