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I'm surprised so many on this forum have forgotten one of the basic rules of gun use: Never point a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot.
Leo's operate by a different set of laws than civilians do. If a civilian takes a gun out and points it at someone, it is (at best) brandishing a weapon, something you are going to jail for.
In the civilian world using a gun, or any deadly force, to defend yourself must be based on the IMMENIENT theat of death or bodily harm. It's not enough that the other guy had a knife on him, that knife must be drawn back ready to strike. If a robber has a gun in his belt, and you shoot him, you will go to jail. The robbers gun would have to be locked, loaded, and aimed...an IMMINIENT THREAT. Didn't everyone have to take a concealed carry class?
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If I draw I intend to shoot........if....... the bad guy continues whatever caused me to draw. So at this point the rules for safe gun handling are out the window.
If a civilian takes a gun out and points it at someone.......who is about to cause them death or grave bodily injury.......he or she is guilty of nothing. It is still legal in most of the U.S. to defend yourself from violent attack. Now if a civilian pulls and points a gun for no legal reason, then they are guilty of aggrivated assault with a firearm punishable in Florida by a minimum mandatory 3 years in prison.
Food for thought on your robber with a gun in his waistband. If you are of the mindset that you are only in imminent danger when the gun is being raised then perhaps it is you who should take a class....a defensive firearms training class. Study the Tueller Drill for your knife scenario. Understand that a human being can talk, fight, and run for up to 20 seconds with a completely destroyed heart. Then think about how long it takes a knife weilding attacker to cover 21ft or for a man to draw a pistol from his waist band. Now its time to rethink your response to either threat before you or even worst, your family, are victimized by false information.