imported post
Open carry of a rifle, if you have a concealed carry permit, appears to be fine. If you don't have a permit, then there are limits (folding stock, threaded barrel for a silencer, 20 round mags). Your Winchester or Marlin levergun is fine.
However, there appears to be some conflicting verbage between 18.2-287.4 and 18.2-308. You may want to look at the transport laws also.
Code of Virginia:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-287.4
§ 18.2-287.4. Carrying loaded firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty.
It shall be unlawful for any person to carry a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (b) shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered on or about his person on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public (i) in any city with a population of 160,000 or more or (ii) in any county having an urban county executive form of government or any county or city surrounded thereby or adjacent thereto or in any county having a county manager form of government.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to law-enforcement officers, licensed security guards, military personnel in the performance of their lawful duties, or
any person having a valid concealed handgun permit or to any person actually engaged in lawful hunting or lawful recreational shooting activities at an established shooting range or shooting contest. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The exemptions set forth in §
18.2-308 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the provisions of this section.
Concealed Weapons Law:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-308
Note:
"Handgun" means any pistol or revolver or other firearm, except a machine gun, originally designed, made and intended to fire a projectile by means of an explosion of a combustible material from one or more barrels when held in one hand.
Coincidently, here is the restaurant ban (on the page for 18.2-308):
J3. No person shall carry a concealed handgun onto the premises of any restaurant or club as defined in §
4.1-100 for which a license to sell and serve alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption has been granted by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board under Title 4.1 of the Code of Virginia; however, nothing herein shall prohibit any sworn law-enforcement officer from carrying a concealed handgun on the premises of such restaurant or club or any owner or event sponsor or his employees from carrying a concealed handgun while on duty at such restaurant or club if such person has a concealed handgun permit.