Who deserves the harsher punishment?

[Smid]

The threat of violence against the store clerk was very real, harrowing and should be punished accordingly. The store clerk may well need therapy to overcome their fears caused by this robbery. You shouldn't have to look into the eyes of a gunman merely for doing your job.

The scam was probably some sort of 'get-rich-quick' scheme peddled to gullible people who parted with their money on the promise of, I don't know, 110% interest rates or something like that. I pity them, but it was their choice to part with their money. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Criminal B is scum who preyed upon the gullible. Criminal A is scum who threatened violence against the defenceless. Of the two, Criminal A's crimes of violence are more likely to escalate and society should be protected from him. Criminal A should receive a harsher penalty.

Let's play another game. Who deserves the harsher punishment?

Person A: A store clerk at Burger King, who when confronted by an armed robber shoots him dead.

Person B: The victim of a scam, who when realising he's been conned out of tens of thousands of dollars by a financial advisor he trusted too much. The client methodically plans his crime, waits outside the advisor's office, and shoots him dead as he exits work preparing to flee the country on his private jet with his ill-gotten gains.

[Smid]

Let's play another game. Who deserves the harsher punishment?

Obviously person B. A is self defense.

This is more what I was aiming at ^ - Criminal A in the scenario used violence/threat of violence, which is worse. I'm not trying to downlplay fraud, I'm trying to show that violence and the threat of violence is worse. That's why I put forth the other scenario - if it's self defence, it's means that in the initial scenario, the fact the gun was not discharged doesn't make the threat of violence any less real than actually using the gun. It still has serious consequences. The argument most seem to be making is that burglary is worse than a mugging because the burglar has robbed more people than the mugger. I'm trying to say that even the threat of violence makes the first crime worse.