"I notice a tendency of many people to believe that they would be just fine handling a certain privilege or responsibility, but not "those other guys." There are examples of prominent liberal politicians who are anti-gun in the political arena, but somehow feel it's okay for them to have them. It's an elitist thing, I suppose, and goes way past guns."

In the event this statement alluded to my allegedly contradictory stance of being a gun owner who supports gun control and is opposed to concealed carry, I should make clear I thoroughly approve of the deployment of firearms in one's home, car or boat, just not concealed in a public place. Handguns are eminently and deliberately concealable. If handguns were outlawed, I would turn mine in and replace them with something like a shotgun, which is ideal for home defense but a weapon with limited offensive capability because of its size and restricted range and magazine capacity.

When I said I had doubts about how I would react if faced with an unexpected combat situation, I meant that no one knows how they will perform in such a stressful position unless one has been there before. Even trained soldiers sometimes freeze or panic on their first exposure to combat. It would be presumptious of me to expose others to this potential uncertainty, and I would feel threatened by anyone who cavalierly chose to involve me in an analogous situation. It's precisely because I am not an elitest that I feel very uncomfortable about going into a public place with a hidden weapon on me. It is an imposition on the people who are there. What I do in my home is my business.

As for public and open display of firearms, I know Florida actually tried this a few years ago (I was living out of state at the time). My friends report that precisely at midnight when the law went into effect, people were seen strolling into convenience stores wearing holsters to buy cigarettes and beer, and exercising their new right. The law was quickly rescinded.