Gary,
I find it sad that people should feel so unsafe that they feel they must carry weapons, concealed or not. Although as you point out you don't carry it all the time, it still amazes me. In Europe this is unheard of. If as you say gun ownership is on the rise, then some questions as to how a society can spiral out of control like that are allowed. Is it a real threat or are you being bombarded with newsreels 24 hours a day in a sort of brainwashing? All one sees on TV these days is violence either real or acted. I'm not saying that TV and film are the root cause of violence, but they play a major role in spreading its acceptance. In a country of over 200 million there are bound to be some evil people around, so could it be that the threat is out of proportion?
Unfortunately in Europe the trend toward more violence is becoming apparent with the influx of immigrants from Eastern European countries. Maybe it is because they were recently at war with each other, but the level of violence in some of the Balkan and ex-Russian nationals is quite discerning. I doubt whether Europeans will arm themselves as Americans do because we don't have a tradition of carrying guns. Mind you I can't speak for the next generation. I must admit I wouldn't feel safe anywhere if I thought that the guy on the next table had a gun.
Maybe the world has gone mad.

Chris