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.