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I just happened to be chatting w/ a police lieutenantthis afternoon about open carry when just as we were talking he gota call on his radio about someone "open carrying" inthe Brenden Theatre. From the infohegot and he relayed to me since we were just discussingthis isthat a black male from Richmond entered the movie theatre after paying for his ticket, he took out his loadedgunthat was tucked into his jeans and under his shirt, unloaded it right there in front of the ticket agent, then putthe pistol back under his shirt. When the police showedup,theyhad to stopthe movie, turn on the lights, and this guy claimed to be"open carrying".
Summary according to the police: This guydid NOT appear to be open carrying - just using open carry as an excuse to try and not get arrested. First of all, the gun was originally loaded and concealed when the movie attendant saw him. Next, he tookit outand unloaded it and then putit back in his pants under his shirt - so it was notcarried openly and was again concealed (but unloaded) when the police came. He got arrested for carrying a concealed weapon.
I asked this lieutenant about how the Concord PD feels about open carry and he said they respect our right to carry. He told me if I open carried that the police may inspect the gun to check if it was loaded and, if was not, I'd be on my merry way. He was a good guy and a pleasure to chat with. I plan on UOCing in Concord someday and, if I ever get checked, I hope its him and not some officer who might get overly excited.
Thought to keep in mindfor UOC'rs:Non-law abiding citizenssuch as gang-bangers and other criminal elements might start toclaim they are open carryingas an excuse when they are caught with their gun. So our image may get tarnished a bit by the criminal element. So please - know the law, respect the law, and open carry in a responsible manner.
I don't know who it was that got arrested, soI will make no assumptions about his personal criminal record or lack thereof, but he obviously didn't know the law and now does have a record.
I don't know if this would be the same person you are referring to, but my guess is that it is.