AlmostTrick: that's a good (pertinent) question. In my 38 years, of all the people I've discussed this with (in any forum: college, work, personal, etc), I've only known one person who has claimed to have pulled a gun in a home defense scenario. Never have I known one to make the same claim as it pertains to any other scenario, including this one (bicycle commute). I can think of several first hand experiences where a handgun was present but never needed and only served to escalate the risk to the homeowner and his/her family. In addition, I read daily of unintentional and tragic accidental deaths of the innocent as a result of gun fire. Although Americans love to fall victim to all the fear mongoring (especially at the hands of the NRA), it is highly unlikely that many of us will ever fall victim to a violent crime, with an even higher unlikelihood that we'd be ready, willing, and able to utilize a gun in our self-defense.