Carry in National Parks is a go!
I just read in the latest VA-ALERT that VCDL’s hard work (and, certainly, that of other RKBA organizations, not the least of which being the NRA) have finally paid off, with the Department of Interior adopting rules which will permit concealed carry within national parks under the same rules applied to state parks in the state where the national park is located. This is huge for me, as I won’t go to national parks and be disarmed.
Congrats to VCDL and everyone else who worked on this. Another victory for RKBA; let’s hope The Lightbringer’s Secretary of Interior doesn’t roll this back!
Dick Saslaw is a real..erm..dick!
Well, news of the open carry dinner has finally hit the AP wire. Considering it’s an AP story it’s astonishingly balanced, with no obvious bias either way. As usual, State Senator Dick “Banjo” Saslaw (D) was quoted in full Prick mode:
Saslaw said he’s not necessarily surprised that VCDL found restaurants in the region that would allow them to dine while armed. But he said that carrying guns is simply not normal behavior in this area.
“What normal person walks around with a gun on your hip? Something’s wrong in your life” if you feel compelled to carry a gun as part of your daily routine, he said.
So over 150,000 Virginians with concealed handgun permits are not “normal” and have something “wrong in [their] live[s]“? God, but that Saslaw is a real dick! Many of us at the dinner would rather not openly carry our guns for all the world to see, but politicians like Saslaw and Timmy Kaine force us to do so by refusing to pass a restaurant ban repeal.
To those of you in Saslaw’s district, can someone please explain what the hell you people see in this guy? Do you like that he repeatedly slanders one of the most law-abiding groups in the Commonwealth at a time when his party is trying desperately to shake the mantle of Gun Control? What were you thinking!?
VCDL Saslaw Dinner Went Well
Rebecca and I went to the VCDL’s Saslaw dinner today at Champp’s in Reston. Sadly, Senator Saslaw was unable to attend, but I suspect he’ll get the message anyway. Roughly 50 people showed up, openly carrying, and there were no police cars, helicopters overhead, or hysteria. In fact, it was downright boring.
It turns out the general manager at Champp’s is strongly pro-gun and welcomes open carry at his restaurant. He spoke to the group for a few moments and welcomed all of us back. I, for one, will never set foot in TGI Friday’s again; Champps will be my preferred casual dining facility now. As an added bonus, it’s just as close to my house, so I’m not even giving up anything.
UPDATE: News of the event hit the AP wire, complete with the requisite Saslaw-foot-in-mouth quote.
Now, here’s another cat/girl/gun pic:
and another
Positive Open Carry Dining Experience
Since Timmy Kaine vetoed legislation that would have allowed gun owners with concealed handgun permits to carry in restaurants licensed to serve alcohol provided they don’t drink themselves, those of us who carry must carry openly in such establishments (unless of course we’re members of the privileged caste, such as Commonwealth Attorneys).
Interestingly, during the Virginia Senate debate on the bill to allow concealed carry in restaurants, Dick Saslaw claimed:
In most urban areas, you walk into a restaurant with a gun on your hip, they’re going to tell you to get out…You’re not going to get any meal or any drink.
The Post article also noted:
Saslaw said in an interview that he and his wife dine out “all the time” and that they have never seen anyone in a restaurant in his district with a gun.
Of course, that’s because most people don’t even notice. I open carry around NoVA from time to time, and in most cases people are not paying enough attention to even notice the gun on my belt. But in Saslaw’s mind apparently his own ignorance conceptions of gun ownership are a suitable substitute for the facts.
In protest of Saslaw’s yawning ignorance, VCDL have organized some open-carry lunches in Saslaw’s district. I participated in one today. VCDL are keeping the details quiet until the campaign is over, so I won’t say where we were, but I will relate the experience.
Rebecca and I both OC’d to a nice little restaurant in Fairfax county. I had my trusty Glock 19 in a Comp-Tac strong-side OWB belt holster, and Rebecca borrowed my S&W M&P 9, carried in a Fobus strong-side OWB paddle holster. As is typical of my open carry outings, this one was mostly uneventful. As we were leaving the owner/manager came over and asked us about the blatant visibility of our weapons; we educated him on Virginia’s ridiculous law and corrected some misconceptions he had about gun laws in Maryland and DC. There was no hostility, no bouncers escorting us to the door, no terrorized patrons begging for their lives from beneath the tables; it was a non-event.
I suppose I could be making this all up, so here’s the photographic evidence:
Molon Labe, Saslaw.