Open concealed Carry in Virginia

F

ftd

New member
I have read a lot about concealed carry in TFL and other forums that speak to the need to maintain concealment or risk breaking the law.

In Virginia, having a ccp, I know that I can carry concealed. I also know that open carry is lawful in Virginia and is also lawful in more instances than concealed carry.

What I can't seem to determine is whether or not Virginia makes it unlawful for a lawfully concealed weapon to be seem.

Can someone give me some guidance?
 
Since open carry is perfectly legal in Virginia (the law is completely silent on it) you are NOT required to conceal, even if you have a permit that allows carrying concealed.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm a little slow but sometimes it takes me a while to catch on. Or maybe it is my paranoi with government. Now I have another reason to be grateful I live in Virginia.
 
Yes, VA is a good state.... but be careful where you open carry

there are places in the northeast part of the state where you will have some 'splaining' to do, from what I've read.

Few years back I was with a group of folks where we all were scheduled to work a week at a government building in D.C. Our leader had a meeting scheduled the day before we started at our Hotel we were to stay at over in Alexandria VA in the bar. I was running late getting to this meeting and decided to just walk in dressed the same as I had been driving up.... carrying a 9mm open on my side... got some really strange looks from a few of the folks.
 
here they frown upon it...if you have a conceal permit is so that you dont have to open carry.... i have been told that if you want to open carry then you dont have the need for a conceal permit.... one way or the other.
 
ftd,

I have a concealed carry permit, and make use of it. I also carry openly, often, in every conceivable situation. I open carry in Arlington, in Fairfax, and even in Alexandria - all the yankee-infested hotbeds of latter-day gunhaterdom. You might get odd looks, or even sneers from the ignoratti, but you shouldn't have any real troubles.

There was a period a few years back when local gendarmes were making bogus arrests of legal open carriers, but the message seems to have gotten out. Open carry is legal.

Two oddities to mention: if you enter any - any[i/] restaurant with an on-premises beer/wine/liquor license, you MUST carry openly or carry not at all. This includes the usual chains, like Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, Outback, etc., and most pizza joints, but also some unlikely places such as Chipotle (serves beer and margaritas of some kind). The second is don't carry in a church, synagogue, etc. during services.

As to your original post, don't worry about it. Conceal as best you can; in those odd instances when you're momentarily exposed, as it were, you will find either (a) no one will see it, or (b) it will be perfectly legal, or (c) both.

God be with you.

Bob James
 
It is bad form and this is why: if someone sees you conceal a gun they may assume it is illegal and report you to the police wrongly. The police likely won't do anything but they could stop you ask to see your license.

We had a case not too long ago in Georgia where a licensed CHL holder was attacked by an over zealous security guard who had seen the weapon. Open carry is illegal in GA without a CHL. The guard just assumed that the man was up to no good.
 
MTT TL,
That's where I was originally confused on worrying about this issue. Since open carry is legal in VA (without a permit), allowing a concealed carry to be seen can't be against the law. In states where open carry is not legal, more care is obvoiously needed to maintain concealment. I also get the reasons for concealed carry (don't let the bad guys know you are armed, don't upset people by showing them a gun, etc.), and the "bad form" of someone who is concealing to seem "sneaky" and worrisome if others are offered the opportunity to see the "concealed" weapon - probably more worrisome than if the gun is open carried.

Thanks for your thoughts.
 
Open concealed Carry?

That got me interested in this tread as well.
Click to expand...

Some states require concealed to remain concealed (though the Texas law gets exaggerated all the time).

While it may alarm a few people, you can freely open carry in Virginia (exceptions being the usual schools, courts, federal facilites, etc.).


We also have this rather dumb law that ONLY allows open carry in restaurants and clubs with on premisis alcohol sales ('by hte drink' type places).

There are NO bars in Virginia since anyplace selling alcohol by the drink (beer, wine, or mixed drinks) must make 45% of sales from food.
 
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