Tri-Power 455 is right on with his postings,
I'm not sure what experience the anti gun folks have with handguns, but if you were to get together with Sir Tri-power(please let it be a 1011)or any of the other folks who have some experience with handguns,or me, I think we could convince you through the few hours of popping off several hundred rounds of ammunition, that shooting a hand gun and being proficient with it , is not all that difficult! So, to then be put through some official training program, you would be more than capable of being proficient at using a hand gun! How many hours, or how many V-1 cuts did it take you to be proficient at making that decision? Times up dude! what was it? What was the decision?
The decisions we have to make every day,(IMHO) are far more difficult than being able to know when we must use our weapon
This has been a most enjoyable discussion, albeit,split from both sides of the ocean!
Tri-Power, I would love to go shooting with you sometime! Are you ever in Idaho?