John Farnam’s blunt assessment still stings because it collides with a stubborn human desire: the wish that a single cartridge could erase the uncertainty of a violent encounter. The article’s core message is that no modern hollow-point, bonded core, or boutique “tactical” load can guarantee an instant stop; physiology, shot placement, and the attacker’s mental state remain the decisive variables. What the piece rightly calls a “fool’s errand” is the endless online quest for the perfect caliber or bullet weight, a distraction that too often substitutes gear fetishism for the harder work of skill-building and mindset.

For the 2A community the implication is both sobering and liberating. If stopping power is largely a myth, then the Second Amendment’s practical value rests less on the mystique of any particular firearm and more on the citizen’s willingness to train, carry consistently, and accept legal responsibility. That shifts the conversation from endless caliber debates toward marksmanship fundamentals, medical-response readiness, and the political defense of shall-issue carry laws that let law-abiding citizens keep a proven tool within reach. In other words, the right to keep and bear arms is vindicated not by magic bullets but by millions of ordinary people who understand that the gun is only as effective as the person holding it.