I don't really care about the reasons people choose to carry weapons, and I recognize that it is a legal right. I'm simply saying that the cop has every reason to be careful whenever he has reason to believe someone is armed. He may encounter 100s of armed people over the years, if he's not careful with every one of them his luck may eventually run out.

Personally, I would rather see a very strict screening process to obtain a permit; maybe something equivalent to a low level security clearance (paid for by the applicant). IMO, somebody should spend some real effort on a real background check before issuing a permit. There are plenty of disturbed/drunk/high/angry folks out there without a criminal record. It could probably be done for a couple $1000, and it would weed out plenty of people that no-one wants to be armed.