..where strangers talk to strangers without fear of being attacked or shot at..  
 
Letter to the Editor of the Calgary Herald: http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/letters/Nose+Hill+Park+confrontation+makes+visitors+feel+unsafe/7050028/story.html  
 
Subsequent article written: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/08/08/walt-wawra-gun-letter_n_1756991.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

i dont know, if two guys came up to me asking where i have been, it would kinda freak me out too. not to the amount where i wished i had a gun, but i wouldnt hang around to long either!

Love the tweets in response to this incident (as seen in the second article near the bottom of the page.) Too funny. Yes it may be intimidating to be approached by men in such a way, but they too would've been carrying guns if that were allowed in Canada, and then it could've had much worse results.

Hard to tell unless you're in the situation yourself...but me thinks he may have over reacted. Better safe than sorry though. He did what was right for him.

Apparantly, it has been announced that the two men asking if the American couple had been to the Stampede yet were actually giving out free passes donated by a local oil company. I have no idea of how that could possibly be threatening.  
Good thing for those two guys who were handing out the tickets that this American was indeed in Canada, where "only the cops and the criminals carry guns". Because they might have found themselves sporting a few new bullet-sized holes if he'd been allowed to carry his weapon.

he may have over reacted but he also may not have pulled his gun if he had it on him, he may have just felt safer with it but as a police officer he also may have a jaded view as those guys see the worst of many people? who knows, they may have been giving away tickets (who knows?) but maybe they weren't that good at their job the LW didn't think they were that friendly?