nevermore1, et el., welcome
first since there are no NC statutes discussing OC, alls fair in love in war' at least that is the the GA feels, however, there are some local communities which have implemented their own interpretation of a lack of OC guidance to mean they must impose their own local guidance on its citizens. these exceptions are far and few between within the state as most are quite enlightened on firearm carry.
regarding your query on vehicle carry, the NC AG provides vehicle carry in his firearm overview:
quote ...when transporting a weapon in a vehicle, even greater care must be exercised to ensure that the weapon
is not concealed and within the ready access to an occupant of the vehicle. North Carolina law
does not specifically address how to transport a weapon in an automobile.
Therefore, the central question becomes: when is the weapon concealed and readily accessible to an occupant of an automobile? unquote
http://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/32344299-a2a7-4ae5-99fd-9018262f64ac/NC-Firearms-gun-Laws.aspx pg 22.
(caveat ~ the above is discussing weapon(s) defined in NC statutes not just firearms!!)
as in all situations during interaction with LE, officer safety, from their perspective at least, is paramount and therefore your notification to them of a firearm in the vehicle will go a long way to making your encounter with them shorter. i subscribe to the theory if it is sitting on the seat, LE's are or should be, adults with fairly good eyesight and can see it in plain sight.
however, as some author's regale, whenever i venture outside my sphere of normal travel there is a locked box (small document fire box from walmart) with appropriate foam with an outline for my firearm (s), in my vehicle sitting open on the passenger seat holding my firearm which keeps it from sliding around due to my NASCAR driving tendencies; protecting it in the event of a crash; or i must evacuate the vehicle hurriedly; or in the event of a LE interaction, i just slam the lid closed, it locks automatically, i can then without hesitation state, i do not have a firearm readily available to me. i have been assured by legal advice, the box does not fall under the purview of Heller search criteria and a search warrant must be obtained to look inside of the box. btw, the box's key is not maintained pm my key ring or in the cabin of the vehicle.
since it appears you have your VA CC permit, just carry CC in your vehicle and proffer your permit (NC statute 14-415.11(a)).with your DL (NC statute 20-29) and proof of insurance when approached & addressed by LE.
ipse
after thought, gentle chiding is in order...you know, instead of ' i think, or i guess, or spreading misinformation with comments: "In Chapel Hill I'm pretty sure OC is illegal" (really!!) there is a NC sub forum out there which has members who live and deal w/NC OC/CC every day and who are well versed with the practice and glad to respond to questions about the Tarheel's firearm statutes.
