Responsibilities and Obligations vs. Rights

Sometimes our rights and responsibilities/obligations are congruent, sometimes they are not. And it seems as though a large section of our society does not understand this. This is something that has always baffled me, even when I was a young child. From my earliest memories I was taught that sometimes, even though you have the right to do something, on occasion, your responsibility is not do it.

Example: This is just a personal, anecdotal experience. I have a license to open-carry a handgun. This is a right, as I see it. And as long as I open-carry where and how the law permits, I have the right to do so. However, I feel that there are some places where I may have the right to open-carry, but I am self-compelled not to do so. On Sunday afternoons, around our small city downtown courthouse, there are many families with young children, grandparents and dogs, all walking around, eating ice cream, enjoying a picnic and playing games on all sides of the courthouse lawn. They have the right to be doing what they are doing, just like I have the right to open-carry a pistol on my hip and carry a shotgun or a rifle if I wish. This is where I feel that my responsibility to not carry any weapon in the open outweighs my rights to do so. And by not exercising my right to open-carry, this is NOT me forfeiting my 2A right. In fact, to me, choosing to not open-carry in certain places is actually me USING my 2A right in a responsible way. In these situations, I can easily choose to conceal carry, so as not to draw unwanted attention to me as well as allowing the other law abiding citizens to enjoy their Sunday afternoon. To me, this is me choosing to NOT exercise my open-carry right just for sole sake of doing so. This is responsible gun ownership, gun management and is responsible citizenship within my community. But believe me, I am armed...just in a responsible way.