Liability really only comes into play if the wrong person gets shot (either unintentionally, or if one intends to shoot someone who didn't need shooting). Will an engraving on a carbine affect the gun's reliability? No. But...
Take our recent court case du jour. Suppose Zimmerman had a "Punisher" skull on the slide cover plate of his handgun, or "Infidel" written along the slide. It wouldn't matter one lick in court, but if there's any sort of race/ethnicity/foul play card to play, its not going to help any, especially that its now time for him to continue living his life in public.
Again, for this to be a factor, you have to actually have a shooting, and have an investigating entity, prosecutor, or other party that will make the info public. You also need a media that will latch onto such things, and a public that's at a fever fitch over race relations, justice inequality, etc. Unlikely, I know...
Personally, I'd make sure the quote is tasteful and, like you said, inconspicuous.
The advice above is worth exactly what you paid for it.
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