For the record my earlier comments were crass and without tone, low sleep and lack of caffeine is no proper justification but it is the only excuse I can offer.

I don't thing gang and z zone lack of response is new to fourth Ed the Halloweeners used to fling things at the arcs if memory serves with little response right until someone got around to doing something about it. I feel the Z zones for the most part are wild the only safety is that which you make the only authority and rules that which you make. The notion of gangs as cops in leathers and spikes just boggles. Yes a heavily armed wared runner team might represent the sort of score a lower tier gang only sees once or twice a year but it's also a very real threat to wipe them out if antagonized. If a gang has sufficient manpower gear and tactics to threaten the runners (and they should rightly be out there) they'll find better margins in toll collection then trying to control individual behaviors in the zone.

This is an endless discussion. Everybody sees it differently, basically you can just depend on the decision you would come to by yourself and probably some expectations or experiences you have. But basically you cannot take this data for granted and another goon might see it absolutely different. The problem we have here is, that the GM is deciding for everybody you get in touch with. So every gang decides the same. If the GM has no clue, the gang also have no clue.

I (personally, in RL) wouldn´t fuck with somebody armed (no matter how good i am armed by myself), because i don´t earn something if he shoots me in the face, i am dead and the only positive about it is, that he got killed too.
If i would be a ganger and somebody would disrespect my territory, i would be forced to do something so save my reputation. But here the way splits: how important is honor and respect for me? Enough to risk my life? Small streetgang.....probably not. They would pose and then the trouble is over. Big streetgang.....better ask before you pass the area openly armed or if you are about to cause trouble there.