threegun said:It is however not my duty to make anyone feel comfortable by changing my walk to accommodate their fear or concerns.
I understand what you're saying, but let me give you another perspective.
From a long-ago post on another forum (http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=339247&postcount=52)
vertigo7 said:An older lady (I'd guess 70's +) drew down on me at the local mall in broad daylight. I was walking out to my car after spending way too much in Sears, and she was about 40 feet in front of me. Suddenly she spun around with a snubnose revolver in her hands, yelled "I am in fear for my life, get back or I'll blast ya!" I looked around for the threat, found the lot empty except for the two of us and realized she meant me, then froze. She yelled at me (quite a good distance apart, mind) "Why are you following me?!" I pointed to the little red sportscar parked beside the older-model Cadillac she'd been walking towards, identified it as mine, and told her I'd be happy to grab some curb and sit motionless while she got into her car and went on her way. She decided it was a good deal, so I sat and waited. She put the gun into her bag, got into the car and slooowly drove off.
I reported it later, and the officer on duty groaned as soon as I described the situation.. apparently this lady is well-known in the department for similar misunderstandings.
It sure seems to me that it's not a good thing to have a loaded gun pointed at you by a nervous or paranoid person, and that any little thing you can do to help avoid that happenstance might be worth doing.
It's not about babying them, or accommodating their fears. It's just about keeping yourself safe. Sure, if some twitchy old lady shoots you just for making her nervous, she'll end up in jail. But is that really going to fix your sucking chest wound?
pax