Consequences of weapon carrying?

Got a hit this afternoon from someone in New Bedford, Mass. with the search string "consequences of weapon carrying". Sorry, need more info.

It depends on what you are planning to do with it, doesn't it. If you see someone carrying a Louisville Slugger down the street, can you determine if they're going to the batting cages or going to go all Carrie Underwood on someone's truck? Of course not.

Say I'm a responsible, law-abiding adult. The consequences of carrying a weapon are mainly going to be the inconvenience of carrying, unless, of course, someone attacks me and I use the weapon to protect myself or someone else. In that case, the consequence is that I have given myself or someone else an extra chance to survive the encounter with...

A gang-banger looking for trouble. Well, we have a completely different set of circumstances which spawn a completely different set of consequences, don't we? Possession of a firearm is typically illegal for these folks. The acts they commit with the firearm are typically illegal. They don't run in the better circles, hence are usually in potential danger from their companions, who are also carrying. If caught and convicted, varying degrees of punishment are exacted.

I'm happy to answer the question. I'd just appreciate more details so I can do a better job of it. I