'had a gun, and it freaked me out a bit'
Dontcha know, now in Fortress America, every clown with some kind of badge is armed; every little agency gets DHS funds to build a SWAT team. It's totally gone to their heads.
Of course, you could live out west; here everyone is armed so you won't feel so intimidated. Every one of my riding friends rides armed; I wouldn't think of leaving home unarmed. It's just the way we roll...kinda like HuDu