 Pistols are a pain in the butt to carry, but if this citizen had to do it all over again, I'm certain he would have preferred to have the gun readily accessible and on his person. It's not fun running to the car while a man is shooting at you with a rifle. And finally, the armed citizen was able to get behind cover during the gunfight and stand toe-to-toe against a violent felon who was using a long gun.