You heard it on The Daily Paul first. 9mm handguns are unreliable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1RvTJBdRuA
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Ron Paul Supporter Since 1997

“We have allowed our nation to be over taxed and over regulated and overrun by bureaucrats, the founders would be ashamed of us for what we're putting up with” Ron Paul

Apparently they are being converted to use live ammo by gangs in England:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article255829...

My guess is that the conversion does not provide a good seal for the bullet in the barrel, thus dramatically decreasing muzzle velocity.

While there are questions of 9mm stopping power, a short range head shot by a full power 9mm will not be stopped by a person's nose.

used in that crime was a converted blank-firing pistol.
It most likely used a blank cartridge with some sort of projectile put onto it, and the barrel of the gun bored-out so that it could fire something.
That is not indicative of a "normal" 9mm pistol.

Now, I prefer the 45 myself, but I assure you that if that gentleman had received a similar close range shot from a "normal" 9mm pistol, he would be quite dead now.