I think there's a difference to be considered though. In the cases of your firm, the bad guys knew and expected them to be armed. No so much with the average Joe.
A guy I work at Easton was headed home on Monday, filled up with gas off Morse Rd. He noticed a group of young teens as he walked in. Broke a $50 getting smokes and as he walked out was confronted by two of them. One asked if he had a few bucks to spare. He said "no" and tried to walk past but as he did he jumped a step to the left as he noticed the other guy was pulling something out from his backside and moving to block his path towards his car.
As he stepped over he drew his .40 cal from his waste. He kept it pointed downward but once he saw the kids knife he raised the gun and yelled for help and made a ton of noise as he yelled what was happening.
The boys turned and took off. He clearly could have dropped the kid, and whether you agree with his exact actions or not, in his case he was aware and prepared and within his rights. That kid could have simply stabbed him and taken his money, gun or worse.
Just sharing as while there are times where bad things happen, it's also comforting to know that you have more than just a fist to defend yourself.
My friend was still shaken and took the rest of this week off work. He's also going to retake some classes to insure he's more prepared.