BugDude
New member
Hi, I'm new to this forum and this is my first post. I'm on a few other forums, but they don't speak specifically to open carry.
I was told today by the new town fire marshall that in his training to become such he learned the Town of Pulaski has an ordinance prohibiting open carry (I wasn't OCing at the time, but he knows I OC at times). He said he was never aware of this ordinance working for the town until he took this new position. In this role, he is a law enforcement officer and carries a handgun himself and was told this in his training with the town police.
I don't live in town, but I frequent the town so this is a rather important issue for me to resolve or understand. I've OC'd in the town of Pulaski for several years and have had conversations with officers while OCing with no issues at all. I was under the impression that the town could not prohibit OC, but I couldn't locate anything specifically speaking to that. I've searched for the ordinance and I can't locate it anywhere either.
Can anyone point me in the right direction as to anything that speaks to whether a locality can prohibit OC in Virginia? Thank you.
PS. My co-worker was in Richmond this weekend and had a small .380 in his back pocket while getting coffee in a convenience store. Apparently the grip was slightly showing and a police officer approached him in the store and told him in VA you could either open carry or concealed carry, but not kind of both. He said "ok" and pushed it down a little. I told him I did not believe the officer was correct. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.
I was told today by the new town fire marshall that in his training to become such he learned the Town of Pulaski has an ordinance prohibiting open carry (I wasn't OCing at the time, but he knows I OC at times). He said he was never aware of this ordinance working for the town until he took this new position. In this role, he is a law enforcement officer and carries a handgun himself and was told this in his training with the town police.
I don't live in town, but I frequent the town so this is a rather important issue for me to resolve or understand. I've OC'd in the town of Pulaski for several years and have had conversations with officers while OCing with no issues at all. I was under the impression that the town could not prohibit OC, but I couldn't locate anything specifically speaking to that. I've searched for the ordinance and I can't locate it anywhere either.
Can anyone point me in the right direction as to anything that speaks to whether a locality can prohibit OC in Virginia? Thank you.
PS. My co-worker was in Richmond this weekend and had a small .380 in his back pocket while getting coffee in a convenience store. Apparently the grip was slightly showing and a police officer approached him in the store and told him in VA you could either open carry or concealed carry, but not kind of both. He said "ok" and pushed it down a little. I told him I did not believe the officer was correct. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.