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I believe the original question posed was do I obey all the rules, but as TI pointed out, some of them are laws, not rules. So it seems both should to be addressed.

First the laws, have I always followed them? The short answer is yes…I don’t go into 30.06 posted locations, I carry a legal weapon, I identify myself to LEO as CHL when ID is requested, etc.

Why do I abide by the laws? It’s a simple decision based on risk assessment…I’ll give an example. A couple years ago the Southwestern Cattleman’s Associations get together was in a location in the Dallas/Ft Worth area that was posted 30.06. I could go unarmed, I could go armed and leave my weapon in the truck, or I could leave my weapon in the hotel room safe.

I looked at the probability of a situation arising where I would need a weapon while at the convention or on the way to the convention and decided they were unlikely.

I also decided the possibility of getting the weapon stolen out of my truck was much higher than the likelihood of needing it on the way to the convention which was just a few miles away.

I also looked at the possibility I would be “caught� if I carried, and the odds were very low I would. But based on the risk assessment of needing the weapon, I decided against carry.

The net result was the weapon stayed in the room safe, and I went to the convention. As anticipated, I was not attacked and did not need the weapon.

Would I blindly follow the laws even if the risk assessment went the other way? The short answer is no. If I believed I had need for the weapon that outweighed the risk of discovery, I would have carried.

The same holds true for “Rules� like those of employers. An income is very important to me and my family so the risk assessment, so far, has lead to me not carrying. Would I carry if the assessment went the other way, you bet I would!