Funny story. I used to have a display style case which held 6 or 8 cues, I forget exactly how many. I didn't usually bring it to the pool hall, but someone else was borrowing my main case. This display case was exactly the same size and shape as a shotgun case. An older gentleman was staring at me on the subway, but after a while I kind of forgot about him. I suddenly realized that I may have forgot my tip tapper at home and rather quickly opened my case to check. The old boy jumped like a startled antilope! I guess he thought I was going to go postal on the subway car. After I showed him the case contents he calmed down.
I guess people are kind of stupid and paranoid in regards to guns. I tried to explain to him, that the kind of people who shoot up subway cars don't usually have their guns, disassembled in a case as that would be wildly impractical. If you really wanted to do bad things, you'd probably wear a large coat and have it under there, or if disassembled, you'd probably have it in a gym bag or backpack. What kind of demented killer wears pressed black pants, perfectly shined shoes, a nice shirt and has his gun in a leather case, anyways? I was wearing a west and and a bowtie, for crying out loud (playing tournament)! Wouldn't Occams razor kind of lead you towards the person being a musician or something? I guess I must look scary somehow.
On another occation I was waiting on the subway platform and a cop started asking all sorts of questions. At that time I was carrying a much slimmer type of case that could not reasonably hold any kind of normal rifle or shotgun, but it soon became clear that the cop thought that was the case. I opened the case and showed him. But really, the only kind of gun that would fit in that thing would be a takedown .22 with a wire stock or a modified sten gun or similar and either of those would be a stretch as well. What are they teaching those cops, I wonder?
