I read that there was an FBI report that showed that more humans were killed in the USA by a .22 than any other caliber. A single shot may not be that lethal, but the low recoil makes accurate multi-shot results quite good (or bad, depending on your point-of-view, literally).
I am picturing a < 5 ft tall, 78 year old LOL (little old lady) with a "wimpy" 0.22 revolver as the last thing a lot of perps see..... :^)
And I have no problem AT ALL believing your FBI statistics.
Show me one person who wants to be shot with a .22