That is, assuming all data to ever enter the database is properly bound or is inserted directly from the script. I get that preparing and binding data going in is very important for security -- but after this, why bind results? Wouldn't it just be easier to stmt->get_result to get a result set and then have access to fetch assoc and the like? What am I missing? Thanks.
You are missing nothing.
Since stmt->get_result got introduced into API, it would be easier to use this method to get a result set