Most certainly a 380 wouldn’t be the weapon of choice.
Better than trying to throw a rock frozen to the ground.
A .380 wouldn’t be the sidearm of choice to penetrate thick winter clothing. But, in this instance no shots were fired. Just their seeing the gun pointed at them was enough. A .380 could have worked just fine for that. It beats a knife or 2X4.
No, a .380 would not be my first choice, or my second choice. But if a .380 is all that is available, well....