I would recommend that you open carry where it is lawful to do so or better yet talk your friend into it, doing so is going to let you see what your local PD/SO thinks about the 2nd.
Chief DickBreath might not be accurately representing the men on his payroll who could well be left wondering what shitty thing Chief is going to say next that is going to make their lives harder.
So get out there and talk to your PD/SO see what they say, open carry and see how they act. In my town of 7.2k they don't even look up from their coffee. 40 miles north in Albuquerque they shot a kid for pulling a Taco Bell Spoon.