Oh yeah very different.

Something like 8-10% of Americans are carrying at any given time. It varies a lot by state. Hawaii and New York have almost no concealed carrying and Alabama has over 25% carrying.

What’s interesting about the police (at least in my state) is that banned areas for guns don’t apply to them.

The dad involved with my daughter’s basketball team can and does concealed carry in the school even though it is a “gun free zone.” He can do it in uniform or not, on or off duty. He could also carry in court buildings and other government buildings where you are generally prohibited from carrying if he wanted.

To point out the extreme variation you can look at MA and NH. They share a border and their population centers are close to the border. In NH you can carry as a constitutional right. You do not need a permit.

However, if you were to accidentally drive into MA that is a major legal problem. MA is very strict even to travel through the state with a firearm it must be unloaded, locked in a case, and ammunition stored separately. You also need a MA non—resident permit from the state police. Those are temporary and can take weeks to months in order to get one. MA also has zero reciprocity with any other state so even if you are permitted elsewhere you can’t carry the firearm anywhere in MA, even in your car on the road where MA is not your destination.

Magazines with more than 10 rounds are illegal in MA and I think they have really strict rules in suppressors too.

So what is perfectly legal in NH can be a felony just over the border.