If you have spent more than 10 minutes in any handgun related forum, you are bound to bump into a thread regarding the need (or lack) for spare magazines/speedloaders. The Armchair SWAT Members will beat their chest and proclaim how good shooters they are and that will only need whatever their gun carries to win the battle. The Legal Worrywarts fear that if they are faced into a confrontation and survive, a slick District Attorney with a political agenda may use the spare loading devices as proof you were itching for a murder.  Both points are hogwash and I am saying this in the nicest way I can muster. You carry spares because you may need them.

Am I saying you will be facing a horde of Zombies and carrying 21, 31 or 50 rounds may be necessary? No, but what may happen is that you will have a malfunction that will leave you hanging for dear life if you cannot solve it in a fast and resolute manner. I have seen shooters of all calibers experience magazine related malfunctions at IDPA matches and if a malfunction cannot be resolved with the standard Tap-Rack-Bang, they go for the spare mag and solve the problem. This applies also to real life where you must immediately drop the troublesome magazine and replace it immediately with a fresh one because you won’t be able to call time-out and figure out what’s wrong. Criminals are impolite that way.  About the only acceptable variation is if you carry a back up gun and go for it after a malfunction happens (also known as a New York Reload) which provides you with a functioning firearm to save your life.