RMC - That is a bit of an exageration. I lived in Phoenix for many years, carried openly as much as I liked, and in all the years I got ONE comment from a teenager chick who just got nervous and made a smart comment.
There are Californians there that do a "second take" at your gun but that is about it. No comments, no problems, maybe an occasional look of shock.
The people that are shocked are from California and need to get used to it.
Actually, carrying openly I get more COMPLIMENTS and friendly chat from other gun people than anything else.
Cops are especially friendly to CCW and open-carry. They usually ask what cailber etc, small talk like any other shooter.
My friends carry openly every single day. They don't have any problems either, and they are always telling me about other gun people that start conversations with them like "What model/caliber is that....mine is a...." or "Who makes your holster, I like it".
The thing that most amazes me about Arizona is how many gun people there are there. There are gun shops galore and it seems like every other person you meet has a decent collection.