[roadcat]

“The couple said they found out later that the weapon the burglars used was really a pellet gun.”

And they found out how, were the perps caught? As you say, if they're holding it to your head you don't care what it is, you react.

[marktwain]

In another story, they said the perps dropped the gun. Many perps learn to ditch the gun to prevent being caught with it. It is one of the reasons criminals seldom wear holsters. They take too much time to get rid of.