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Notes -
I guess it would have been more accurate to say it is currently deployed as personal defense weapon. You don't go looking for a gun fight with it. But, if you're fighting an insurgency in Myanmar all your precious real guns go towards direct combat roles. Most likely to people with experience. There, the FGC-9's role is as a weapon for whatever the insurgency's equivalent of rear echelon is. Maybe that is 16 year old kids. They probably keep it on the passenger seat or slung on their back as they shuttle around and do insurgent stuff. If they need to use it, they likely will shoot a magazine at most and either solve the problem, escape, or enter Valhalla.
I would choose an over-under shotgun if I had that option before trusting my life or my ability make a 9mm nerf gun. Most places have a pathway to get a sporting shotgun. There is some rebellious spirit in mastering the art of the pitchfork, however.
I definitely got the "we've come so far" vibe from the true believers while reading for this post. Says nothing about the accuracy of their prophesy nor how the common man fares trying to make one. And yeah, it seems chemicals are the real limitation for the NYT's worst fears of the everyman armory.
I learned to sympathize with the mailman. Now I (try to remember to) carry pepper spray while on runs. Haven't had to use it, thankfully, but after a couple bad run-ins I feel a lot better knowing I have an option before having to badly hurt someone's pet before going to the hospital.
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