Unlawful detainment vs. investigation
There are plenty of examples online (youtube) of LEO's approaching OC'ers without any type of fanatical detainment. Simply stated, they were versed of the laws and trained on the proper approach and handling of an OC citizen. They simply approach, explain that they've received a call from a concerned citizen, and in some cases simply move on without even requiring that any questions be answered.
This guy clearly overreacted. If there was any question of 'suspicious circumstances' the LEO could have asked dispatch for more. I doubt that they get so many calls that there's no time for officer inquiry or clarification. I was a firefighter for years and monitored police radio traffic for thousands of hours and even when busy there was always time for update clarification while on the way to the call.
This was an obvious excuse to do all he felt he could justify under 'keeping it safe' because a guy was walking down the sidewalk with an openly displayed gun. He obviously wanted to stay in control.
Regarding drawing back on the LEO, police have an assumption of 'being the good guy' so to draw on them would be considered hostile. They're given the legal upper hand regardless of the threat. I agree that evening the playing field should be an option, but would you trust an LEO's response if you raised or unholstered your weapon in the same way as they?
The guy was clearly under coercion and complying out of common sense, not in agreement. His life has already been threatened and he knows that he has no choice other than comply, especially if he wants to get home anytime soon. Just in listening to his voice you can tell that he feels victimized.
Making a 1st Amendment statement does NOT mean that he was seeking a confrontation; it means that he was demonstrating his legal rights for others to observe. He was likely carrying under the assumption that the police knew and respected the law. It wasn't that he was asking for anything, it's that an unwary or unwilling LEO decided that he'd handle it the way he felt best. And in a situation like that the LEO undoubtedly felt it would be better to be in legal hot water than in a casket. He was making the rules.
I didn't see compliance. I saw a guy that felt he had no choice but to end the matter as quickly as possible with the least negative outcome as possible; he was mitigating circumstances in the most sensible way possible to his own way of thinking. These police were poorly trained, similar to what happened here in Las Vegas not too long ago with an OC'er down on the Strip; an encounter that changed Metro department training and policy for us all.