It all comes down to environment. Jackson is kind of right - because there is such a gun culture in the US a criminal is going to suspect that the homeowner is probably armed and therefore be armed himself, so Mrkim, pro, Frostie, fossil, quasi, etc would therefore be justified having a gun in their house to protect themselves. Not sure where jackson is from, but he/she may be from a country where gun ownership is rare and gun control laws are restrictive. Therefore homeowners are unlikely to be armed so a criminal is also unlikely to be.

My personal view, for what it's worth, is that I feel safer for myself and my family living in a country with strict gun control laws (so that the chances of me, or a loved one, being killed is lower), than I think I would in a country with easy access to guns therefore requiring me to arm myself.