• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

police harassment

XD Owner

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
377
Location
Arlington, VA
imported post

I would say it is infrequent, at least in the Freedom State of Virginia. Most people seem to not even notice. I have walked right by police officers in busy downtown areas (Old Town, Alexandria) and no reaction.

I have been harassed a few times (a mall, a movie theater, a DMV Office, but most of the time, like I said, no reaction.

If you can open carry legally and you feel comfortable about the situation (not overly crowded, you have good equipment that will retain the weapon if someone was stupid enough to attempt to do a gun grab) I say go for it.
 

SicSemperTyrannis

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Messages
537
Location
Henrico County ,
imported post

This has been my experience: I have open carried several hundred times in the Richmond area over the last year (Richmond City, Henrico, Chesterfield, Powhatan) and have been hassled only once. I have only heardone mildlynegative comment (from a grocery store check-out clerk - and I laughed it off), and have heard aboutfive or sixcompliments or friendly, curiousquestions. I would say that meansconsiderably less than 5% of people have ever said anything at all about it.I would say only 10% of people even notice the gun, includingat least half of people you directly speak too! The one time I was hassled was fairly serious as far as these things go (I was made to spread my legs, get frisked, four back-up squad cars arrived, etc - but I was never hand-cuffed). However, that incident ended with my internal affairs complaint being upheld, and the Chief of Police sent me a letter saying some of the officers actions were inappropriate and his behavior wasn't up to the standards of his department, so I consider that to have been a valuable educational experience for that officer and his department (and a tribute to the integrity of Henrico's P.D. and its Colonel Stanley). You will be surprised - very surprised - how few people even notice. It's almost disturbing. Perhaps it is because so many people wear black cell phones at their hip these days (?). I have even carried at a bank three times without issue. Then again, I live in Virginia, which is probably the most open-carry friendly state in the nation (and certainly the state where it is most common). TheDemocrat running against our current Senator gets an "A" from the NRA (!)- and our current Senator gets an "A+"! That tells youa lotabout the general environment here, not that it couldn't still be improved.
 
Top