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Open carry on Virginia Beach Boardwalk

Mongoose72

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2013
Messages
101
Location
Virginia
I would like to hear the experiences of those of you who have actually open carried on the Virginia Beach board walk during the summer. I know that they have some general prohibition posted against behavior that might alarm or something like that. Is this ever used against open carriers? I haven’t OCed there yet, and as the warm weather was coming I wanted to learn from the experiences of others in this area. This is not about making a statement, etc. I have seen quite a collection of characters at the beach area particularly at night. Previously I was staying at a hotel in the off season and went for a 10PM walk and had 2 guys walk at me and my wife in an aggressive manner and do the classic fan out maneuver. I stopped in my tracks and looked at them in an angry/ serious manner; they just went back to their area on the bike path. I was unarmed by the way at the time.

I have a CHP so if there are a lot of problems with OC on the boardwalk I don’t have to do it; but for the deterrence factor I would prefer OC versus CC. Any suggestions or stories about experiences would be helpful.
 
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peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
13,551
Location
Valhalla
I would like to hear the experiences of those of you who have actually open carried on the Virginia Beach board walk during the summer. I know that they have some general prohibition posted against behavior that might alarm or something like that. Is this ever used against open carriers? I haven’t OCed there yet, and as the warm weather was coming I wanted to learn from the experiences of others in this area. This is not about making a statement, etc. I have seen quite a collection of characters at the beach area particularly at night. Previously I was staying at a hotel in the off season and went for a 10PM walk and had 2 guys walk at me and my wife in an aggressive manner and do the classic fan out maneuver. I stopped in my tracks and looked at them in an angry/ serious manner; they just went back to their area on the bike path. I was unarmed by the way at the time.

I have a CHP so if there are a lot of problems with OC on the boardwalk I don’t have to do it; but for the deterrence factor I would prefer OC versus CC. Any suggestions or stories about experiences would be helpful.

VB has gotten to be a good OC city. (It was not like that many years ago).
We've had a number of members give accounts of OC on the Boardwalk with no problems.
Darned if I'd walk on it at night without a gun.
 
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peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
13,551
Location
Valhalla
I wouldn't walk on it in the daytime without a gun either.

How times change!

Back in the 60's when I was still a mountain kid, Virginia Beach was a smallish Resort city. They had a very small Police Department and hired Law Students from William & Mary as summer cops.

That was before they built 64 and a lot more enjoyable trip!

There were no BIG motels then. You could see the water from the street. I used to stay at the Essex House on 16th and Ocean Front near the wooden pier which was 5 times longer then. I'd fish all night and never recall having a problem. You were pretty much safe wherever you went.

In 1960 I sat out hurricane Donna in the Essex. That was interesting for someone from the hills. There was a 138 mile gust recorded near VB.:eek: It was the first time I saw horizontal rain
55371.jpg


I did stay away from the Peppermint Beach Club which had Drunken Sailors:lol: but there wasn't much else going on at night.

Buckroe Beach was where you didn't go without a shotgun. Life was better then!

Peppermint Beach Club
l.jpg


Essex House
essex_zps880b0765.jpg
 
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Mongoose72

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2013
Messages
101
Location
Virginia
VB has gotten to be a good OC city. (It was not like that many years ago).
We've had a number of members give accounts of OC on the Boardwalk with no problems.
Darned if I'd walk on it at night without a gun.

I actually open carry more now that I have a CHP then I did before. I know its stupid, but I used to be paranoid about my gun becoming covered up by accident or someone not thinking that my method of carry constituted "common observation." As far as the local PD all that I can say is that they seem not to bother law abiding citizens. There actually is alot more crime here then appears on the surface. I recall being told by a cashier who had grown up in the Bronx that she felt more in danger here than back home. As funny as it sounds you are sometimes safer being right in the eye of the storm (i.e. the inner city) then out in the suburbs around criminals. I used to work for a courier service that did alot of business in urban areas and from what I have seen in the suburbs criminals often look at everyone as a potential target, in the inner city criminals see a clean cut guy who doesn't belong there and often assume that you must be a cop or nuts just for being there.
 
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