The only things Clachelle Jensen has ever taken out with her pistol are targets and broken bottles. None of the diners had ever taken aim at a human being.

"I hope the day never comes when I have to use my weapon," said Kevin Jensen, Clachelle's husband. "I just like to have it there in case of emergency."

All agreed that keeping the gun out in the open encourages criminals to stay at bay.

"An armed society is a polite society," they said. Kevin Jensen said he wanted his wife to keep her gun on her belt because she didn't always have hold of the purse she kept it in. He didn't want her to end up "arming a purse-snatcher," he said.

He prefers to wear his Glock strapped to his thigh. He shrugged when someone asked if he was a member of the FBI.

"If I wear it on my waist, I can't tuck my shirt in," he said, while bouncing his 3-month-old on his hip.

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E-mail: estuart@desnews.com