I read the first 16 pages of this thread, but not the rest, since my life is too short, so I may have missed some exceptionally well-argued points that weren't covered in the first 16 pages. But somehow I doubt it.
I think the actual issue has nothing to do with PVP, or whether you want cops to show up or not.
It's really much simpler than that, and of course several people have alluded to this:
It's about whether defending yourself against attack should be a crime.
If you're clean, it should not, regardless of whether you're in secure space or an anarchy.
If you're already wanted, then it's arguable whether defending yourself against attack by a bounty hunter should be an additional crime. IMO this is what we should be discussing here, as I can see it both ways.
You might argue not, as the bounty hunter should know that taking on a crim incurs risk. But if attacking someone wanted is not a crime, and defending yourself against attack is not a crime, then the cops won't show up to the party, so the bounty hunter will have to do her business without help.
So it may be necessary to have counter-attacking the bounty hunter remain a crime, if, as the counter-attacker, you're already wanted.
Whether or not we should have a "Report crimes but no cops please" option as well is another matter, and I don't have strong feelings about that.
Something can only be considered unlawful if it is reported, so if you don't report it, you're on your own...
