Cteaglesfan,
First, welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place to learn about OC and the CT/Fed law regarding the issue. I have to say these guys are a sharp bunch and very knowledgeable in this area. They thoroughly schooled me on these issues when I was an uninformed officer, much like most of my collegues.
I can tell you that in NH if you plan to open carry, you can plan on numerous police interactions. I don't think that applies to everywhere in NH, like downtown I don't think you would have a problem, but in the residential areas you would. And epecially in "high crime" areas, I think concerned citizens would be calling frequently. And then when the police come, your experience will simply depend on who responds. Every officer is different, and handles things differently based on their own knowledge and expriences. Some cops are well informed of OC laws, but I would say most are not. The question becomes, how often do you feel like talking to the police? It may not be a big deal for you the first few times, but I imagine as it continues it will become more and more annoying, until your accomodating attitude turns to a more unobliging one if you will.
Now some people here may disagree with me on this, but being a cop and handling "man with a gun" calls are not easy. The officer is stuck somewhere in the middle of appeasing the concerned/scared citizen, and not violating the rights of the OCer. And all the while being tactical so in case the guy with the gun is one of ill-intent, the cop can safely go home that night. Its not easy. Especially in a city like NH where gunshots are going off almost daily.
I can also tell you that the reason cops tend to violate peoples rights in OC, two main reasons. The first is lack of education. This topic is not covered specifically in the academy. While Terry stops are covered, OC as it relates to terry is not. And even if a cop did put 2 and 2 together and realize OC is not RAS and therefore = no stop, the mentality is that it's a F$%^ing GUN and it's dangerous and I have to protect myself and the public IN CASE its not a legally carried one. Caselaw has called this a "firearms exception" to Terry, that because a gun is an extremely dangerous instrument in the wrong hands, Terry is overlooked. However the court struck this down and said there is NO firearm exception to Terry. (Rich help me out with the case...I don't have my reference materials in front of me!)
The second reason is that in the academy, we are bombarded with videos and stories of cops being killed by guns. I can't tell you how many videos I've watched of cops being killed by someone with a gun. All of our tactical training revolves around preventing being shot and finding the gun on a guy before he gets to it. We are essentially drilled to be down-right terrified of guns. By the time you hit the street, you don't like the thought of being in the same room with someone else with a gun who isn't a cop. You're indoctrinated to believe that ANY person who has a gun is potentially going to kill you, and therefore we become paranoid. It's how were trained.
So, not sure if that helps any, but thats kinda how it is. I believe that if you OC in residential areas of NH (except maybe in your own neighborhood where your neighbors know you), I think you can expect to have the police called on you. And you're also correct that your race will have something to do with it because its pretty well known on the streets (and FBI stats) that most gun violence is black-on-black crime. But I can almost guarantee you that the person calling the police on you will also be black.
