The first of these two guns to hit the market was the NAA Guardian, which launched in 1997.

Two pocket pistols that have stayed on top of the little gun heap are the North American Arms Guardian and the Kel-Tec P-32. And some designs and ammunition combinations have been more successful than others. But ultra compact semi-autos are working guns with the specific purpose of easy concealment in mind. As a result, pocket pistols are not generally considered 'fun' to shoot. Getting the gun to be small often means giving up the weight, size, sights and controls that make handguns comfortable to shoot and operate. Whatever caliber they may be chambered in, all pocket guns have been designed from the ground up, or from the chop-shop down, to be as small as possible while still providing at least some gun for the shooter to hold on to. It's important to note here that when shopping for deep concealment pistols it's prudent to compare apples to apples. But the cartridge can be chambered in guns that are measurably smaller and lighter than the current run of.

32 offers an improvement in stopping power compared to pistols chambered in. 32 ACP, also known as the 7.65 mm Browning, have been a popular carry option for quite some time.

Pocket autos also serve nicely as back-up guns, when having a second, or even a third, gun makes sense for the situation. As a group, these little semi-autos fit comfortably between the more powerful handguns that get left at home because of weight and size, and the fist full of thin air that comes with having no defensive firearm at all. Pocket pistols fill an important niche in the defensive firearms market.

32 calibre handguns