Hi, again. Just wanted to reply to a couple of comments. A few folks suggested that I not patronize places that don't like to see guns. And some suggested that they open carry and not worry about what other folks think.
I've chatted with the owner of the restaurant in question and don't think he has any problem with me carrying a handgun. But the issue is not with him. The issue is with the law and the other patrons. Whether the owner is gun friendly or not, the law says I cannot conceal carry. So if I go to another restaurant in Northern Virginia, there is no reason to think that open carrying there would be any different. Same issue.
On the "open carry and not worry about what others think," I have my own opinion. Just because a person has a right to read porno doesn't mean that they should sit in a schoolyard with young children running about and open the centerfold. While perhaps legal, it may be unnecessarily provocative. There are times and places for battles, and I don't think that a small, family restaurant in Northern Virginia is the place for making the point that I have a right to open carry a handgun. Also, I read somewhere (could be an urban myth) that to qualify as "open carry" in Virginia, a certain portion of the gun must be exposed. My concealed carry is a M36 Chief Special with a 1 7/8" barrel that I carry in a wasteband holster. When it's cold, I sometimes wear a sweatshirt. It's difficult to tuck the sweatshirt into my trousers, and the potential that the open carry suddenly will become concealed carry is not just paranoia. So as much as I approve of open carry, I don't think that that necessarily is the solution here.
I've chatted with the owner of the restaurant in question and don't think he has any problem with me carrying a handgun. But the issue is not with him. The issue is with the law and the other patrons. Whether the owner is gun friendly or not, the law says I cannot conceal carry. So if I go to another restaurant in Northern Virginia, there is no reason to think that open carrying there would be any different. Same issue.
On the "open carry and not worry about what others think," I have my own opinion. Just because a person has a right to read porno doesn't mean that they should sit in a schoolyard with young children running about and open the centerfold. While perhaps legal, it may be unnecessarily provocative. There are times and places for battles, and I don't think that a small, family restaurant in Northern Virginia is the place for making the point that I have a right to open carry a handgun. Also, I read somewhere (could be an urban myth) that to qualify as "open carry" in Virginia, a certain portion of the gun must be exposed. My concealed carry is a M36 Chief Special with a 1 7/8" barrel that I carry in a wasteband holster. When it's cold, I sometimes wear a sweatshirt. It's difficult to tuck the sweatshirt into my trousers, and the potential that the open carry suddenly will become concealed carry is not just paranoia. So as much as I approve of open carry, I don't think that that necessarily is the solution here.
