NoVA (Northern Virginia) - OC reports

[OC_va_gal]

Anyone know OC friendly places in the sterling ashburn area? I've gotten looks but no one has said anything to me except one guy at jersey mikes who asked if I've ever had to use it on somebody. It was a polite conversation and I replied "hopefully will never have to". The guy next to me was OCing as well and it got a smile on his face. I'm new to OCing and as a woman i think I'm getting a lot more looks of confusion and wows .

 

[Riana]

Anyone know OC friendly places in the sterling ashburn area? I've gotten looks but no one has said anything to me except one guy at jersey mikes who asked if I've ever had to use it on somebody. It was a polite conversation and I replied "hopefully will never have to". The guy next to me was OCing as well and it got a smile on his face. I'm new to OCing and as a woman i think I'm getting a lot more looks of confusion and wows .

I find that, as a woman, it seems fewer people notice my sidearm, but when they do, they are surprised. No one expects a woman to be packin', after all. I OC around the Herndon/Reston/Sterling area all the time, and rarely hear a peep. Everyone must be used to me by now.

And back to reporting - I OC'd for a quick lunch at Silver Diner in Reston. No issues.

 

[skidmark]

Anyone know OC friendly places in the sterling ashburn area? I've gotten looks but no one has said anything to me except one guy at jersey mikes who asked if I've ever had to use it on somebody. It was a polite conversation and I replied "hopefully will never have to". The guy next to me was OCing as well and it got a smile on his face. I'm new to OCing and as a woman i think I'm getting a lot more looks of confusion and wows .

I just do not know about those NoVa folks. They have no manners whatsoever.

Welcome to OCDO. Glad that you found us. Member Ed seems to hang out i that neck of the woods, and might fill you in on who the OCers in the area are.

Keep checking the Virginia forum - I think Ed has finally gotten his breakfast group on a consistent Saturday schedule. He posts the when and where in a thread that has Saturday and/or breakfast in the title. He also is the organizer of a monthly (I think) dinner which is announced in a thread. Here's there last one - http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...5-9-12-7PM-21031-Tripleseven-Road-Sterling-VA

There's going to be a picnic the weekend after Memorial Day. Details are here - http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...cnic-Sunday-6-3-12-11AM-Pocahontas-State-Park - it will be a great time to meet folks and put some faces to names you read. I know it's a haul from NoVa but unless the folks up there start organizing their Burke Lake Park event it's the only one in the works.

stay safe.

 

[OC_va_gal]

Thanks for the great info guys . Nice to know there are other women out there OCing as well. I've gotten a lot of double takes at my hip bc it's like a foreign concept to these people out here. I'm going to try other places too and see what happens. Did everyone else get nervous the first they OCed?

-dicks sporting goods at Dulles mall they will ask yo to leave. Not gun friendly there

 

[hgreen]

-dicks sporting goods at Dulles mall they will ask yo to leave. Not gun friendly there

Might be worth a letter to the manager there...

I've OC'd many times at Dicks in Fair Lakes no problem at all. Bought several guns there while OCing too.

 

[skidmark]

Did everyone else get nervous the first they OCed?

Did you get nervous the first time you wore high heels, or went out wearing makeup you had put on all by yourself? (Those are about the only things I can come up with that are woman-specific new experiences that might induce apprehension. Being chromosonally challenged has its drawbacks.)

It's the same thing with OCing - while you may feel like everybody is staring at that big lump of metal on your hip and having uncontrolled fits of PSH, the truth of the matter is most of the time women do not stampede and horses do not faint at the mere sight of you OCing. Back in the day folks were encouraged to do the WalMart Walk as their first solo OC experience. (It came from a forum on CCing, but works just as well for OCing.) I'm not allowed to put the diagram up any more. You can look at it here: [url]http://preview.tinyurl.com/3j6ks74[/URL] .

stay safe.

 

[Bob1]

Anyone know OC friendly places in the sterling ashburn area? .

Start showing up at the Coney Island Diner in Ashburn (44121 Harry Byrd Highway, Ashburn VA 20147) every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Typical OC crowd ranges between 15 - 30 people, including a few ladies and a youngster or two. Folks there will fill you in on the monthly dinner and other nearby OC-friendly places.

Note: This week it'll be on Saturday (same place & time) since Sunday is Mother's Day.

Ed also has a URL which leads to the current meeting info but I don't have the link here on my iPhone. If someone doesn't post it, I'll send you a PM.

 

[Felix]

Ed's Sunday breakfast in Ashburn

http://tiny.cc/novabreakfast

 

[jwinkeler]

Carrying chantilly hooters, with two friends but gonna be here for the next hour or so incase anyone wants to drop by


Look Sharp, Act Sharp, Be Sharp.

 

[OC_va_gal]

skidmark that is actually a good way of thinking about it. . The other link about the Walmart walk is actually a good idea and I think I'll do it this weekend. I'd really like to start going to these weekend breakfast and dinning places with you guys! This weekend may not be good because of mothers day but other than that it will be good.

OCed at suds car wash in ashburn, they seemvfriendly but definitely would consider it neutral

 

[skidmark]

OCed at suds car wash in ashburn, they seem friendly but definitely would consider it neutral

Any place that is not overtly anti is "friendly".

By coming back and showing them it was not just an abberation that it does not randomly jump out of the holster and start blasting away you not only normalize seeing a gun carried by non-LEO/government but help get rid of that irrational hoplophobic phobia.

stay safe.

 

[SouthernBoy]

Thanks for the great info guys . Nice to know there are other women out there OCing as well. I've gotten a lot of double takes at my hip bc it's like a foreign concept to these people out here. I'm going to try other places too and see what happens. Did everyone else get nervous the first they OCed?

-dicks sporting goods at Dulles mall they will ask yo to leave. Not gun friendly there

I did and I'm sure most of the others on these forums did as well. You're off to a good start and BTW, welcome aboard.. we're happy to have you with us.

 

[Steeler-gal]

Thanks for the great info guys . Nice to know there are other women out there OCing as well. I've gotten a lot of double takes at my hip bc it's like a foreign concept to these people out here. I'm going to try other places too and see what happens. Did everyone else get nervous the first they OCed?

I still get nervous sometimes when I OC. I've only been doing it for under a year.

dicks sporting goods at Dulles mall they will ask yo to leave. Not gun friendly there

I've OCd at the Dicks in Faur Lakes often. No problems. You should definitely complain to the management about being asked to leave.


========================
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========================
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We are the largest all female only firearms group on the East Coast offering firearms training courses and services provided by our experienced and certified female instructors.
http://www.shecanshoot.com/

 

[Baked on Grease]

I still get nervous sometimes when I OC. I've only been doing it for under a year.


I've OCd at the Dicks in Faur Lakes often. No problems. You should definitely complain to the management about being asked to leave.


========================
NRA Certified Instructor & Range Safety Officer
========================
Looking for training by experienced staff?
We are the largest all female only firearms group on the East Coast offering firearms training courses and services provided by our experienced and certified female instructors.
http://www.shecanshoot.com/

It's actually not Dicks that's the problem, it's the Dulles Mall security. They've been spreading misinformation and bullying the Dick's employees there into thinking that Carrying is not allowed in their store. That applies to the actual MALL (they have a sign with 5 point brown on brown font somewhere stating the rule) but that rule does not apply to Dick's building as far as Dick's is concerned.

I looked it up a while back, someone had posted a letter from corporate about it but I can't find it on my phone.

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[OC_va_gal]

Thanks Southernboy! Yeah I think imdefinately going to write a letter to management or higher up because my friend said he carried and the actual manager asked him to leave. Dulles mall is ridiculous about Their policies, even at one of the main mall entrances (not anchor store) there have been no signs regarding firearms.

 

[Baked on Grease]

Thanks Southernboy! Yeah I think imdefinately going to write a letter to management or higher up because my friend said he carried and the actual manager asked him to leave. Dulles mall is ridiculous about Their policies, even at one of the main mall entrances (not anchor store) there have been no signs regarding firearms.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE SIGN IS STOP READING HERE:

When you walk into the entrance by the Cheesecake Factory before going through the second second set of doors look left. These is a tarnished bronze placard at eye level on the wall. I believe it is rule #21 on the list for the mall....



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[ed]

Start showing up at the Coney Island Diner in Ashburn (44121 Harry Byrd Highway, Ashburn VA 20147) every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Typical OC crowd ranges between 15 - 30 people, including a few ladies and a youngster or two. Folks there will fill you in on the monthly dinner and other nearby OC-friendly places.

Note: This week it'll be on Saturday (same place & time) since Sunday is Mother's Day.

Ed also has a URL which leads to the current meeting info but I don't have the link here on my iPhone. If someone doesn't post it, I'll send you a PM.

http://tiny.cc/novabreakfast

 

[ed]

Ate at Not Your Average Joe's at Lansdowne and a guy walked up and only said "Hey, I really like your Kimber". I said thanks! I like it too!

 

[Baked on Grease]

I was at Giant today grocery shopping with the family. Had a guy that looked active duty military (haircut, olive drab Tee, kahki's with a perfect crease, well muscled but not overly so) come up and ask me if Virgina was an OC state. I replied that it certainly is and his response was along the lines of "That's good to hear, carry on."

Made my day.

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[Pocono]

OC'd at Leesburg DMV and LC sheriff's office today. Not a word said by anyone. The front desk staff at the sheriffs office looked at me and her eyes went right to the gun but that was the end of it. I was there for about 30 minutes and she came out to speak with me several times with no issue. The security guard at the DMV was standing at the customer counter with his back to the door and surfing the web on his i-phone when I walked up behind him and caught him off guard when i said - excuse me! I didn't feel bad about shaking him up a little because part of me was thinking that a security guard is not supposed to stand with his back to the door and surf on his i-phone. But it looked like a really nice i-phone nevertheless.