...in the days when I didn't CCW, I would have confronted a thief, and ... my current habit of CCW wouldn't change my overall behavior in that regard.
Having a gun won't cause me to do things that I wouldn't have done if I didn't have a gun, but it also won't stop me from doing things I would have done if I didn't have a gun.
Now, when I do CCW, I would still confront the thief, but without initially drawing a weapon. The weapon would still be on me, in its usual, concealed position, but it would not be drawn unless the thief's subsequent actions made it both necessary and legally justified.
This has drifted pretty far from the original question, but it is a worthwhile discussion.
It might be worth running a simple risk and opportunity analysis here.
First, the opportunities. The
best one could hope for is to prevent the theft of the item, which might well be recovered anyway. On top of that, one might gain some sense of accomplishment, and maybe do something that would result in keeping the perp off the streets for a short time.
Risks? Well, there's the chance of being killed or maimed by the perp or his accomplices, or shot by a well meaning citizen with a gun and perhaps a lot of adrenalin and/or testosterone, engaged and possibly bruised up a bit by a policeman who has been summoned by others.
And while one may be supremely confident that his use of deadly force, should it happen, would be completely justified by the "subsequent actions" of the thief, what unfolds may not fit that neat picture, at least in the eyes of others. Forensic evidence, the thief's story, eyewitness or earwitness accounts based on what others thought transpired, etc. may portray a picture of mutual combat or a shooting that was not in fact necessary, and therefore not justified, because it had been avoidable. In every case I have been directly or indirectly familiar with, those for whom legal and regulatory compliance issues have gone bad were supremely confident from the outset that they would be able to explain their actions to the satisfaction of all. It sometimes just doesn't work out that way.
Sure, one may well ultimately prevail, but at what cost? Lawyers, investigators, and expert witnesses don't work for nothing, and should things end up in trial court or maybe in an appeal or two, hold on! Compare that potential cost with the maximum possible upside. "#DIV/0!" won't come up, but it won't be much better. Also, I'm not sure that everyone appreciates just how long the whole thing might drag on. I personally do not relish the idea of getting hurt or making case law at my expense if I can avoid it.
In most SD training, the best advice is to stay in a position of safety unless it is otherwise necessary to ensure the safety of others. I think that advice applies well here.
