German Gilbert, Just because you don't SEE guns, doesn't mean they arn't being carried.
As is the case here, the problem is the bad guys that are concealing their guns and you have no idea who is and who isn't.
If someone were to try to attack me, i'd sure like it if there was a GOOD guy that was carrying that could come to my defense.
As far as practice, i never had any "formal" training. I was raised around guns, and was taught how to use them and that they were NOT "toys". My Dad had his rifle rack right where i could have access, yet i NEVER touched them. I knew that they could kill, and never messed with them.
Back in the 1980's, i was out phesant hunting. I saw a guy also hunting, with his dog. I stayed far away, but watched just in case he flushed a bird my way.
He called to me, and invited me to hunt with him. After the hunt, i was at my doctor's office, and mentioed that i had been out hunting. He told me he read an article in the Milwaukee Sentinel about a guy named AL, and started quoeting things i had said to the guy that invited me to hunt with him. Turns out, the guy was a writer for the Sentinel, and throughout his article kept mentioning how safe i was with my shot gun.
The guy in the article invited my to contact him to hunt with him again, which i did, getting my first bird and a half page picture in the paper. It was pretty neat!