[Stealhead]

It all boils down to ones level of training with a pistol.Yes you do have much less stability with a pistol but this does not mean that they inherently inaccurate.A person that trains themselves properly to use a pistol under stress should be fairly accurate.

If you are not properly trained you could miss with any type of firearm even at that range.

The best split second handgun shooting that I have ever heard of was an Air Force Security Forces(SP) member some guy came on the base and killed some people inside the base hospital he then grabbed a woman and walked out side with her this SP just happened to be outside the location the gunman was walking out off and fired one bullet from an M9(Beretta M92) into the gunman's head game over.

I would say given the time span and situation one could only have done worse and missed more shots. According to the US military about 33% of rounds fired hit the intended target for sniper units the average is about 80%.

Also according to CNN: "Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the bystanders were not hit directly by police, but rather the officers' struck "flowerpots and other objects around, so ... their bullets fragmented and, in essence, that's what caused the wounds."

I love the armed civilian concept here though that is a laugh you can get a carry permit in a few hours they provide you with no realistic training and do not require you to qualify with your
weapon on a regular basis.In other words the person carrying could be a horrible shot be a panicky freak and that is just bad news.Sure there are some people that have carry permits that actually know what they are doing but you cant be sure. Realistically a conceal carry is best for a robbery or other situation where the suspect is forced to flee when they realize that their intended victim was packing heat or in a similar situation where merely the display of the firearm is enough to end the situation.