I went to Ike's tonight at about 3 AM. For those who don't know, Ike's is a late-night diner on the GMU campus, in "President's Park."
When I first walked in I got a few eyes to the hip, but no serious attention. After ordering, I walked down the counter to wait for my food. There were a couple of (really cool) black guys serving orders from behind the counter. One of them asks if I'm carrying a 9mm. I tell him, no, I'm carrying a .45, a 1911 to be exact. He's about to ask if I have a license, when the other guy informs him that, as long as it's visible, no license is needed to carry in Virginia. I was pleased to have the words taken out of my mouth, for once!
At this point in the conversation, one of the cooks, a young white guy, enters the conversation and comments on my knowledge of the law (I had been telling them about GMU's position on campus carry and how it relates to state law), talking about how you need to take classes to carry. I was inclined to agree with him, in reference to most people's ignorance about state law, when he goes on to say that classes are a requirement of the license. I tried to explain that no license is required for open carry, but he didn't seem to believe me. Fortunately, his co-workers had no problem trusting my brief explanation of the law.
After eating my burger, I was still hungry, so I waited in line to order another. While I was waiting for my food, a couple of girls came up and asked if they could take their picture with me. Ordinarily I'm not much for photos being taken of my person, but I felt as an ambassador for open carry on GMU campus it would be better to politely consent.
That was really the end of the attention I got. If there was any doubt in your mind, I can confirm that the students were much more interested in their late-night burgers than in my presence.
Edit: No CHP here, either.
