Nothing that Bob Costas said is untrue and he has a right to say it even if it weren't.

[spin]

103. Several people I know who have carry permits have stopped an attack from a person armed ...

with a knife. In all cases the attack ended when my friends showed they were armed. The attacker probably realized that bringing a knife to a gun fight is a bad plan. A concealed handgun can easily stop a large rapist who plans to attack a small female.

Obviously the best tactic to avoid being in a dangerous situation is to not be there. That can involve using something called "situational awareness." Most people walk around with a cell phone glued to their ear and consequently are targets for predators. Merely being aware of your surroundings and alert may cause a dangerous individual to pick a different victim.

Of course situational awareness is no 100% guarantee against being a victim. If you find yourself facing an armed individual it wise to realize that in most cases your attacker is using the weapon to cause you to comply with his desires. If all he wants is your money it is best to simply give him your wallet. You may be a martial arts expert with the skill necessary to disarm him or you may be carrying your own legal weapon, however you should be aware that replacing your health is far more difficult than replacing your money, your ID and your credit cards.

But in a few instances you may realize that your attacker is unstable and extremely aggressive and there is an excellent chance that he plans to send you to the hospital for an extended stay or put you six feet under even after you give up your wallet. In such a situation it is worth using your martial arts skills or your weapon as you have little to lose by doing so.

I do see your point about having your weapon in your hand. I have a concealed weapons permit and I carry a snub nosed .38 caliber revolver in my pants pocket. Fortunately I have never had a reason to draw my weapon but there have been a couple of times where my situational awareness alerted me and I found myself in a potentially dangerous situation. I placed my hand in my pocket on the revolver and was ready to draw it and shoot an attacker if TRULY necessary.

One time I was in a store late at night and I thought the two other guys in the store at the same time could have been planning to rob the clerk. (This store was in a somewhat dangerous area of Tampa and had been robbed in the past.)

I backed up couple of yards and observed the situation with my hand in my pocket. One of the two guys was at the counter and asked me if I wished to check out before him. I politely refused. He then discovered he had left his wallet in his car and left to get it. He seemed somewhat surprised that I didn't check out during the four or five minutes it took him to return. He decided to pay for his purchases and left with his buddy. I stayed around for another ten minutes talking to the clerk and then left. I often stopped at that store on my way to work on the graveyard shift to buy a pack of cigars and frequently had a friendly conversation with the clerk. That night I was late to work by fifteen minutes but since I was the shift supervisor I didn't get any grief for not being on time.

Now I am not a cop or a vigilante and I don't go looking for trouble. Had the two guys actually pulled weapons and robbed the store I would have simply observed and memorized important details about their appearances to tell to the police. If they would have turned violent, I would have drawn my weapon and attempted to stop them. (I personally do not plan to ever pull my revolver unless I have a legitimate reason to use it and it will come out smoking. To show that you have a weapon can stop an attack but can also escalate the situation unnecessarily.)