Am I wrong?
No. I suspect that you're entirely correct. Still, I read the following in a post dated 9/3/2009 from Glockster20 (who seems to be a reliable contributor):
"If you open carry in St. Clair County, you WILL be arrested and your CCW permit will be revoked. Per the commie Sheriff of St. Clair County, Sheriff Terry Surles."
http://www.usacarry.com/forums/alabama-discussion-firearm-news/7831-moving-bama.html
I read that some sheriffs in Wisconsin, particularly in and around Milwaukee, resisted their state Attorney General's dictum that charges for open carry would not be pursued, so therefore don't arrest anyone for it. I don't know that they actually ignored the Attorney General's statement, but they threatened to.
Of course, the same is true for the cities of Omaha, Philadelphia, and others with respect to concealed carry. Towns and cities think they can ignore state law and have to be stepped on.