In and out of uniform, over a 22 year career in police work I had occasion to point a sidearm at quite a few folks when necessary... Ordinary types paid attention - street rats might pay attention but too many of the ones I ran into paid little, if any, attention to a handgun pointed their way (it was a different story when I had a shotgun in hand - but that's another story...). On those same scenes though if one of our female officers pointed a gun at them - the bad guy not only paid attention but usually was downright terrified... since in the world they come from a woman with a gun -is probably going to use it... At least that's what I actually saw on more than one occasion....
I'm no gunfighter - in 22 years I fired only one shot (then spent six months in and out of court until it was ruled justified... and it took a few years before I got myself sorted out over it...). My sympathies to those folks in Missouri - they're between a rock and a hard place with a really nice house and no one in authority willing to defend them locally.... Very bad situation and I'm betting they'll not be able to defend it a second time...