That's like saying that all our rights are in force except on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. Heh.
Okay, let's take another example:
Pretend for a moment that we live in a town of 100 people out in the badlands of New Mexico, era 1830.
Everybody wears guns because of the abundance of transient gun runts, thieves, robbers, bullies, etc., passing through town. We have not had a really bad shoot out for years on end. That is because nobody wants to get shot back at and die an instant death. (Excuse the grammar.)
Guns are as common as boots. Noboby pays attention to them any more than they would pay attention to someone picking their nose.
Some parents even let their kids wear guns or tote rifles, becoming adept and responsible in their use, care and handling.
One day somebody got drunk drinking my beer and accidentally shot himself in the foot and wasn't able to plow his field that fall.
His wife, really, really pissed because they wouldn't have the money to buy that fancy piano she always wanted, decided that enough is enough, ran for sheriff, won, and promptly posted a sign at the city limits and all over town that totin' guns in the street and in the beer halls and casinos was no longer allowed. Check your guns at the door from now on.
Soon thereafter, a band of cattle rustlers, rusty, crusty, and armed to the teeth passed through town one sunny day and immediately noticed that nobody was armed.
Well, you can imagine what happened if you've read enough phony western books or have a rack of old time western movies stashed next to your VCR.
The townsfolk counted their dead, replaced the windows at the bank, and voted to outlaw guns completely. Yup. That would work. It was a compelling state interest to coral all those guns that kept killing people, don'tcha know.
The town population began to dwindle, the undertaker was getting richer, and the cemetery was full, but few there was who could draw any correlation between the mortality rate and the absence of guns. Well, one of the residents decided that the town was going crazy and decided to wear his guns anyway lest the town decided to outlaw boot-wearing and nose-picking at some point.
Of course, he was arrested and thrown in jail. The law, you know. Strangely enough, he was the only free man in town, though he was the only one in jail.
Never heard of the "Blue Laws", huh?
As to your gun-totin' Wild West fantasy, bear in mind that some of these towns required visitors to check their guns at the Sheriff's office. So much for "everybody wears guns".
But, we do digress, don't we? And, my oh my, you're getting way behind in your answers to me.
In your post #240, you said, "Before I address your other points ...". Well, now it's time.
Any comments on my post #242 to you?
Plus, I insist on an answer to my post #251 to you. What did you mean by, "As an aside, there is something about the use of that phrase that just doesn't rub well. I know what it is, as do all free men, but will let it pass for now"?