ianwood said:
Firstly, glad the OP was able to avoid trouble. Secondly, as this is descending quickly into the contentious debate of firearms, I'll throw this levity into the mix:
(NSFW, foul language, yada, yada)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP3HJVp3n9c[/youtube]
My personal opinion: I hunt, I shoot sporting clays. However, when I see or think of an un-uniformed person carrying in public it makes me uneasy. I have no idea who they are, what their state of mind is, and whether or not they are responsible, level-headed people who, like the OP, take that responsibility very seriously.
This is exactly why I do not open carry. I think it can really do more harm than good. When it is concealed it is at least out of view of people so it doesnt make them uneasy. Many people are not comforatable around guns and I don't want to make anyone uncomforatable.
Here in New Orleans we are constantly in the running for the murder capitol of the US. There is at least one homicide per day here. There has been a trend here of groups of people from a certain demographic that specifically target white males. They will find a victim and beat them severely and rob them. They get "points" for how many people they beat and rob and it is a game to them. A few of these victims have died. It is bad here, very bad, to the point where calling the National Guard in to help with policing has been discussed.
Police here encourage people to take classes and get a concealed carry permit.
Nobody wants to have to use a gun in self defense. If I had to for some reason I would be haunted for the rest of my life. Better than dead though.
Serious gun owners abide by the rules and safety comes first. Kind of like we talk about here in regards to responsible flying but much much more so. Unfortunatley there are some who dont.