MolonLabe wrote:As a woman, i find it very uncomfortable to have an unknown repairman in my home, but as a CHL holder I can't imagine entering an unknown person's home without it. But I would think a repairman would do everything in his power to be 110% concealed to avoid any issues though? I know many women who would freak out if the "strange" guy in the kitchen had his weapon showing.
I'm in the same boat. I'm a stay-at-home mom and I really dislike having strange men in the house when it's just the kids and me. (Heck, that's one of the reasons I own a gun!) On the other hand, if I were working in a strange house I would certainly feel better armed -- so don't take that to mean that I think you shouldn't carry on the job.
I would say that if I had a strange (previously unknown to me) repair man in the house and I noticed he was carrying, I would feel more at ease if the gun appeared to be carried in some sort of legitimate setup. Whether that's a good belt and holster, or a shoulder holster, or some of the other suggestions... something that looks like you regularly and responsibly carry a gun. Red flags would be going up if it looked like you'd just added it as an afterthought (say, it's sticking out of your pocket or lying around in your tool bag). I guess it's the difference between, "oh, looks like he carries a gun" and "hm, looks like he picked up a gun somewhere and brought it with him for some reason...". I'm not sure if that's logical; just gut feeling.
Now, because I don't like having strangers in the house, we have a couple of handyman type guys we work with on a regular basis when we need work done. I know those guys well and I'm completely comfortable with them around. If I saw a gun on either of those guys, I wouldn't bat an eye. And if they can't do something for me they recommend someone else, and I'd be relatively comfortable with someone they'd recommended to me. I don't know how much of your business is with people you have a working relationship with, but that may be a factor.