imported post
Here is my philosophy: You have two types of people wanting to know about your gun. The first type are those who are genuinely curious and have a neutral to positive attitude. The other type are those who wish to impose their personal opinion on you and have a negative attitude. The first type I encounter more than the second type and I expect that it should be that way in Arizona in general. For instance, someone who may be CCing or who simply owns some guns may casually say "Excuse me" and ask me what I'm carrying, curious why I carry, etc. and may discuss makes, models, calibers, shooting ranges, and other gun topics. I am more than happy to discuss these things with people who are truly interested.
What I have zero tolerance for are busybodies who are not interested in learning a thing about guns but instead want to impose their (often anti-gun) opinion on you, pry into your private affairs, and create an often confrontational one-sided conversation. I can easily tell who these people are from the beginning and I have no reason to try to "educate" them as they don't want to be educated. They will tend to ask stupid questions and interrupt in a rude manner. Instead of saying, "Excuse me, may I ask why you carry a gun?" they might say rather loudly in a rude tone "What are you carrying a gun for?" right when you are in the middle of talking to someone else or doing something. I was brought up with certain social skills. If you want to get someone's attention, you politely say "Excuse me" and phrase your wording appropriately to avoid creating a confrontation. Instead of hollering, "Why are you carryinga gun?" one should say in a healthier tone, "If you don't mind my asking, I am curious as to why you are carrying a gun?" Depending on how poor their social skills are depends on how I respond. I may just abruptly answer the question with a short answer and immediately look away, I may roll my eyes at them expressing disapproval with their inappropriate interruption, or in extreme cases I may simply tell them to mind their own business, leave me alone, get out of my space, and stop talking to me.
I welcome opportunites to discuss these topics with the public but only if the time and place is appropriate and it is done in a healthy and non-intrusive manner. At the same time, I don't tolerate busybodies or rude social behavior. If someone hollers "Hey" across a room to get my attention (which has happened) to talk about my gun, I will state "I'm busy right now, give me a moment, or come over here if you want to talk." If people can't learn simple decency and social skills, it is their problem not mine.