People generally won't ask you "Why are you carrying a gun?" It's not a polite question. They will think, "OK, this guy has a gun, cops have guns, perhaps he's a cop." So they will either not ask you or they will say "Are you a cop/detective?" In this case you should be honest and say "No, why do you ask?" Then they will bring up your gun. Then you can say "Oh, well, in Utah it is legal to carry a firearm openly and I choose to do so for personal protection." If they have other questions, you may answer them as you like.
If you want to be a smart-aleck, when they ask "Why do you have a gun?" you can ask them in reply, "Why don't you?" They will most likely respond that they don't need a firearm, to which you can say "I do". Then they ask "Why?" and you can say, none of your [darn] business (not recommended) or you can say "Do you have fire extinguishers in your house?" They will hopefully say "yes" then you say, "Why?" They will respond "In case there is a fire." Then you say "So how would that help you?" They will explain the usage/effects. Then you can say, "Just like a fire or other disaster, you never know when or where crime will happen, I carry a firearm to protect myself in case crime finds me."
There are a million answers to your question. The main thing to remember is that this is your personal decision (carrying a sidearm) and it's nobody's business why you have it (even law enforcement). You can tell them if you want, but you are not obligated to do so. Being that it is on your hip and you are not waving it around should be a pretty good indicator that it's usage is self-evident. But then again, some people don't think before they talk and have a difficult time using rational thought to deduce answers for themselves.
:rules:
[EDIT - I told the Posse not to cut me any slack, so I don't cut the Posse any slack... :crown:
No bypassing the word filter by using asterisks -- Jeff]
If you want to be a smart-aleck, when they ask "Why do you have a gun?" you can ask them in reply, "Why don't you?" They will most likely respond that they don't need a firearm, to which you can say "I do". Then they ask "Why?" and you can say, none of your [darn] business (not recommended) or you can say "Do you have fire extinguishers in your house?" They will hopefully say "yes" then you say, "Why?" They will respond "In case there is a fire." Then you say "So how would that help you?" They will explain the usage/effects. Then you can say, "Just like a fire or other disaster, you never know when or where crime will happen, I carry a firearm to protect myself in case crime finds me."
There are a million answers to your question. The main thing to remember is that this is your personal decision (carrying a sidearm) and it's nobody's business why you have it (even law enforcement). You can tell them if you want, but you are not obligated to do so. Being that it is on your hip and you are not waving it around should be a pretty good indicator that it's usage is self-evident. But then again, some people don't think before they talk and have a difficult time using rational thought to deduce answers for themselves.
:rules:
[EDIT - I told the Posse not to cut me any slack, so I don't cut the Posse any slack... :crown:
No bypassing the word filter by using asterisks -- Jeff]
