[hackercomplex]

> The point being, you might want to re-analyze "high seas gun battle" for its actual downsides.

I agree that there could be tremendous downsides, but at the same time I wouldn't want to reach for any type of safety gear and not have it.

What if it's not even "real pirates" but rather a haphazard raid by what are obviously hostile teenage boys from a nearby village operating a raft with a single outboard motor armed with only machetes ? These kids couldn't afford a gun and this could happen anywhere where there's poverty not just in areas known for piracy

Another scenario, what about the stranded boat that looks like it's stuck on a sand bar relatively close to port and is begging for a tow. There could be a pretty girl on board. It could be an opportunist type situation where they really did just need a tow, but when they sense you're unarmed they might try to commandeer your craft since maybe they have warrants, or a shaky visa situation inland or whatever.

[hollerith]

The professionals, namely the crew of cargo ships, avoid having guns on board, even when their route takes then to pirate-infested waters. (They also avoid having girls on board.)

[declan]

I think that was the case until a few years ago. Nowadays, Reuters reports, cargo ships have "massively" increased the number of guns on board along with people who know how to use them:

"Like many merchant vessels, the QM2 now carries armed private contractors when passing through areas of pirate risk... M-16-type assault rifles and sometimes belt-fed machine guns...

For many in the shipping industry, the fall in attacks is a vindication of the decision to massively ramp up the use of armed guards. So far, not a single ship with armed guards has been taken by pirates..." http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-piracy-idUSBRE91B1...