Is it what I would have done? To be honest, I don't think it would have ever entered my mind. I will say that I behave much differently when I am armed than I do when I'm not. I am much less likely to be confrontational when I'm armed than when I'm not. I guess I feel the added responsibility of carrying a firearm. Of course I try to carry as much as possible so that I'm nicer more often.
What I typically try to do with merging traffic is let one car in and then move up. Most people are going to understand that approach. I've found if you let more than one in, the one that you didn't let in gets pretty ticked. If someone is really intent on getting in front of me, go ahead. In the long run it doesn't cost me anything to let them in the lane.