"When you decide to not only own but carry a weapon, it's vital that you realize that you have taken a measure of relative power and claimed it for yourself.
And it is relative. In an area where most adults are armed at least to a degree, joining in doesn't disturb the local balance absent other factors (being noticeably underage, intoxicated, belligerent, or a combination thereof).
But if you're among the first in your neighborhood to exercise such rights in this way, what is seen instead is an increase of power without the accompanying societal responsibility. To their eyes, there is something wrong with seeing a pistol on the belt but not a badge, a knife in hand without a cook's apron, or an axe over the shoulder without flannel.
Reassurance that this increase in your personal power is not an unrestricted threat to others is now a part of your job."
And it is relative. In an area where most adults are armed at least to a degree, joining in doesn't disturb the local balance absent other factors (being noticeably underage, intoxicated, belligerent, or a combination thereof).
But if you're among the first in your neighborhood to exercise such rights in this way, what is seen instead is an increase of power without the accompanying societal responsibility. To their eyes, there is something wrong with seeing a pistol on the belt but not a badge, a knife in hand without a cook's apron, or an axe over the shoulder without flannel.
Reassurance that this increase in your personal power is not an unrestricted threat to others is now a part of your job."
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