In both cases the answer is yes. Jail/prison interviews with offenders show a very high percentage of them having been previously deterred knowing or suspecting their target was armed and that about 75% of them know of others who have also been so deterred.AndyC wrote: ↑Tue Sep 25, 2018 12:23 pm An interesting point.
The question should not be, "Do guns prevent crime?" The question should be, "Are guns useful at resisting crime?"https://fee.org/articles/how-to-spot-mi ... ol-debate/To illustrate the difference, let’s suppose that I encounter a mugger while taking a walk. I brandish my firearm to the mugger, who is undeterred and rushes me with a knife. I then shoot the mugger, stopping the crime. In that situation, my gun has failed to prevent a crime, but it was successful at resisting a crime. The gun was an effective and reasonable means of self-defense even though it failed to deter the would-be mugger.
As for the rest, you won't stop an armed, determined attacker with a few kind words.