True story:
I spent many years in South Africa, where you needed a licence for each owned firearm and if you owned it, you could carry it any way you liked. Laws were simple and attorneys were simple also. Life had little value.
I use to cycle competitively and due to all the violence I use to carry little 0.25 Taurus pistol in a plastic bag, in my cycling shirt. Working a job and riding competitively, meant out on the road before sunrise at 4:45 AM in the morning, so you can be back at home and in the shower two hours later, then have breakfast in the car while driving to work.
So, on a dark morning, at 4:45 AM, still waking up and cursing myself because on this day the program was hill sprints, which hurt, I am five minutes away from my house. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a dark figure charging me, he gets hold of my shirt and tries to pull me off the bike. The first reaction is surprise, then the adrenalin kicks in together with sub conscious reaction. So, I stood up on the pedals, with a massive sprint and managed to escape the attacker. A few seconds later, the testosterone kicks in, so I stop, decide there is a principle involved here, take my little 0.25 out of its plastic bag and head back to the attacker.
With concentration and testosterone mixed with adrenalin, I slowly cycle back, to see another dark figure, also on a bicycle, this one with a luggage box in front of the bars traveling down the road and our attacker does the same thing. He attacks this poor cyclist, same adrenalin reaction and the rider, cussing and yelling manages to pull free and get away. This fellar got such a fright though, the testosterone did not kick in, so he keeps going, even although he lost half his luggage.
I continue riding towards my attacker, who sees me and he charges again. I stop, both feet down on the pavement and wait until he is a couple of yards away, then pull the trigger, with a warning shot into the air. This little 0.25, with its short barrel made nice blue orange flame out the front, in the dark and it was amazingly loud. So, my attacker stops dead in his tracks, while I point the gun straight to his eyes. So, in sentences, where every second word starts with a "F" I asked him what he was thinking and what he was trying to do? Looking at the poor guy, he was unarmed, smaller than me and I wonder what he would have done, should he have succeeded in the first place.
So, this is what he says: "Boss, they stole my bicycle a few minutes ago, so when I saw you come past, I was just trying to steal one back."
Me: "You know, people like you should not be alive, sit down, put your hands on your head and let's discuss this a bit more"
Attacker: Sits down, hands on his head and says: "Please let me go, I am so sorry, my emotions got the better of me."
Me: "You know, you look like a sorry mess, I think the best thing I can do for you is just kill you right here, right now!!!"
At this point I pull the trigger, shooting past his side, the bullet hits a rock, and ricochets with a nice loud whizzing sound. My attacker jumps up and runs away like hell, while I fire two shots into the air. He hits a barbed wire fence at full speed, gets catapulted back and as he lands in the dirt, he is up again, running like a rabbit.
Enough fun for one day, the 0.25 went back in its plastic bag, and I proceeded with my training session. A few miles later I meet victim number two, who says: "Man, I heard you had a nice conversation, it went bang, bang, bang and I hope you killed him." I just laughed.
The best part of this whole experience was the following day. Riding the same route, my mind started playing games, telling me that my attacker will be waiting, same place, but this time with a AK47, versus my tiny little pistol. I could hear the words: "Mmmm, remember yesterday's meeting???" Never heard anything again, only memories remain and this was the only time in my life I used a gun for real.
Folks, I enjoy my guns out here in the US, but only on the range. You really don't need to be armed as a civilian here in the United States. It can only get you into trouble. You need to visit a few other countries around the globe, to realize how safe it is here and how isolated these incidents are. That is my 0.02C worth.