I prefer to think of it as weighing the risks. The type of gathering that I was attending has been the target of violent confrontations. Given the recent school shooting in TN, which I believe was ideologically motivated, there is no reason to assume that I can safely attend any sort of meeting that goes against that ideology. So I weigh whether the potential need to defend my wife and I on the way to and from the room where the event is held against the risk of detection. Without machines, it is very difficult for someone to determine that I'm carrying given my attire for that evening. If I had seen machines, I would have suddenly remembered that I left something in my car.
Here is a similar story. I was in Grapevine Mills Mall not long after receiving my then CHL. That mall was posted with 30:06 looking signs that had incorrect language due to a change in the Texas Penal Code. I carried past the sign. My wife had had recent surgery and was not capable of walking the distances in the mall so we picked up a wheel chair from the mall's support group. They required that I leave my driver's license with them a security to return the wheel chair. During our visit, my wife decided to make a purchase. That store required a photo ID to use a credit card and now the only photo ID that I had was my CHL. I went ahead and showed it to the clerk. We continued our visit, returned the wheel chair and left without incident. I was paying attention to my surroundings a little more than usual, however.
