Why even professional athletes need protection from violent crime

It is so easy to attack professional athletes who are found to be carrying handguns with them (e.g., Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da`Quan Bowers who ran afoul of New York's gun control laws).  From Yahoo Sports:

Life on the road can be dangerous for professional athletes. Unfortunately for Texas Rangers relieverTanner Scheppers, he found that out the hard way after the team arrived in Cleveland on Thursday night for their weekend series against the Indians. 

According to Drew Davison of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Scheppers was attacked by a group of young males in downtown Cleveland after going out for a food run. The assault took place about two blocks away from the team's hotel, and as a result Scheppers was unavailable to pitch on Friday night after suffering a laceration near his left eye and experiencing headaches. 

He was, however, cleared for action on Saturday, so it appears the attack won't have any lasting effects. That's good news for everybody, but especially for the Rangers. In 46 appearances this season, Scheppers has posted a 1.74 ERA and a 1.88 K/BB ratio. Those outstanding numbers helped earn him a spot in the American League's Final Vote for the All-Star game. . . .