Protection from violence off duty

I'm just curious what nurses do to protect themselves from violence off duty. Here in the Southwest firearms are the norm. I'm tall and male which I mistakenly thought was enough protection.
In '77 after a motorcycle accident, I was in a fiberglass cast up to my armpits. Naturally I was using crutches. February in Maine (think lots of snow and ice) I was confronted in a parking lot by 2 men who got right into my face, and said angrily "we want money!" I recognised one of them from high school. When I called him by name, they tossed me in a snowbank and quickly disappeared.
Now I'm looking at a permanent disability, and prefer to protect myself. I'm near Juarez Mexico which is rapidly closing in on 1100 murders so far this year, and even the Mexican army isn't safe from attack. I've no intention of going there, but spillover violence scares me. I'm considering getting a firearm. I've no wish to kill someone, but would like to make sure they feel unwanted and go away quickly.
I'd like to hear from everybody, protected or not. Your experiences or lack thereof. If you carry protection, your experiences with it. With this information, maybe a poll would be interesting.
Thanks for any and all contributions, and I hope this is never an issue for you.
I purchased a 32 when working for Hospice because I was out late at night and traveled in known unsafe areas,,How you protect yourself is up to you,,,I just don't want to be in a situation without any means of protecting myself,,the idea of helplessness scares the crap out of me...

That helplessness scares me too. Pepper spray and tasers require me to be a little too up close and personal, a gun makes more sense, if only because I could give a warning shot. I hear almost daily on the news of senseless break-ins and violence. Guess I'm gonna have to stop being afraid of being a victim and be prepared. Thanks for the feedback.