Well, FSB is an intelligence agency, and they wear guns or at least have a license to wear gun.
Though I cannot argue. I rely on my intuitive knowledge of Russian which is hard to use as a rational argument. This knowledge tells me that "силовые структуры"/"structures of force" are organizations that use force to solve problems. And I think that all of them wear guns. But I may be wrong with that last statement, and moreover language is changing, so the generally accepted meaning of the word can differ from what I had learnt in my childhood.
They are also a military branch and have military ranks, although they don't wear uniforms. The FSB acts like a combination of FBI, a border patrol and secret police.
They are also the group allowed to carry out an assassination on foreign soil (according to Russian law), although they are not allowed to authorize such a mission on their own.
Gun carry (or more specific open or concealed carry) is the more popular phrase, due to the popularity of EDC (every day carry) as a phrase covering everything from guns to knives to keychains; however, "wear" is not a linguistic mistake, but an alternative to "carry".
"Wear" differentiates from things that you carry in your hands or pockets or a bag. Things that are part of your dress, like watches, ties, and handguns in holsters, are more "worn" than "carried", though it could be either.
What were you hoping the readers of your comment would gain from your comment?
Apologies if this comes off abrasively. This is a genuine question that thought to myself when I read your comment. I can't think of a better way to phrase it.
> I’m a native U.S. English speaker and I didn’t think twice about “wear a gun”.
Maybe it's regional. I've never heard it said that way before. "Are you wearing a gun"? "Concealed wearing laws"? Doesn't sound right, but I guess people do use it.
Don't cops ask "Do you have a gun on you" or "Are you carrying?". I think most of us would find it weird if a cop asked us "Are you wearing a gun?".
”Wearing” a gun pretty specifically is used for having it in, or at least with, a holster (I’ve seen it used a lot, and always with that meaning; it is pretty much the combination of wearing the holster and carrying the gun that goes in it; I’ve mostly seen it used of people who do that regularly as part of a job or lifestyle, either speaking about them in general or discussing whether they were or were not doing so at a particular time.) “Carrying” is more general and more often of interest.
> Don't cops ask "Do you have a gun on you" or "Are you carrying?"
In person, I’be most frequently observed the former (fortunately, not much experience), but on TV both cops and crooks tend to use “carrying” with an implied direct object a lot.
> I think most of us would find it weird if a cop asked us "Are you wearing a gun?".
Sure, because that's not what a cop is likely concerned about.
> Nobody says "wear a gun". It doesn't sound right.
Native speaker, I have heard other native speakers say (or seen them write) “wear a gun” quite a bit. “Carry” seems to be more currently common, but far from exclusive.
