Back then, in a smallish town (about 10k) it was nothing to see kids walking up and down Main st. with their rifles headed for their "secret" shooting spot in the woods. That'd never happen in today's world.
I keep threatening to do that with my Ruger 22LR precision rimfire rifle. It is black and looks scary to the uneducated especially with the bipod and red dot sight on it. No law says I cannot do that. Might wait until rabbit season is open however and see how long it takes for someone to call the cops on me at which point I can present them with all my legal paperwork etc.