Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

I just moved to the city of Fredericksburg and talked to a Police Captain here and he confirmed that there is no local ordnance prohibiting me from open carrying in the city and they only comply with state law. Also was told I would probably not be harassed by Police here in town either. The question is, are their businesses in the area, the city and Stafford and Spotsy Counties that are not gun friendly. I know I cannot carry, even with a permit, a firearm into a School, Government Building, Post Office or Church under any circumstances. Can you OC in a Bar or place that sells and/or serves Alcohol?

interesting how the police 'chief' said you *probably* wouldn't be harassed by the police (his staff) in town.

can't speak to a definitive list of gun-friendly/unfriendly businesses. there is a list on the vcdl website, but i don't know if it is up-to-date.

re: oc into a place that serves alcohol for on-premises consumption, you good-to-go. note that there are no bars in va. it's all restaurants that also serve alcohol. whether you consume, to any extent, while carrying is a judgement call. fwiw, personally, i *never* mix firearms and alcohol. keep in mind that while you may cc into these places, you may not consume while cc'ing.

hth.
be safe.

Not carrying in government buildings and churchs is different here in VA, also. There are big and important differences between OC and CC here. You probably will want to read the restrictions directly from the code itself to understand the nuances of Virginia handgun laws. Just do a search on Virginia handgun laws and get a cup of coffee. Remember, if it's not restricted, it's legal. Welcome to the forum, by the way!
One other thing, Virginia has a pre-emption law. Local municipalities are not allowed to have laws regulating the ownership, transportation or carrying of firearms. They have to abide by the state laws.

jmicheals1984 wrote:I just moved to the city of Fredericksburg and talked to a Police Captain here and he confirmed that there is no local ordnance prohibiting me from open carrying in the city and they only comply with state law. Also was told I would probably not be harassed by Police here in town either. The question is, are their businesses in the area, the city and Stafford and Spotsy Counties that are not gun friendly. I know I cannot carry, even with a permit, a firearm into a School, Government Building, Post Office or Church under any circumstances. Can you OC in a Bar or place that sells and/or serves Alcohol?

Your information is not entirely correct. You may benefit from this class - http://proactiveshooters.com/general-co ... rry-in-va/

jmicheals1984 welcome You might also try going to http://forum.opencarry.org look around and talk to people there.
Here is the link to the VA forum: http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/forum ... 0-Virginia
And here is a link to a discussion about Fredricksburg going from 2006 to June 2011:
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showt ... dricksburg
Again welcome and look into the Virginia Citizen Defense League @ http://www.vcdl.org

John

Well, I Open Carried my Pistol today going to Blockbuster and the Gas Station and one of the people at BB looked at me funny, the other did not seem to care, the gas station clerk not even appear to notice. I was almost home and a F'Burg PD car sped down the cross street in the intersection as I was almost home, my heart skipped a bit but he kept going. It felt pretty comfortable one me and does not affect the way I walk or how my pants feel. I took the gun out of the holster and into the center console while on the road. Now I hope I don't have any problems at the grocery store this weekend. Question though. Is it illegal to drive through a school zone OCing?

chp holders can remain ccw in the traffic/pickup/dropoff area as long as they stay *in* the car. as best i can recall reading, there's no oc allowed.

Do some reading here, particularly of the code sections which are in bold:

http://vagunforum.net/virginia-laws/cod ... ws-t2.html

That's not *every* gun related law, but most of them that you should be concerned with while carrying in VA.

jmicheals1984 wrote:Is it illegal to drive through a school zone OCing?

No. You're still on a public roadway. The fact that you have to slow down when children are present doesn't change the fact that you can carry.

Now, if you enter school property, it's a different issue. The very general rule is that you can't have a gun on school property. But there is an exception to that rule for CHP holders carrying concealed "while in a motor vehicle in a parking lot, traffic circle, or other means of vehicular ingress or egress to the school." The idea is that you can be carrying concealed with your CHP, and pull up and drop your kid off at the front door and pick them up in the afternoon. It used to be the case that to be technically and fully legal, you would have had to pull over on the side of the road and unload the gun and put it in a "closed container" before entering the school grounds.

The whole attitude in this state, or city rather is the opposite of what I am used to. I walked through Walmart on a busy Saturday evening and nobody even looked at me. Its fair to say that Mich is not a "OC Friendly State". The way it was explained to me by Police in Mich, its considered brandishing if an officer receives a complaint from a citizen and determines you were brandishing a firearm.

IMHO, regardless of legal implications, OC is simply "Asking for Trouble." I can envision good folks being intimidated, more businesses putting up "No Firearms" signs (so much for CC there). I see bad guys seeing a "challenge" and/or an "opportunity" to steal a gun, in which case the OCer would most likely be violently and expeditiously surprise attacked. I see hassles with the police.

I am 64 , have CC'd my entire life since 18, am obviously very comfortable with firearms, but am very UNcomfortable with the concept of OC. I once had an OC stranger come to my house to purchase an item I had publicly advertised. I can tell you I felt very uncomfortable.

tperk100 wrote:IMHO, regardless of legal implications, OC is simply "Asking for Trouble." I can envision good folks being intimidated, more businesses putting up "No Firearms" signs (so much for CC there). I see bad guys seeing a "challenge" and/or an "opportunity" to steal a gun, in which case the OCer would most likely be violently and expeditiously surprise attacked. I see hassles with the police.

I am 64 , have CC'd my entire life since 18, am obviously very comfortable with firearms, but am very UNcomfortable with the concept of OC. I once had an OC stranger come to my house to purchase an item I had publicly advertised. I can tell you I felt very uncomfortable.

Numerous people in Virginia open carry everyday without problems with the police, or having bad guys try to steal their gun. In fact the opposite seams to be true. I invite you to come to the Virginia section of Open Carry forum http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/forum ... 0-Virginia and read about open carry in Virginia.

Yes there have been some problems over the years with police, but are usually corrected quickly. In a number of cases police departments have paid penalties for bad actions toward open carriers.

Why would speaking to a law abiding citizen openly carrying their handgun make you feel uncomfortable? How many bad guys do you think openly carry a handgun? They hide them to surprise their victims, and don't want someone who has the ability to fight back.

As far as a business putting up "No Firearms Signs" they didn't want you to carry concealed to begin with. Business' that anti my right to self defense don't get my money anyway. There is always somewhere else to get the item or product.

I an 60 years old and sometimes open carry and also CC depending on the circumstances.

OC vs. CC is a long running debate. It has been going on since I was first aware of it when I bought my first weapon 23 years ago, and I am sure it has been buzzing longer than that. Opinions still haven't changed.

I CC when I am going places that are either known for low crime or have a reputation for being a more affluent and well patrolled area. I do this so the libs and low information voters don't freak out. I also CC when I am out with my wife. I lover her dearly, but she is a low information voting Lib and it makes her uncomfortable.

I will OC most all the rest of the time, regardless of who may be offended or scared. If I need to get to my weapon quickly, not having it buried under a few layers of clothes makes it much easier to get to. They are great convo starters. It makes the bad guys think twice, to the point where when a few guys realized I was OC'ing... they self-corrected and bugged out.

As far as being ambushed because you have a weapon... that is a legit concern. Some folks prefer the tactical advantage of CC'ing. There is always the chance that, if someone is going to do something stupid regardless, there is a real chance that you may be taken out first. BUT... when would that be different from any other day? You need to be well aware of your surroundings and what is going on around you, at all time and armed or not.