Colorado is an “open carry” state so the potential attackers will know I am armed.
Fair enough.
As the article itself says, they pick out people who look vulnerable to prey on.
I would suggest it is probable even a person who carries concealed is a lot less likely to be attacked. Such a person is likely to have subtly different body language that tends to lead the perps to pick somebody else. IOW, the type of person who carries concealed is also the type of person who is not an ideal victim for other reasons.
The thing that has always bothered me the most about this “game” is not so much the crime itself as the mentality of those who choose to play it. How can any group of “men” take pride in a group assault on a weaker and unsuspecting victim? If I engaged in such behavior, which is impossible for me to even imagine, perhaps while drunk, I’d be too ashamed of myself the next day to meet anybody’s eyes.
I can understand the criminal ethos of boldness and initiative. But taking pride in attacking those who are weaker? It’s like taking pride in abuse of your children. Who thinks that way?