Thanks Frothy for the explanation and pictures. The pics are not what I imagined, I was expecting to see all the bullets round the waist.
When you use the phrase "inside the pants" I'm guessing you mean trousers. "Pants" in real English refers to underwear.
So when people say "carry" a gun, they mean wear a gun? How do people wear a rifle or one of those AK type machine gun things? Is it ok to walk down the shopping mall with one in ones hand? Or is that frowned on.
'Pants' in American English is, indeed, 'trousers' in British English. For underwear, we just say 'underwear' or else refer to the type.
When you're carrying a gun, it means you have one on your person somewhere. It might be a holstered pistol, it might be a rifle slung over a shoulder; both count. Same when someone is said to be 'packing', which is itself short for 'packing heat'.
If you're carrying around a rifle (and the AK and AR are both types of rifles, although it's far more common to encounter carbine versions than full rifles for them, and the AK is very rare here), it's generally attached to a strap and worn like a bandolier, with the rifle on the back. People not carrying one for show or immediate use will often just stick them in rifle bags instead.
In most (but not all) places here, it's technically allowed for you to walk down the street with a rifle. Some cities (Chicago comes to mind) have local ordinances making it illegal to carry guns around (you can own them, just not go around armed), but by and large, open carry is legal.
HOWEVER
First of all, socially, it's very much frowned upon, and just walking around with a slung rifle will get you a lot of attention - we have too many crazies shooting up all sorts of places for people to be anything but worried when they see that. As a rule, though, if you see someone walking around with a slung rifle, they're generally trying to make a pointless political statement. (They're also guaranteeing they're the ones who get shot if someone tries to rob the place. Probably from behind.)
Second, cops WILL come out and at least see what the hell is going on, and GOD HELP YOU if you're black. There are YouTube videos you can look up where a white guy and then a black guy each open carry, and you see the completely different police reaction each gets.
Third, there are a lot of places where state and/or federal law expressly forbids you to bring a firearm. Courts, airports, any place serving alcohol, sports venues, schools, often hospitals...bring guns there and you're likely going to jail, even if you didn't plan anything untoward.
