Sherpernurnun
New member
I'm a Virginia resident and I was heading to Asheville to visit some art galleries and decided I wanted to open carry since NC is an open carry state like VA. I wasn't sure if local laws could restrict carry so I phoned ahead to the Asheville PD. They informed me that OC was legal and they had recently changed the law regarding carrying to restaurants that serve alcohol, score! (I don't drink but that makes it inconvenient to eat with a group haha)
Went out walking downtown with a friend around 11am. Around 1pm we went into a pawn shop and one of the employees asked if I was from out of town. I said yes and he proceeded to tell me OC was banned in Asheville. I told him I called ahead and it was perfectly legal. Walked out and went about my day. Around 6pm a couple friends and I were going to get some dinner a little ways from the galleries down near the edge of what I would call the art area.
We ended up passing up the restaurant so we turned back and as we were walking back up the sidewalk I heard someone yell, "Hey you!" I turned around and a police officer had stopped her car in the road and was walking toward me. She said, "So what's the deal?" I said, "what are you talking about?" She pointed at my gun and I told her I always carry. She started getting all defensive and said she knew it was my right etc. She asked for my ID. I asked why she needed it. She then asked asked for my name..I told her Michael. She pressed for my last name but I told her Michael was my name. She got huffy and told me if I open carry in Asheville I will get the police called on me and that she was surprised no other officer had just stopped me anyway. I told her that her fellow officer who I held the door for at the police station while I was headed to the public restroom downtown earlier that day didn't seem to mind. She told me I was free to go and I turned to walk away. We walked a little bit up the sidewalk and someone said, "hey man is everything alright?" I looked over and the employee from the pawn shop was leaned up against a tree watching. Mind you, this occurred about five hours after I talked to him and about a half mile away from the pawn shop itself.
Creepy. Haha
Here is a little back story and the unfortunate event part of the story:
http://www.change.org/petitions/don...e-michael-peck-s-suspension-and-reinstate-him
Went out walking downtown with a friend around 11am. Around 1pm we went into a pawn shop and one of the employees asked if I was from out of town. I said yes and he proceeded to tell me OC was banned in Asheville. I told him I called ahead and it was perfectly legal. Walked out and went about my day. Around 6pm a couple friends and I were going to get some dinner a little ways from the galleries down near the edge of what I would call the art area.
We ended up passing up the restaurant so we turned back and as we were walking back up the sidewalk I heard someone yell, "Hey you!" I turned around and a police officer had stopped her car in the road and was walking toward me. She said, "So what's the deal?" I said, "what are you talking about?" She pointed at my gun and I told her I always carry. She started getting all defensive and said she knew it was my right etc. She asked for my ID. I asked why she needed it. She then asked asked for my name..I told her Michael. She pressed for my last name but I told her Michael was my name. She got huffy and told me if I open carry in Asheville I will get the police called on me and that she was surprised no other officer had just stopped me anyway. I told her that her fellow officer who I held the door for at the police station while I was headed to the public restroom downtown earlier that day didn't seem to mind. She told me I was free to go and I turned to walk away. We walked a little bit up the sidewalk and someone said, "hey man is everything alright?" I looked over and the employee from the pawn shop was leaned up against a tree watching. Mind you, this occurred about five hours after I talked to him and about a half mile away from the pawn shop itself.
Creepy. Haha
Here is a little back story and the unfortunate event part of the story:
http://www.change.org/petitions/don...e-michael-peck-s-suspension-and-reinstate-him