Everyone is welcome to his own opinion, but I'll disagree. A handgun, even a large one, is convenient and easy enough to keep with you while you are doing any of a multitude of other things (fishing, hiking, building fence, quail hunting, etc). A rifle is something you usually leave behind unless you are specifically expecting to use it.

'Four legs good, two legs baaaad."
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"Jimmy, some of it's magic,
Some of it's tragic,
But I had a good life all the way."
(Jimmy Buffett)

SotG