imported post
CRF250rider1000 wrote:
Just know the laws and if anyone talks to you try to be as polite as you can. Everything should be fine as you are in Fairfax County, but it is always wise to carry a digital recorder just in case you have any interactions. Don't be nervous because most of the time people don't really notice or even care. Have a good time OCing and remember to always be aware of what is around you:lol: Forgot to mention to make sure that you have a retention holster!
(emphasis added)
The operative words being, "should be."
Here is my take on OC in Fairfax County:
The police know OC is legal. There is low probability that a Fairfax County police officer will attempt to detain you if he sees you OCing.
HOWEVER, I strongly suspect there are officers who would love the chance to mess with an OCer if they could get half a justification for a stop/detention/non-consensual encounter.
We have had two reports on this forum of an Officer Cerna, possibly out of Franconia District, giving extra attention and trouble to two different OC'ers during traffic stops. I vaguely recall guns temporarily seized, serial numbers run, and commentary or lecture.
We also had an OCer in the Reston area stoppedwhile OCing on foot in the not-too-distant past.Somebody had called 911. Which leads tomy next point.
I doubt a FCPD officer will approach an OCer out of the sky blue, but I'll take odds that if there was a nervous-nelly 911 call, an OCer wouldexperience a police encounter.Perhaps a trespassing discussion with an invitation to leave. And if it is an officer antagonistic to armed citizens or OCers, I'll take additional odds at 4th Amendment violations or at the very least attempts toconvince the OCer into waiving his 4A rights.
One of the reasons we're sort of immune here inFairfax County is because the police know we know our law backwardsand forwards and can come up with the fine printin less time than it takes to write a Freedom of Information Act request for the 911 recordings, or a formal complaint to Internal Affairs.
Another possible pitfall is the LEO whowants to mess witha young OCer. Remember the attemptsin other jurisdictions about, "I need to verify that you are not too young to carry."A corollary to which is the LEO just being plain mistaken and thinkingan OCer has to be 21 because that's the age to buy a handgun.
So, know the law!! Know where you can carry and where you can't. Check around this forum or the VCDL website (
http://www.vcdl.org) for info.Also, know whether you have to leaveprivate property on request, and whether it is smart to OC past a no-guns sign at a business' front door.
Learning your 4th Amendment and 5th Amendment rights will help a lot.
Get a voice-recorder atyour first opportunity.
