I have the same sleeping habits. I didnt really consider getting the drop on you like that, my mistake.
But as to the OP, I was wondering - what is there to fear from the justice system in Maryland? If you have a legal firearm, and you are getting bushwhacked (in any scenario), and you fire on the guy, why would you want anything less than lethal in your firearm?
If the law considers rubber bullets lethal when fired from a (pistol for instance) firearm, then you might as well get the extra security of the real deal. Not that less-than is totally ineffective, but its the SECURITY for that Critical Situation that you want, right?
Story time.
Went to a carnival. I had a blank firing 8mm pistol which looked exactly like an M1911. Great, I thought. I can scare someone who tries to jump me.
My friends and I were hanging around the parking lot, having beers and generally just shooting the sheet after walking around for a bit. A car and a van pulls into the lot. The car backs into my friend's drivers side door (it was open at the time.) I lean to the car, and the door opens. "You know you just hit that guy's <explicit> door?" Although I cursed, I didnt really say it in a nasty way, its just how we uncivilized people talk
Dude proceeds to "Gangsta mob" me by getting in my face and giving me the "What the <blah> you say, punk?" routine. No big deal. Im literally not worried, since I have my brother, his two friends, and two of my friends with me. Six on two, right? Heh...
Anyways, his friend joins in the smack talking, and I turn my head, allowing the kid to give me a quick right in the lip. Im glad it didnt hit my jaw, and all it really did in retrospect was a flesh wound. Regardless, I IMMEDIATELY thought to myself "Do NOT pull that fake-assed pistol. It will not do anything, and theres nothing to defend against."
Minutes later, the situation turns interesting after more of me saying "Back off, blah blah blah." One of the kids gets out a red bandanna with something wrapped inside from the car, body posturing afterwards. I have no idea whats in it. Im thinking "Its a blade. It has to be. No one would be stupid enough to draw down at a tiny carnival around here."
Now at this point, my friends (and brother, who has 150 pounds on me, and can lift two Kruniac's
) are backing away, not wanting to get involved. I get hit again by the "bandanna" man's buddy, which once again didnt do enough damage to make me "get the point".
I reach into my pocket, and pull a small (but SHARP - my GOD, it was SHARP) folding knife from it. A friend gave it to me a few months earlier because I thought it was "cool". It weighed about 0 ounces and the blade was as thin as a hair, but it was razorsharp. It also could be flicked out and released with the thumb easily.
After some defensive posturing from me, and some smacktalking (but no more advances) from the two kids, they stepped back into their car and took off.
Why did they take on six people at once with such flair and confidence? There were five people including one grown man in the van that pulled in at the same time they did, and two of them had baseball bats. Anyway, time for the lesson I learned....
If I would have pulled that pistol - they could very well have used theirs (if they had one - i never found out if they had a blade, gun, or nothing). I would have lost - I shoot blanks, they shoot nine milly.
If I would have pulled out that pistol - the van-folk could have jumped in, endangering my friends, brother, and myself. I wouldnt have been able to defend against them with a blank firing pistol in a meaningful way.
Bottom line? Dont bother with rubber bullets or fakes. My situation didnt call for lethal defensive force, and I didnt even bother going through the bravado of pulling a peice. If you get into a situation which doesnt call for lethal force, dont even bother to pull a peice. If you get into a situation that does call for it, dont even bother bringing non-lethals.
And maybe, just maybe, always carry some kind of blade.
My two cents
(And yes, the two kids were black, but hey, it could have easily been two white guys.)