OC in the Roanoke/Salem Area

So for the past week i have been OC'ing all over the roanoke/salem area, Ive been to Best Buy at Valley View Mall, been to Wal-Mart, gamestop,Logans Roadhouse, couple convinent stores, Advance Autoparts to name a few and have not had one problem what so ever. I have even gotten a chance to talk to a Roanoke City Police officer and and he told me the Roanoke PD are educated on the law of Open carry and that he sees no problem with it. I have had 2-3 people come ask me about carrying and i explained to them the Law pretaining to OC in Virginia and the reason why i chose to OC. Been a great expierence so far, Will be OC everywhere i go from now on and hope to continue to educate others

Thanks for sharing Soldier. My wife and I OC down in Roanoke semi-regularly. The usual spots include Dick's Sporting Goods, Abuelo's, Carrabba's, Gander Mountain and a couple of the Walmarts. I once had an issue at the Carrabba's but it's been cured since.

It is my understanding that Carrabas dose not allow firearms in there restarunts. Has this changed? The last time I was there they had a No Fireams sign by there front door. If this has changed my wife and I will return as customers.

I don't know the last time you dined at that Carrabbas, but the last and only sign I ever saw was taken down about 2 years ago now. That sign went up after I OCed in there (as required by law at the time) just like I had various times before, but that time a new general manager had just been placed and took issue with my gun. The story is reported here with a date of some time in 2008.

After being in the area months later I saw the giant No Guns sign and various members here wrote Carrabbas and the sign came down. I've been back probably a dozen or more times since and have interacted with the management staff with no issue while OCing each time. I've never had an issue at any other Carrabba's before or since.

The wife and I headed down to Abuelo's in Roanoke at the Valley View Mall for dinner last night where I OCed without incident (as usual). We had a lovely dinner and interacted on various occasions with management who could easily observe my holstered sidearm and as usual, no problem. We did double-check the Carrabba's in the same parking lot and has been the case for a while now, the NO GUNS sign is still history. Good stuff!