I carry a weapon pretty much everywhere I go, i.e. a knife clipped to my belt. This is the only time that I've been out in public with it that I felt the need to move it from my belt to my hand it does not influence my actions. And I know exactly what you are talking about in regards to how being part of a group can embolden people to do things that they'd probably wouldn't do on their own. As I used to ride with a group that behaved that way and it's part of the reason that I no longer ride with them.