Cops here in NC will take the position that if someone calls about it, then you are "intimidating" the public with it. I would pull the same stunt as these kids just to force a case, but I don't have the time or the discretionary funds to bankroll a long and expensive lawsuit. Better just to get a cc permit and they will leave you alone. However, the city I live in (Durham) has the dubious distinction of being the ONLY city in NC that has a law REQUIRING you to register a handgun. We ignore it, of course, but it is on the books.
Rights are like muscles. If you do not use them, you lose them.