That is really tired and untrue. If some ******* attacks me I have to plan on getting back to my rifle at my house to properly defend myself?
If I shoot you in the face with my handgun I'd say I was pretty well armed. The adage you state may be accurate in a military situation, but in most self-defense and even LE scenarios what you have with you is what you get.
I hope you plan on getting to a rifle after shoot me in the face, because I'm going to be pretty displeased with you.
I'd say your mistake in this situation is that you have to go all the way back to your house for the rifle. With a little planning you could have it much closer to your person at all times. This is going to be very important for those who choose to carry revolvers or 1911s with inferior ammunition capacities.