I wasen't too clear on that part was I. I had ment something more along the lines of, don't just hand it to them, of course one should way out the situation first. If he has a .22 pointed in your direction, and you have a 12Ga slung across your back, then by all means, drop to the floor and let er rip, you will win. I had ment that if it comes to a point where one of your neighbors was already shot, and someone on the next street was killed for theirs, it may not be a bad idea to let it go. Consider your prep situation, if not having the generator, how much will your life be inconvienced, if it's only a small amount, then you should gauge that to the extent that you defend your supplies.

Depending on the thug, the situation could change. For example someone who is trying to keep his family alive will be in the mindset of keeping himself alive, however a crackhead who has been told by his dealer "find me a generator, and I get you a fix" they may be in the state where they don't care what you have, they don't care how many holes you can put into them or how many holes you have already put into them. They want their fix. Always consider the situation, to aid in the defense stragity.