I think maybe people watch too many cop shows, and start confusing TV drama with reality.
I think that's true, along with the news. There's all sorts of emotional upset associated with firearms in the media, it's understandable that people are confused by it. They develop a belief the most violent crimes are related to or even caused by firearms, a belief that cooperating with violent people de-escalates a situation, and probably the worst is that LE is there to rescue you.
Probably the worst is the last one. I've worked with LE, trained with LE, and respect LE. They deter crime, they arrest suspected criminals, they get drunk drivers off the street. But they arrive AFTER the violent crime, not during to save the day, and they take a report and if there's anyone that needs help they call an ambulance. The interesting part is that urban areas, where response time from LE can be easily < 5 minutes, and with multiple officers, crime rates are typically higher than in rural areas where response time can be 15 minutes or more. As others have said, risk reduction is your problem, no someone else's.
Just as a random example... I grew up in a small town, part time police force, usually one officer on duty during the weekends and weekday days. One Friday night the police chief stops by our house and says to dad "hey, we've got a call about someone breaking into your shop. Can you come along? Bring a rifle if you have one." So they went down together to check it out. Turned out to be a false alarm. Neither had any advanced training, other than being in the AF in non-combat roles during the Korean war. They both knew the situation was dangerous, but much safer for two people than one. Nearest backup for the chief was the local sheriff, who was 30 minutes out. Nobody wanted to play dirty harry, nobody was looking for a fight. In that small town, the 20 years I was there, there was exactly 1 murder. Somebody ran over someone with a Chevy Blazer, allegedly over a gambling debt. That was in the 80s. Today, it's probably impossible, even in the south, but maybe not.
The story about people in the Netherlands feeling safe hitching is adorable. I'm not sure if it means the crime rates are lower there, or if people are less aware, or if "most of the time" it's even fine to do that in the United States, from a statistical perspective. I do know that from time to time there are predators looking for just that sort of victim, and that they don't need firearms to accomplish their task.
My point with both example is that I, like everyone, live in a world where there are risks, and I like to modify those risks in my favor. Sometimes that means avoiding places and times. Sometimes that means adjusting behavior. It doesn't mean, to me, staying home all the time, nor does it mean pretending to be any character from any movie or tv show.
Final thought. Nobody knows how effective stall training is. The number of times someone stalls without wanting to, pushes that stick or wheel forward, and saves the day. Happened to me once, will never forget it. It's not a recorded thing. Same is the time where someone sticks there head in a window, and instead of the voice of a full sized adult male that leads them away, it's the sight of a 70 year old lady holding a revolver. "Sorry, wrong window". I like a world where a 70 year old lady is potentially just as dangerous as a 20 year old male. I don't think that makes the whole world any more dangerous, overall. Just a little bit more even.
