Ever push a gun? Or tie a rope to it and drag it? I swear, carrying it is so much easier and it's less hell on the gun!
I would carry because of a few reasons. None of them are because I see myself as a peacemaker or a half-assed cop. Instead of saying why I would carry though, a quick story about a dead girl which may illustrate why carrying is a good idea: A 26 year old girl drives out to a nice place to go bike riding. She does, no problem. Her car won't start when she returns. She uses her cell to call a few people including her Mom. But she also makes the mistake of accepting a ride from a good Samaritan. If she had a CCW, it is probable she would not have been raped. She probably would not have been stabbed to death. And my 26 year old female friend would likely not have been buried naked in a shallow grave in the woods. So. While you and I may be tough, wise, strong men, there's still a lesson there. Bad people are out there and defending yourself may be desirable.
My take on "gun culture" is that it is such a malleable term, attempts at defining it do not lead to much. It is whatever the reader or writer wishes to make it. I feel it is term used to make blanket statements and generalizations without fear of being seen as making assumptions, all too often. I feel it is a politicized term and therefore is a dangerously ephemeral catch-all. Consider this: in what context do you hear about "gun culture"? Invariably it is negative- a wacko, a shooting, etc. But demonstrably, many millions of people who presumably make up that same "gun culture" do no such thing. There's just no newsworthy items surrounding them. Didn't hear about me in the news today, did you? No news story about me safely taking out a rifle today, clearing the action and sticking my finger in the breech to make sure it was unloaded, keeping my finger off the trigger, while pointing the muzzle in a safe direction, yet again. no blurb about that.
If I was asked what I would want "gun culture" to mean, I would answer "responsible, law abiding firearm enthusiasts".