You are worried about getting attacked or not, because you look like an easier or harder target. But this is totally reliant on the mind of the criminal. They are defective units, which is why they are criminals in the first place.
Policemen in uniform, with open carry guns, are attacked by criminals all the time. Often the criminals are so drunk or on drugs they neither know nor care that a cop has a gun. So what are their pea brains going to care if you, a civilian, have one?
The Tueller drill is based on the idea of a criminal with a knife rushing a police officer with a gun. Again, in uniform and with open carry. The criminal does not care that they have a gun, and are attacking with a knife.
My personal preference is that precisely because you have no idea of a “potential” opponents intentions, if they *walk* towards me, while saying something non-threatening like “do you have a light?”, my hand is going to be on my sheath knife, not a gun, because the moment it is drawn it is in use, even if the guy is right in front of me. No chance of my gun being “smothered”, by him so I cannot draw and brandish it at him.
I will tell him to halt at maybe 10 feet and if he doesn’t, a knife is pointed at him. If he comes in, he is stabbed or slashed. If he backs off, then I can draw my gun. If he tries to draw a gun, we are about evenly matched, at worst.
I really do not care what a criminal is thinking, and neither should you. That is not part of the equation.
Wow... Every non-sequitur and strawman you can think of.
It doesn’t happen. Cops are rarely attacked, unless they are trying to actually apprehend someone.
Don’t believe me. The numbers speak for themselves...