[gunsmoker]

I think bringing long guns to confront one's enemies on the public streets should be criminalized.
It may be hard to draw the line to distinguish between carrying a gun the way people normally do, and carrying a special gun in a special way just to threaten your adversaries and intimidate the public, but, if such a line can be drawn without the law being void for vagueness, it SHOULD be drawn.

That goes for "our side" too.
I wouldn't mind having a law that bans some of our right-wing brethren and gun nuts from waving battle rifles and combat shotguns in people's faces at public gatherings where a confrontation is expected, even welcomed and promoted by one or both sides.

 

[gunsmoker]

Nothing wrong with exercising your 2nd amendment rights while exercising your 1st.

...

And as the rest of your post states, being armed can make you seem like more of a threat to the other person you're confronting. THAT is where, in fact and in law, your GUN RIGHTS will serve to limit your FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, or, at your option, you can have your full 100% set of gun rights, but then you better what what you say, and thus your 1st Amendment free speech rights have taken a hit.

If I'm not armed, I can come up to you and get in your face and insult you with much stronger language, even wishing that you would die, than I could legally get away with if I did the same thing while openly carrying a gun. Especially a long gun that I'm holding in my hands.
Hate + Insults + Threats + Weapon = reasonable fear of imminent mortal danger.