OC w/ IWB holster

imported post

Greetings:

I am moving from North Carolina, and looking forward to being able to carry when my wife and I go out to eat. I have an NC CHP, and will be getting a Va. one as soon as I am a resident.

I've seen variations of these question asked on the board already, but nothing that exactly matched my situation. Please excuse me if I missed the FAQ posting somewhere.

I have a 4" 1911 that I normally carry in a CTAC IWB holster at the 4 O'Clock position. I normally tuck my shirt in and the gun goes between the shirt and the pants, and then wear a jacket or sweatshirt to conceal. If I were to take the covering garmet off, would this suffice for OC, or does some part of the holster have to show as well? My CTAC holster does not stick above the beltline.

Thanks very much

imported post

In an OC only establishment, as long as people can see the handgun in plain view I think that is all that matters. At the last VCDL gathering after our monthly January meeting one member had half his handgun showing with the barrel bottom half inside his waistband in a holster made for that type of carry. I think that met with the spirit of the law. If he was not complying I think one of the VCDL Board members would have said something to him. It looked okay to me. The law is not specific on holster type on OC, just that it has to be open carry. If it looks like you are trying to conceal it with the majority of the handgun concealed, that might be an issue. Basically if a person can see your gun, its OC.

imported post

NC2VA, welcome to VA! And welcome to opencarry.org!

VA Code §18.2-308.A defines a concealed handgun as: "If any person carries about his person, hidden from common observation, (i) any pistol, revolver,..." There is no law in VA that defines OC within itself, only laws that define and regulate CC. Basically, if the average person can tell that you are carrying a handgun, then the gun is not hidden from common observation and you should be fine.

Be careful CC'ing while you are in the process of changing your residency from NC to VA, because your NC permit may no longer be valid once you change your residence to VA. You can always OC until you get your VA CHP, because there is no permit requirement to OC.

BTW, you might want to check out the Virginia Citizens Defense League. They are an excellent grassroots pro-2nd Amendment organization, and are always looking out for our right to keep and bear arms!