Virginian visiting Ft. Collins

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I am traveling to your OC-friendly state and was wondering if there is anything I should look out for?

I know Denver OC is a no-no but do you have to notify LEO that you are carrying if they stop you etc.

I will probably be tied up at work most of the time or else I would try to get an OC dinner together. I am escorting a customer so I need to stay with them at our company events.

I fly into Denver so this is my first time transporting a firearm (declaring one to the TSA).

As a side note, I saw a gun on gunbroker.com that was interesting and found the store selling it west of Ft. Collins. So I may enter your state with one gun and leave with two.

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You're not "required" to notify law enforcement, but you might consider doing so as a courtesy when it becomes pertinent (read: not get a front sight against your skull because he thought you were reaching for something).

Read this ridiculously long post about my first TSA experience if you'd like:


http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=29251&forum_id=13


If I may ask, what business are you in?

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I work for a large computer company that is ANTI. :-( I will be OC-ing on my own time.

(Been trying to find that gunbroker listing again without success)

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There are a lot of schools up here in FoCo. Do your research and know where you will be traveling to avoid violating the 1000 foot rule.

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hansolo wrote:

There are a lot of schools up here in FoCo. Do your research and know where you will be traveling to avoid violating the 1000 foot rule.

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Oh sh1t! That is a good point. In VA my CHP voids the federal GFSZ but that wouldn't apply in CO. :-(

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Well I got to OC a bit in Ft Collins at the hotel, Safeway & Austin's steakhouse on eHarmony. ;-)

While I couldn't OC during working hours I had my Sig P220 on off hours. Unfortunately I caught a cold on the way out so most of my "off" hours was spent sleeping, trying to recover so I could perform my job.

The weather was nice seeing I left VA (90degrees) and got to Ft Collins (11pm 38degrees). Luckily it warmed up a bit.

Going through airport security wasn't bad at all (taking off shoes and putting my laptop through xray was worse). I noticed that in VA the process was faster and friendlier than Denver. Although VA made me open my bag 3 times and Denver only 2. Unfortunately that really cute TSA woman was not working so any plans of invoking a strip search got tossed out early.

I love the wide open spaces and the view. My co-worker kept repeating (I could definitely live here) but I had to remind him that you all have a lot longer winter than we do.

As far as the OC-ing I got no reactions. I highly recommend the steaks at Austins (ate there twice) and the hostess was cute too.

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Glad you enjoyed your stay Fort Collins!

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You will love Ft. Collins!
I lived in Ft Collins for about 2-1/2 years. I would say they were the best years of my life.

OC was never a problem for me there either.

Virginia is nice too, but you might as well pack all your stuff in a U-Haul when you go to Ft. Collins, because your not going to want to leave!.

Also, drive north on rt. 287 and check out Roosevelt National forest if you get a chance.

And if you have time, go east on rt. 14 and enjoy the Pawnee Grasslands. If you want, I can give you the GPS coordinates of a LEGAL place to shoot in the Pawnee Grasslands. No fee or anything, its federal land open to the public for sportsman.
Shooting in the Pawnee Grasslannds makes you fee like you went back in time to the days of the Old West.

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I didn't have time to play tourist but always wondered what "eastern" Colorado was like. I had been to Denver, the Springs and Boulder before.

Most of the daylight hours were consumed with work so by the time we would get anywhere it would be dark. I had thought of taking a drive to Wyoming (just to use my CHP which they recently recognized) but between my head-cold and work never had time.

I really liked Ft. Collins and would consider living there but my roots are in VA and I enjoy the warmer weather.

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I came here from Southside VA--although I was actually up in Boston at Hanscom AFB, 5 years ago and love it. Lived in NH for a long time, as well, so used to gun friendly states. Concealed carry in your car is legal anywhere in the state; CC/OC in a school zone is only with a CCW, unfortunately VA and CO aren't recipricol for reasons that I don't understand.

Ft Collins is a very nice area; Denver is like any big city. If it fell into a sinkhole nobody would miss it. I love the Springs area and plan on staying here forever. Welcome and enjoy your stay. You won't miss the humidity.

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Gunslinger wrote:

...... Welcome and enjoy your stay. You won't miss the humidity.

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I had to drink a pint of water every hour around the clock just to stay hydrated! Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night with a desert sprouting in your mouth every hour. The hotel didn't have a exhaust-fan in the bathroom and the mirrors still didn't fog up when I showered. When I visited before (I was younger then) the altitude and dryness didn't bother me but add 20 years and I was sucking wind when I wasn't guzzling water or gatorade. Last time I was in Denver we went skiing at Keystone and I kept up with my friend who lived here.

I did enjoy my stay (minus the head-cold) and wish I had time to do some hiking and sight seeing.

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45acpForMe wrote:

Gunslinger wrote:
.

I did enjoy my stay (minus the head-cold) and wish I had time to do some hiking and sight seeing.

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Yaall come back now and see us. Ya Hear?:lol:

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There is no CO state 1000' rule afaik. I could be wrong here.

No one enforces including federal law enforcement, the safe schools act.

hansolo wrote:

There are a lot of schools up here in FoCo. Do your research and know where you will be traveling to avoid violating the 1000 foot rule.

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Definitely no state law. I agree, I don't believe anyone's been prosecuted under the federal law. Another "who wants to be a test case"! I'm personally not worried about it.

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Sig229 wrote:

And if you have time, go east on rt. 14 and enjoy the Pawnee Grasslands. If you want, I can give you the GPS coordinates of a LEGAL place to shoot in the Pawnee Grasslands. No fee or anything, its federal land open to the public for sportsman.

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I'd be interested in that as well.

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mahkagari wrote:

Sig229 wrote:

And if you have time, go east on rt. 14 and enjoy the Pawnee Grasslands. If you want, I can give you the GPS coordinates of a LEGAL place to shoot in the Pawnee Grasslands. No fee or anything, its federal land open to the public for sportsman.

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I'd be interested in that as well.

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Ok, I will post them here later on today or tomorrow. Im actually in my truck at the moment posting this on my laptop in West Virginia (not driving, Im parked)