I agree with Keith, it depends greatly on the circumstances; who's asking, location, etc.Keith B wrote:Not enough choices for me, so I answered other. It really depends on who is asking, what their reasoning is, etc. Every case if going to be different.
For example, if it is a friend who has a CHL and we are both witnessing a robbery and he asks if I am carrying, then the question is going to be answered appropriately.
However, if it is some clerk at a quickstop that thinks they see a profile of a gun, then it's none of their business.
I've been asked countless times, primarily by people who don't know me or who don't know me well. This almost always happens during one of my seminars, or during an NRA TSRA function, political activities, etc. All family members and friends know I have a gun all the time, unless it's illegal at that particular location. My standard answer is something like "My personal policy is to carry a defensive handgun everywhere it is legal to do so." This gets the message across without actually saying "I'm carrying now" and it emphasizes the "defensive" aspect. Other situations may prompt different responses.
I recently did an interview with Allison Triarsi of Houston's CH.11 TV news on the campus-carry topic. The interview was at their studio and I could tell she and her cameraman were trying to see if I had a gun. I was a little surprised that she never asked.
Chas.