Virginia Carry

[Kythas]

So I've been in Virginia for two weeks and have discovered the following things regarding carrying either openly or concealed:

1. Very few people carry openly. In fact, I've seen nobody but on duty police openly carrying. Belive me, I've been looking. I've asked a couple clerks at a gun store here and they said it's pretty rare to see anyone openly carrying.
2. Concealed carry in restaurants. If the restaurant has a license to sell alcohol, it's illegal to carry a concealed gun. You MUST unconceal your gun. However, I've noticed that almost every restaraunt does not allow open carry in their establishment. This effectively disarms anyone eating at any restaurant that has a liquor license.

So, all in all, I think the hoopla about open carry is just that - hoopla. I'd much rather carry concealed where nobody knows I have my gun than carry openly and be told I can't eat somewhere while armed. It seems to me we can carry more freely in Texas than in Virginia.

Just my two cents worth. I am not a lawyer, but I am staying at a Holiday Inn Express while here. Do not follow my advice if you are pregnant or may become pregnant.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I go to Virginia several times each year for NRA matters. I fly into either Dulles or Reagan National and take a cab to Fairfax or Arlington, depending upon where we are meeting. I've been doing this since I was elected to the NRA Board of Directors in 2001. I've never seen anyone carrying openly in Virginia, except LEOs in uniform.

Chas.

[Texasdoc]

When I was living in VA. I open carried daily, you have to get out of the Washington beltway to see folks open carrying.

here is a link to Open carry dot org.

http://opencarry.mywowbb.com


here is the VA. page http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/forum54/

[hirundo82]

Where are you finding these restaurants that ban carry? I've very rarely seen "No Gun" signs in Virginia, and have never had a problem open carrying when at a restaurant (all over VA, but mostly in the western part of the state).

I'd much rather carry concealed where nobody knows I have my gun than carry openly and be told I can't eat somewhere while armed.

That is not currently an option in VA, as you note. There have been bills introduced in the legislature for each of the past several sessions to allow carry where alcohol is served but none have passed (although they got close this past session). I'd like the option to OC rather than to disarm before entering a restaurant.

It seems to me we can carry more freely in Texas than in Virginia.

Besides the restaurant ban, Virginia's off-limits places are better than TX in several ways. In the off-limits places, you can carry at colleges and sporting events. The only place that VA bans carry that TX allows it is at church "withoud good and sufficient reason."

[Kythas]

I'm in Charlottesville, so am well away from the Washington beltway. I've seen absolutely nobody open carrying while I've been here.

[Texasdoc]

I lived in Stafford and saw lots of folks carrying open, We had dinners where over 20 of us carried.

I carried all over VA. Never had a problem.

[Liberty]

I go to Virginia several times each year for NRA matters. I fly into either Dulles or Reagan National and take a cab to Fairfax or Arlington, depending upon where we are meeting. I've been doing this since I was elected to the NRA Board of Directors in 2001. I've never seen anyone carrying openly in Virginia, except LEOs in uniform.

Chas.

There are two Virginias. Virginia near DC and real Virginia. I won't claim that OC is common near place like Roanoke but spotting someone OCing in the rural areas is not all that unusual either. The differences between the two are as wide as the culture of San Angelo is to San Fransisco.

[mamabearCali]

Thought this might need updating. I live outside Richmond VA and I do see open carriers every once in a while in the sub-urbs I see them ALL the time in the country. The law concerning open/conceal carry in a "restaurant that serves alcohol" has been changed. A CCW (CHL in TX) is now permitted to be in a restaurant with a concealed weapon provided he/she does not partake of alcohol.

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[jamisjockey]

Interesting zombie thread. I'm glad they changed that rule.
I moved here from VA. Woodbridge to be exact. Its defintely a DC suburb.
I open carried from time to time. Saw open carriers regularly at the starbucks on the corner of Dale Blvd and Minnieville. Saw them once in awhile when I was out and about, towards Front Royal and the Shenandoah valley. Not as common as seeing them in Arizona, but I saw them sometimes nonetheless.
I never saw an establishment that banned open carry, but have heard of people being asked to leave once or twice through the grapevine.
I was never asked to leave an establishment while open carrying.

[mamabearCali]

Most of the time no one ever even notices if a person is open carrying. It is a non-issue. The other day a friend of mine had what looked like from a distance a ankle brace. Of course when you got right up to it, and looked carefully it was his ankle holster, but most people would have not even noticed.

[Keith B]

Most of the time no one ever even notices if a person is open carrying. It is a non-issue. The other day a friend of mine had what looked like from a distance a ankle brace. Of course when you got right up to it, and looked carefully it was his ankle holster, but most people would have not even noticed.

I see you are in Chesterfield. Do you see open carry frequently in Richmond, or is it mainly in the outskirts and rural areas outside the city?

[Oldgringo]

FWIW, we spent last October in very rural Virginia (Mouth of Wilson, Damascus area) and shopped in Jefferson, NC. I never saw anyone except an LEO with OC in either of these gold star Open Carry states.

[mamabearCali]

Most of the time no one ever even notices if a person is open carrying. It is a non-issue. The other day a friend of mine had what looked like from a distance a ankle brace. Of course when you got right up to it, and looked carefully it was his ankle holster, but most people would have not even noticed.

I see you are in Chesterfield. Do you see open carry frequently in Richmond, or is it mainly in the outskirts and rural areas outside the city?

I don't hang out in Richmond proper much--just don't really have a need to. I live even in the outskirts of chesterfield (close to amelia county) so it could be the places I frequent (tractor supply, farmers markets, lowes, kroger, Martins) but I see a person open carrying about twice a month. I know of many more that do carry but do so concealed. I like it that we are in an open carry state--it gives me options , but I choose to conceal carry because it makes life (and friendships) more simple. Soccer moms get real worried when they see a fellow mom with a glock on her hip. Women! (I can say that because I am of the female gender--would not recommend that for you gentlemen).

[Keith B]

Most of the time no one ever even notices if a person is open carrying. It is a non-issue. The other day a friend of mine had what looked like from a distance a ankle brace. Of course when you got right up to it, and looked carefully it was his ankle holster, but most people would have not even noticed.

I see you are in Chesterfield. Do you see open carry frequently in Richmond, or is it mainly in the outskirts and rural areas outside the city?

I don't hang out in Richmond proper much--just don't really have a need to. I live even in the outskirts of chesterfield (close to amelia county) so it could be the places I frequent (tractor supply, farmers markets, lowes, kroger, Martins) but I see a person open carrying about twice a month. I know of many more that do carry but do so concealed. I like it that we are in an open carry state--it gives me options , but I choose to conceal carry because it makes life (and friendships) more simple. Soccer moms get real worried when they see a fellow mom with a glock on her hip. Women! (I can say that because I am of the female gender--would not recommend that for you gentlemen).

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Thanks mamabearCali, that confirms what I have seen in open carry states too. While many Open Carry supporters would like you to think it is an every day occurrence and everyone who owns a gun regularly caries that way in an open carry state, it is usually isolated to the rural suburban areas and not in the Metropolitan cities and really common. As you said, there are those that see someone carrying a gun and get worried. Right or wrong, the appearance of the individual is a big factor on a call of a 'Man (Woman) with a Gun' or someone thinking that person may be an off-duty police officer if they don't realize open carry is legal. Let's face it, not all people who carry a gun look like a LEO and some people think anyone with a gun that isn't a LEO is a bad person and looking for trouble.

Bottom line, while the convenience is nice, open carry won't fly in all places like many supporters try to say it will.

[WildBill]

Bottom line, while the convenience is nice, open carry won't fly in all places like many supporters try to say it will.

Maybe it's just the forbidden fruit?