I've been carrying openly in Asheville for several weeks now.
No one has raised any objection until yesterday . My sister and her boyfriend were in from Illinois.
We were heading out of town to visit some waterfalls and stopped off at Jersey Mike's to pick up some sandwiches. My sister's boyfriend noticed the gun on my hip (it took him a while) and I heard him talking to her behind me, expressing his discomfort. I just went ahead and ordered.
The guy behind the counter just thought it was interesting that I was carrying.
"Are you a detective?"
"No, I'm just a guy."
"You're lying."
"No, really. It's legal to openly carry a firearm in NC, as long as you are legal gun owner."
Then I gave him my card. I'm a Martial Arts instructor. He asked if he could still train with me even if he has no martial arts experience. I told him that I actually prefer it that way, and told him to give me a call.
So then I walked back outside where my sisters boyfriend is nervously waiting by the car. He asked me if I would mind putting the gun away, because he had an issue with guns. I told him, " I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable. Guns are a serious issue, they put holes in people. I usually carry this when I go out for the protection of my family. Anyway, we're going to a state park, and I can't carry it there."
If we had not been going to a state park I'm not sure what I would have done. It definitely would have put a damper on our day because he would have refused to be around me if I didn't take it off. I only get to see my sister once a year by the way, and wouldn't want to spoil the 3-day visit over this issue. She said nothing about the incident either way.