It also escalates the situation from one where an individual was just using the gun as a show of force but didn't intend to use it, to one where guns are now be

It also escalates the situation from one where an individual was just using the gun as a show of force but didn't intend to use it, to one where guns are now being discharged in a high stress and crowded environment. The vast majority of "using" a gun by criminals is just brandishing the gun to scare other people.