Quote:
Originally Posted by _Q_
I never heard this being used in Canada, but for some reason Americans, particularly officials working at government agencies will say "On your person" when referring to something you possess.
Like, you walk into a government building and the security guard working the metal detector will stop you and ask "Sir, are you carrying any firearms on your person?"... why add the "on your person" other than to sound more official? I know it's technically correct usage of the word "person", but in modern English it sound insanely dumb and unnecessarily repetitive.
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To make it clear to the audience that they are not asking them about firearms they are carrying in their vehicle - which is a real possibility as different establishments and buildings can forbid the carrying of firearms on premises.
American gun culture means that probably more than enough people have been asked if they are "carrying any firearms" and have misinterpreted the question or intentionally engaged in wordplay (i.e. "not with my hands! hyuk, hyuk...) that the addition of those three words probably have saved the Asker so much crap from the confused or the ones trying to be funny.