NC is an open carry state and firearms are not uncommon to be seen on a normal day. In the western side of the state, you should pretty assume that every resid

NC is an open carry state and firearms are not uncommon to be seen on a normal day. In the western side of the state, you should pretty assume that every resident is armed, because it’s just the way of the area. In a disaster torn area in that part of the state you should pretty much assume that everyone is well armed, but well armed doesn’t necessary mean that they have nefarious intentions, it might just mean they are letting people with nefarious intentions know it’s probably a good idea to behave. Who knows what the real story actually is—I don’t trust the WaPo to provide proper context here. DC culture and opinion is not Western North Carolina culture and opinion. They are writing for a wholly different audience.