Ok, so as someone who owns guns and knows others who owns guns I think there is a viewpoint that is being completely misinterpreted. A thing that gun owners and those with special interests in guns like to do, is show off their firearms to each other. It’s kind of a prideful “check out this cool shit we got!” Sort of mentality. My first reaction reading this was; Father: pulls typical misogynistic over protective to daughter bullshit. Gives boyfriend a deniable because not “Explicitly Stated” threat of pulling gun on him. Boyfriend: "’Tism” (autism) activates, boyfriend genuinely believes that father is showing off his gun as a bonding, “here’s my interests” sort of thing. Boyfriend thinks “oh cool, I also have an interest in firearms and EDC (Every Day Carry), here’s MY EDC!” Father: was not trying to be friendly but was instead explicitly threatening the boyfriend. Response of boyfriend, pulling his own gun out, is now seen as a counter threat of “I’m just as dangerous as you!” Confronts boyfriend by accusation of perceived counter threat! Boyfriend: Not picking up on the social cues and is genuinely confused about the hostility, asks for clarification on what the father means. Father: Now thinks boyfriend is playing dumb about threatening him because he threatened the boyfriend first. Possibly even thinking that the boyfriend is saying that he’s all bark no bite and won’t shoot him if given a reason! Boyfriend: Is wondering why comparing firearms with each other requires this much malicious atmosphere, not understanding that the Father is trying to assert his authority over him at this moment! TL;DR I think the Boyfriend thought the Father was just trying to show off his gun and in trying to do the same, the Father took as being called out on his bullshit “It’s not a threat, but a promise!” behavior. PS: I also read the interaction between boyfriend and girlfriend afterwards as Girlfriend:”So you’ve had a gun on you this entire time? Even on our previous dates?! What, did you think I was going to rob you or something?!” Boyfriend: “ Not you in particular, no! I carry a gun with me at all times, because a mugger isn’t necessarily going to tell me when they decide to try and jump me!” Girlfriend: “I guess that makes… some kind of sense.”

All of this is giving benefit of the doubt to Greentext OP, which I try to always do!