What if you relax your formulation from &quot;shoot a gun&quot; to &quot;carry a gun&quot;?  My day to day life is very much influenced by many people carring guns in a way that deters criminals without their having to fire a shot, and this was true long before my state allowed civilian concealed carry and I started carrying in it.<p>In one of its most famous formulations, &quot;People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.&quot;