In well-armed societies people tend to develop natural respect to each other. In Israel, where probably 70% of the population possess firearms, violent crimes are unheard of. Strict licensing laws ensure that all legal gun owners are properly trained which keeps firearm related accidents at a minimum (you need to re-license annually and that involves a full day of practice at the firing range). Apparently when a crook considers breaking (or not) into an apartment, the thing going through his mind is not about checking his sidearm. It is rather "what if on the other side of that door there is a bored to half death 18 year old kid with an M16 or Uzi and half a dozen of spare clips? Is whatever loot I can grab worth this?"...
Unfortunately this rule does not apply to car thieves, however car theft has diminished dramatically since the erection of the separation barrier.
"People are stupid ... almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true ... they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so all are easier to fool." -- Wizard's First Rule
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