You know, it's funny, cause I grew up in a gun culture, we always had guns around. While I didn't necessarily carry a lot back then, a weapon was pretty much always close at hand. Have never had to use it; but basically "never left home without it". Our young family drove many times across the country and I never would have considered not having the means to protect my family at a remote rest stop at 3 in the morning. I had good-paying jobs that I would have jeopardized had I been popped. I never really thought about it. It was my family.
So, when I travel across problematic states, with NO permits honored, I tend to be just as nonchalant. Without my personal means of self-defense, I would be putting myself and my wife at unacceptable risk. So, the choice, for me is to drive around the state, or barrel on through. I choose the latter but I do this in a sane way: all licenses, registration, insurance cards are upfront and easily accessible. The weapon would have found its way into the glove box (maybe the trunk), which would NEVER be opened.
I drive reasonably and my wife and I look much the middle -age, middle-class couple on a road trip. No threat. I've never been stopped in over 30 years of traversing the country to her family out west and mine on the east coast. I guess, bottom line, you got to do what you got to do; for me the risk (legal hassle, jail time) was worth the lives of my wife and sons. So, now I have permits which allow me to carry in most states, and that's well and good. But sometimes you have to venture out beyond those "safe boundaries" into Mordor and it makes no sense to do so unarmed.
Doesn't really matter what the gov't has to say about it. And I know the site is about legal carry. But it's my family.
We must fight the fear that's ingrained in us.
Just making conversation.