The Scholar Bartholomew Roberts stated:
...being polite is a good strategy. Sometimes the right mix of courtesy and confidence can be very powerful in deterring even those who aren't so nice...
+1!
Wits are often more powerful than a Ranger Company.
We live in Austin, a sanctuary city, where panhandling and sleeping almost anywhere is between encouraged and not enforced. Austin has on numerous occasions attempted to ban guns, and routinely prosecutes self defense shootings as homicide, attempted murder or assault, even when video evidence supporting the shooter is present. So drawing is big deal.
The smarter panhandlers have polished MO's, and I run into one of these guys at least once a week. For the most aggressive, who are good at coming out of nowhere, use physical and verbal intimidation to get $'s, I can't see drawing on them in this town. What I typically do is respond to them in Arabic.
I usually bless their hemorrhoids or wish hemorrhoids upon them, or wish them many wonderful nights with their camel, or the fleas of 100 camels....
I've never had anyone get very far, it's clearly a language virtually no one around here speaks.
The last exchange happened when he surprised me as he stepped from the other side of the gas pump.
Panhandler: About 1 foot away from my face in a loud voice "Hey can you help me buy some food?"
Me: <blessing of his 'rhoids'> in Arabic with a big smile.
Panhandler: "What? Don't you speak English?"
Me: <May 'rhoids' be with you> in Arabic
Him: "Hey what's wrong with you?"
Me: <May the fleas of 1000 camels visit you this month> in Arabic
Him: Are you American? He walks off.
But if it got physical, I still have a backup....