Well there you have it. I guess nobody should OC around that area because those cops don't play. So don't even think about exercising any rights if someone, wearing some kind of uniform with some kind of authority decides they are going to stand up and tell you its by their rules and their rules only.
If you do happen to go down there, now being warned that these guys don't want to mess around with somebody who dares do something perfectly legal, don't expect some people around here to back you up should you be shook down, cuffed and thrown in a cell with some bogus D.C. charge or BS weapons violation that doesn't even exist because dem cops don't play dat game homboy. Afterall, its almost as if legally carrying a sidearm openly in public is just cop baiting and begging to get yourself put down on the ground, right?
On a different note without the sarcasm, I live a little more than a half an hour away and go down there infrequently to fish below Bagnell Dam. I've carried at Osage Beach Wal Mart and into several gas stations and around the dam and boat ramp. I've met Game Warden's on two occaisions that checked my fishing permit and neither made any mention of my sidearm. The only time anyone has queried me about it, it was another fisherman politely asking me if I was in L.E.. I'm a middle aged guy, dresses moderately and probably doesn't do anything to draw any attention to myself. I can't speak for others but I personally feel comfortable in that area and though my trips to that area are rather sparse, I have had no issues.