Realtor Magazine’s Graham Wood today takes a deep dive into a highly charged topic: whether it’s wise for real estate agents to to carry a gun.

The conclusion — based on interviews with law enforcement and gun safety instructors: Few people are prepared to use a deadly weapon, and if you’re not in the mindset to kill if necessary, carrying a gun could actually put you in more danger.

It’s an issue worth debating, since a recent poll by the National Association of Realtors found that 12 percent of Realtors carry a firearm on the job. The percentage of male Realtors who say they are armed is even higher — 19 percent.

The same poll found that 4 percent of Realtors have been victims of workplace-related crimes — 2 percent said they’d been robbed, 1 percent said they’d been assaulted, and 1 percent said they were victims of identity theft.

We’d love to hear your take on the issue. If you’d like to participate, take our poll (above), and discuss in the comments below.

Email Matt Carter.

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