

They sure make it sound like that.


Even a simpleton knows a baseball bat is considered a deadly weapon. 
If one cannot run away (e.g. old, infirm, even middle-aged if the
assailant is younger), a handgun is the most effective means of
defense. You won't even have to fire a shot 98% of the time.


Any real streetfighter (and there are LOTS of them), with or without a
knife, will kick the living sh** out of most people "trained in
unarmed self defense".  For the majority of people, a gun is the most
effective form of self defense.