Ebbie, over here it's a crime to threaten anyone with a gun, no matter what the circumstances. A gun is an offensive weapon, and can not be used to threaten anyone. In such circumstances both the knife-weirder and the gun-waver would be committing the same offence, and receive the same sentence.That's the point.

FWIW, I have disarmed someone making threats with a knife, also young men with baseball bats on more than one occasion. On each occasion I didn't feel at all pleased with myself, I was disappointed that I'd allowed the situation to escalate to such a point.