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Open Carry in Crystal City

ootahtheterrible

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Jul 15, 2008
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12
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Alexandria, Virginia, USA
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Hey all



I recently moved to NOVA because of a nice new job in Arlington and I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather last week and to get acquainted with my surroundings so I belted on my Glock 17 in a Blackhawk SERPA and strolled around the really nice shopping mall right outside the Pentagon. I didn’t experience anything super weird. There were a few sideways glances and everyone walking around me seemed to stop their conversations as I passed. I walked around the block to get a look at the very nice looking parks and get a closer look at some of the fashionable eateries nearby.

I did pass a few empty police cruisers, their occupants were hassling the mass of tour bus drivers that always seem to be parked in front of the mall (apparently a school’s idea of a worthwhile trip to the nation’s capital is to spend a good portion of it in the Crystal City Shopping center).



Has anyone had a negative experience there? Are there laws that I’m not aware of that hold in NOVA and nowhere else? I know that Alexandria and/or Arlington had local ordinances that were only recently picked apart by state preemption so maybe the cops are on the prowl and don’t necessarily know the law.
 

Jonesy

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Mar 18, 2009
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416
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Alexandria, Virginia, USA
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ootahtheterrible wrote:
Hey all



I recently moved to NOVA because of a nice new job in Arlington and I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather last week and to get acquainted with my surroundings so I belted on my Glock 17 in a Blackhawk SERPA and strolled around the really nice shopping mall right outside the Pentagon. I didn’t experience anything super weird. There were a few sideways glances and everyone walking around me seemed to stop their conversations as I passed. I walked around the block to get a look at the very nice looking parks and get a closer look at some of the fashionable eateries nearby.

I did pass a few empty police cruisers, their occupants were hassling the mass of tour bus drivers that always seem to be parked in front of the mall (apparently a school’s idea of a worthwhile trip to the nation’s capital is to spend a good portion of it in the Crystal City Shopping center).



Has anyone had a negative experience there? Are there laws that I’m not aware of that hold in NOVA and nowhere else? I know that Alexandria and/or Arlington had local ordinances that were only recently picked apart by state preemption so maybe the cops are on the prowl and don’t necessarily know the law.

You are good to go. Alexandria cops know open carry is legal, I open carry all over Alexandria, have been to the mall on route 1 many times, Best Buy and such. No cop has every stopped me, although they certainly have noticed. I carry my XDM 40 in OD/Stainless.

Alexandria still has some ordinances prohibiting open carry, but they are invalid as Virginia pre-empted them all. Hope to see you around some time.
 

soloban

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Sep 14, 2007
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Huntsville, Alabama, USA
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You'll probably be ok as long as you avoid the Pentagon City Mall, the Pentagon Reservation (to include the parking lots across from the PC Mall), and the DEA Building. As long as you dress semi-professionally, people probably wont pay any attention due the large amount of Federal LEOs in this area.
 

Tess

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Bryan, TX
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soloban wrote:
You'll probably be ok as long as you avoid the Pentagon City Mall, the Pentagon Reservation (to include the parking lots across from the PC Mall), and the DEA Building. As long as you dress semi-professionally, people probably wont pay any attention due the large amount of Federal LEOs in this area.
Why Pentagon City Mall? I've carried there. It's a Simon Mall, but it isn't posted, at least that I've noticed.
 

Dreamer

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Grennsboro NC
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I had dinner Sunday night in Crystal City at the Hara Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant with family and friends.

http://www.harar-mesob.com/

I parked about 2 blocks away, walked up 23rd to the restaurant, had a MARVELOUS dinner, then walked my wife and stepdaughter back to their cars before heading out, caravan-style with my stepdaughter to drive home to NC.

I OC'd the entire time (since this restaurant serves alcohol, and it was too warm for a jacket anyway), and didn't get any comments or strange looks from anyone.

If you dig Ethiopian food, I can highly recommend this restaurant. In fact, as far as I know, it's the only place fans of Ethiopian food CAN carry in the DC metro area, since all the other Ethiopian restaurants are in DC and MD. Parking is sort of odd, but the food is great, the service is exemplary, and the atmosphere is cozy and intimate.

Hara Mesob--Crystal City VA -- A+ for OC!
 

OC-Glock19

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Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
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Dreamer wrote:
(snip) If you dig Ethiopian food, I can highly recommend this restaurant. (snip)
I didn't know that Ethiopians HAD food.

Seriously, though, it sounds like a good open carry experience. I've never OCd anywhere but in Prince William County and it would make me a little nervous to carry so close to Liberal Land.
 

MSC 45ACP

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Newport News, Virginia, USA
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OC-Glock19 wrote:
I didn't know that Ethiopians HAD food.

I didn't, either. I thought they ate rocks, sand, bugs, roots, chutes, edible berries and sometimes tree bark.

It does sound interesting, though. What else do they serve besides dung beetles and 12" chocolate covered millipedes?
 

Dreamer

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I KNOW you guys are just joking...

But I'll also assume that you don't know much about Ethiopian history, because they don't really teach that here in the US. Prior to the Soviets coming in to Ethiopia before the Ethiopian Revolution in 1974 (like during the first half of the 20th century, and for centuries before!) Ethiopia was one of the most agriculturally rich nations in Africa. During the 19th century, Ethiopia actually has so much surplus grain that they exported wheat and barley to Germany and England for use by breweries. It wasn't until the Soviets started spraying the country with defoliants as part of their biological warfare research that Ethiopia turned into a desert nation plagued with famine...

But anyway, on to the yummy goodness that is Ethiopian cuisine.

Well, there is a spicy chicken dish called "Doro Wot" that is essentialyl chunks of chicken stewed in a thick reddish brown SPICY sauce. And there are several variations on "Tibs" which are small cubes of beef--some in a light garlic and onion sauce, some cooked a VERY spicey semi-dry rub, an some in a rich sauce.

There are also several veggie dishes, including one that is several veggies stewed lightly in a clarified butter and spiced sauce. There is also a dish that is steamed greens with a little butter and chopped onions, and another that is a fresh salad made from tomato, onion and hot peppers.

And the whole thing is generally served communal-style, with each dish in dollops around a big platter, and baskets of their special bread called "Injera" (which is a sourdough-type flatbread that is sort of spongy and flexible). You don't use utensils to eat. You take a little piece of Injera and scoop up a mouthful from the communal platter, and everyone eats with their fingers this way. It's "fun food", and is a GREAT way to make dinner more interactive with a group.

We go out for Ethiopian at least once a month--me, the wife, and the two daughters, and--and we usually have some friends tag along too. The daughters (who are both Gluten-intolerant) LOVE Ethiopian food, because they don't normally use wheat flour in anything. The bread is made from an African grain called Teff, and the sauces are naturally thickened by cooking them down, or thickened with things like arrowroot or cornstarch. My sweetie developed a taste for Ethiopian food when she was a teenager and her father was stationed in Addis Ababa with the U.S. Army.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLRr_h_mAs8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u3EocTw_94&feature=related

Now THAT would be a GREAT idea for an OC dinner--Ethiopian. It's communal, it makes people interact and engage with each other, and it's probably something most folks on this forum have never had. New experiences are GREAT for getting people to talk with each other!

Unfortunately, I don't know of a single such restaurant in NC. There are several good ones in VA, which would be perfect. There are also some VERY good Ethiopian places in MD and DC, but those would be pretty useless for an OC event...

I'll see if I can drum up some interest on the Virginia forum, for an Ethiopian OC Dinner sometime in the future. It looks like I'm going to be spending at least 1 weekend a month in the MD/NoVa area for the next year or so, so maybe I can spearhead that for early 2010, but with the Holidays upon us, I imagine most folks are pretty pressed for free time for the next few months...
 

vt800c

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Springfield,VA
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Well, there is a spicy chicken dish called "Doro Wot" that is essentialyl chunks of chicken stewed in a thick reddish brown SPICY sauce. And there are several variations on "Tibs" which are small cubes of beef--some in a light garlic and onion sauce, some cooked a VERY spicey semi-dry rub, an some in a rich sauce.

There are also several veggie dishes, including one that is several veggies stewed lightly in a clarified butter and spiced sauce. There is also a dish that is steamed greens with a little butter and chopped onions, and another that is a fresh salad made from tomato, onion and hot peppers.


DANG IT...Now I'm HUNGRY! and it's only 8:30!!

I'm going to look into finding this place..sounds good!
 

MSC 45ACP

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My apologies for my crass attempt at humor. I don't know much about Ethiopia in particular, except that theSoviets have "shared the joys and advantages of communism" with their brown African Brothers and Sisters since the 60's and were generally pretty successful in stirring up anti-American sentiment throughout the African continent. There are more AK's on the African continent than there are any oter type of rifle in the WORLD, combined...

The food sounds amazing. I love trying new things. Guess its time for anotherNoVa road trip!
 

OC-Glock19

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Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
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Dreamer wrote:
I KNOW you guys are just joking...(snip)

Yeah, I was joking. I seriously didn't have a clue as to what the cuisine of Ethiopia was like so I was being goofy.

After perusing the menu from the link you posted I think it would be great food.I like the fact that a lot of the food is cooked with hot peppers (I love spicy food).

Just one question: Do you really think that they are okay with open carry there, or did they just not notice your gun?
 

MSC 45ACP

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Newport News, Virginia, USA
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OC-Glock19 wrote:
Dreamer wrote:
I KNOW you guys are just joking...(snip)

Yeah, I was joking. I seriously didn't have a clue as to what the cuisine of Ethiopia was like so I was being goofy.

After perusing the menu from the link you posted I think it would be great food.I like the fact that a lot of the food is cooked with hot peppers (I love spicy food).

Just one question: Do you really think that they are okay with open carry there, or did they just not notice your gun?
All joking aside: Native Ethiopians will most likely be WELL-VERSED in firearms, specifically the AK-47. The Soviets did quite a number on them in the 60's & 70's when they "converted" them to the Wonderful Life of Socialism. They're no strangers to military-type rifles. I can't imagine they would bat an eye when they saw a holstered pistol on a belt. They may not even get terribly excited when someone comes through their door waving a pistol or rifle, threatening to rob the place. They've been through worse...
 

Hawkflyer

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Prince William County, Virginia, USA
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Tomahawk wrote:
It's been my experience that recent immigrants tend to be less sensitive to the sight of OC'ing, or even more supportive of it, then the native Americans.

Could be because a lot of them are coming here from places that could reasonably be called war zones, so the sight of people with weapons is not all that unusual.

I think if things keep going the way they are it will soon be that way here too.:banghead:

Regards
 

Tomahawk

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Hawkflyer wrote:
Tomahawk wrote:
It's been my experience that recentimmigrants tend to be less sensitive to the sight of OC'ing, or even more supportive of it, then the native Americans.

Could be because a lot of them are coming here from places that could reasonably be called war zones, so the sight of people with weapons is not all that unusual.


No, I think it's because they come here for a little more freedom, and where they come from socialism and gun prohibition go together. It takes guts and an individualist spirit to pack up your life and move to another country to start a business. Certainly the Asian business owners I've met seem supportive of arming one's self.
 

nova

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US
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Tomahawk wrote:
Hawkflyer wrote:
Tomahawk wrote:
It's been my experience that recentimmigrants tend to be less sensitive to the sight of OC'ing, or even more supportive of it, then the native Americans.

Could be because a lot of them are coming here from places that could reasonably be called war zones, so the sight of people with weapons is not all that unusual.


No, I think it's because they come here for a little more freedom, and where they come from socialism and gun prohibition go together. It takes guts and an individualist spirit to pack up your life and move to another country to start a business. Certainly the Asian business owners I've met seem supportive of arming one's self.
The asian business owners have shown it is useful to be armed, especially around '92 in Los Angeles...
 
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