It's true that a "real" gun would be better than an airgun, but I don't know how I feel about keeping one in a car kit/BOB year round.

I think that a pellet gun could be a handy thing to have along, not as good as a "real" gun for all things, but the proper pellet gun could get lots of food, assuming birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc, are in the area. One could also provide lots of entertainment. But I am not sure that a small BB pistol would be good for much but entertainment. For critter gathering I would prefer a .22 cal, and a "pump" action would be better, since one can't carry a large supply of CO2 cylinders with them. I have never owned one, or even seen one in a while, but Coleman used to make a detachable shoulder stock for their pump pistol, seems to me that might be a compact, powerful, and somewhat accurate weapon...

Are they legal? It certaintly would make a pistol, pellet or otherwise, a lot more useful.

A pelletgun not being a firearm, seems to me that it would be legal as can be, at least where I live...

Here it is for a .177 pistol, haven't be able to locate it in .22 yet. And I don't know if the stock for the .177 can be used/modified to fit a .22...

Lewis and Clark carried two large caliber air rifles with them on their trip west and wrote in their journals that they took large game with them. I also saw a program on one of the out doors shows a few weeks ago, It was showing Gamo's new adult gun and ammo in .177 and they took two pigs (not real big ones around 80lbs but a lot bigger than any rabbit I ever saw) at around 25'. I have had a Sheridan Blue Streak in .20cal since I was a kid (many rebuilds ago). I have taken coyotes with it at 30'+ (with an unused pistol for backup). All in all an air rifle is not your best self defense weapon but it is an excellent and quiet way to procure small game for food.

I think so too, but it might be best to check your locality. I probably wouldn't bother with carrying a pellet gun anyway but it might be worthwhile to be able to fabricate a usable shoulder stock in the field for a regular sidearm. In a survival situation the legalities would be of secondary importance anyway.

"...why not just throw a rock at it?..."

Could work, I did actually manage to bean a rabbit with a rock once (I was actually just trying to get it to move, and conked it by mistake), but I can shoot just about anything with more accuracy than I can throw. Dizzy Dean I ain't...

IIRC Tennessee considers it to be a firearm for carry purposes. One of the local cities specifically outlawed the sale air rifles a long time ago and just recently did the same for paintball guns (2nd hand info on the paintball guns). All the other cities around have no problems. Look in the sporting good section of four out of five cities' Wally Worlds and no problem getting one but the only large retailers in one county can't carry them because they are in the city limits.

I also had a Sheriden 5mm and found it had the power of a 22cal and was most certainly deadly to all small game and birds. I felt like it could handle bigger vamints by merely being a little picky with my targeting.

I would love to find another one,,in the meantime, I keep a Crosman pump with beaucoup pellets and B-B's on hand!!