LAHORE: Widely used by terrorists in Karachi to kill military, Rangers, police personnel and other notable civilians, small handguns like the 9 mm calibre pistols have been preferred for decades by killers, terrorists, civilian shooting sportsmen and security agencies world over because they need fewer repairs, are less prone to breakage, their reliability, silence, accuracy, suppression, long life, ideal weight, compactness and convenience to handle, besides allowing shooters to carry more rounds. Research conducted by the “Jang Group and Geo Television Network” reveals that the 9mm is deemed to be an extremely versatile weapon, especially at close to medium ranges.The silenced 9mm only requires one load-out point to equip, making it the cheapest silenced weapon in the game in terms of load-out points. While most gun experts throughout the world admit that 9 mm calibre pistols are weaker than revolvers because they deal 20 damage per shot and thus normally require five body shots to down an opponent, as compared to the revolver’s three shot-down potential, they all unanimously agree that this weapon has less recoil that allows faster and more accurate follow up shots. However, the 9mm’s unusually high headshot damage makes it one of the most lethal firearms for those possessing the expertise of aiming for the head.In most parts of the world, the two most common 9mm semi-automatic pistols are the Colt Defender and the Beretta Model 70. Research further shows that at 5.17 pm on January 30, 1948, a Hindu nationalist activist Nathuram Godse had killed Mahatma Gandhi at New Delhi’s Birla Bhavan with an automatic 9mm Beretta pistol (1934 model). While two of the projectiles had pierced Gandhi’s 79 year old frail body, one was lodged in his chest.Prior to his death, there had been five unsuccessful attempts to kill Gandhi, the first occurring in 1934. (Reference: Numerous Indian newspapers and the New York Times)The revolutionary Libyan ruler Colonel Gaddafi was also shot dead with a 9mm pistol on October 20, 2011. BBC News had reported on October 31, 2011: “A man claiming to be an eyewitness told the BBC that he saw Colonel Gaddafi being shot with a 9mm gun in the abdomen at around 1230 local time and initial video footage seemed to show his body being dragged through the streets of Misrata.” The 9 mm pistol was also used by the Nepalese heir to the throne, Prince Dipendra, in the country’s Royal massacre of June 1, 2001.Prince Dipendra had killed nine members of his family, including his parents, and had shot himself during a party or monthly reunion dinner of the Nepalese Royal family in their Kathmandu palace. Prince Dipendra became de jure King of Nepal upon his father’s death, according to norms, but had died in a state of coma at a local hospital just three days after the massacre.(References: The Indian Express, the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph) However, Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II had survived a 9mm pistol attack at the St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on May 13, 1981. A professional Turkish hit-man, Mehmet Ali Aga, had once emptied a magazine of a 1976 commercially-made “FN Browning” Hi-Power 9mm pistol into Pope John Paul II’s body, but the pontiff had managed to live on despite getting wounded four times. (References: Various European and American media houses) By the way, according to an October 31, 2015 report of the “Washington Post,” the American FBI was planning to return to 9mm pistols after having shunned and abandoned them once following the deadly 1986 shootout at Miami, because it had failed to penetrate far enough into the gunman’s torso. The “Washington Post” had stated: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation is returning to the ammunition caliber it labeled ineffective and blamed for the deaths of two of its agents during a 1986 shootout in Miami—the 9mm jacketed hollow-point Luger. In addition to the new bullet, the FBI has decided to purchase a new pistol to fire it, something that could be in the hands of the FBI’s approximately 13,000 agents by 2016, according to Bureau officials.” According to the prestigious American newspaper, the FBI had issued a request in early October 2015 for acquiring a new pistol, a contract worth up to $85 million. It had also had quoted the findings of a September 2014 FBI Training Division Report, which had concluded that the 9mm pistol’s weight increased an agent’s accuracy in a gunfight, and was hence the best option among handguns for law enforcement agencies. Numerous American media outlets have carried reports, whereby confirming that the FBI was not the only admirer of the 9mm pistols, as executives at all the major ammunition companies had confirmed that law enforcement orders for this particular ammunition had spiked in recent years. Research further shows that 9 mm pistols are manufactured by many countries, including Pakistan, and are readily available in a wide range of models, shapes, specifications and prices. In Pakistan, the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) at Wah Cantt manufacture some high quality models of 9 mm pistols too, though a lot of illegal factories at Dara Adam Khel and country’s tribal areas also have the capacity to churn out crude versions and clones of this weapon in large numbers. These pistols are popular among the Pakistani Army officials, Signal personnel, Para jumpers, SSG officers on special duty, Military police and other civil law enforcement agencies. As far as the prices of this weapon in Pakistan are concerned, numerous newspaper articles and arms dealers have often suggested in not-so-distant past that depending on the country of manufacture, condition and genuineness, these pistols are readily available between Rs15,000 per piece to Rs200,000, or even more. In United States, here follow the prices (in brackets) of some of the most widely-preferred 9mm pistol models: Taurus PT 92 (around $450-$499. But for stainless steel model add $30 more), Beretta 92FS Commercial (priced around $569-$609, this particular model is being used by the American Military and police officers due to its solid design and shooting ability), Walther P99 AS (around $568-$610), Glock 17 Gen 4 (featuring a very good range performance and a trigger that is quite acceptable for combat, it is priced between $528 and $565), FN Herstal FNX-9 (around $568-$605), Baby Eagle II BE9915R (around $539-$568), SIG Sauer P226 (around $898 – $1,100), EAA Witness Elite Match (around $578-$615), Springfield XDm 4.5 inches (around $565-$625) and the CZ 75 SP-01 (around $615-$660).
