Re: Undeterred
Of course the concept of police in general, as well as courts and punishments for violent crime, deters some crime. I didn't think you were primarily arguing *deterrence* with Peter666; but rather, *prevention*.
One carrying a gun is more likely to be able to thwart a mugging of his own person, than are many police who are not on the scene at the moment (and the police can't be and aren't everywhere). Further it is not the mere threat of force in the case of carrying a gun--the mugger may actually get shot if the threat is not deterrent enough. If the police are not on the scene before the incident then all they and the courts can offer is the potential threat of punishment, whereas Peter can actually shoot to defend himself if need be.
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