In America ... if you display and use any kind of (potentially) deadly weapon then you are likely to face some sort of legal consequences. I think the advice we're trying to give is intended to save your life. But your property could belong to the lawyers afterwards, no matter what happens :-)

If you display a deadly weapon, esp. a gun or a knife, the police call this "brandishing". It's against the law ... at least in some places (I'm no expert on this). I imagine that if you swung a baseball bat around recklessly that would also qualify. In spite of this problem, my practical attitude is that a confident display of a weapon can have a strong deterrent effect. I'm not talking about firing a gun or slashing someone with a knife (or hitting with a stick) - but holding the weapon with confidence and poise. If you show that you know how to use it, you demonstrate mental confidence, and your would-be attackers think they could get seriously hurt, then they may re-consider. There are no perfect guarantees, but criminals are not idiots. The essential thing is to be very confident - which usually won't happen without a lot of training and experience with the weapon you've chosen.

However, if you actually hit someone (or cut them and draw blood) then you can trigger the flight-or-fight response. It's possible they could run - but also possible they might strike back out of fear or rage. So my basic philosophy is that "if blood is drawn - be prepared for the worst".

Pete2