It's a lottery with a bad prize. The gun owner in a case like this would feel a touch empowered, but no less subliminally inadequate; the other person would likely not think about the possibility... until after the first time it actually happened.
Both of the two in THIS case will be a LOT less confrontational in the future.
As I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I can't fault the fireman for carrying, just for his appalling lack of judgment and intelligence in pulling it (and AFTER the confrontation was over) and using it! The cyclist was no threat.
I also understand that there are aggravating factors -- mental imbalance, felony conviction -- to prevent gun ownership. There are a LOT of people, however, who are lucky as hell there's not an IQ test involved, too! Sometimes, I think there needs to be -- not just for guns, but for cars, too.