I live out east, and have carried up and down the crystal coast (Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville, Havelock, Emerald Isle, Morehead City, New Bern, Beaufort) as well as Greenville, Raleigh, and other random places around here.
I said it before and I'll say it again, the "going armed to the terror of the people" bit is a non-issue. If a cop tries to arrest you for this, you would have every right to resist as it would be an illegal arrest (assuming, of course, that you are simply carrying a sidearm in a holster). You can't let crap like this scare you from exercising your rights. If you do, then you've already lost your rights to begin with.
CarolinaJohn, what county do you live in? I will be more than happy to visit a bank in your area to make my point. Openly carried weapons are NOT PROHIBITED in financial institutions, period. Only once have I been questioned for doing this. A man asked, rather loudly, why I had a gun in, of all places, the bank. I told him that State law prohibited me from carrying concealed in a bank even with my permit, so I HAD to carry it like this. He shut up, and everyone else realized I knew what I was doing.
It has already been stated that Chapel Hill is the only municipality with any restrictions specifically on openly carried weapons. The minimum is 6", and even a small Walther PPK qualifies.
As long as you familiarize yourself with NC's gun laws, you will be fine openly carrying. I invite anyone and everyone who carries in NC to do so openly. I couldn't tell you how many people I have educated about their rights and freedoms just because I was carrying. Every person I have met and talked to had no idea that it was legal to carry a firearm for personal protection without having to get permission from the state. You just have to be 18 and legally own your firearm...that's it. I've even been invited to "stop by often" by business owners because they appreciate what I do.
Ok sorry I'll stop ranting. It just irks me when people tell you "it may be legal, but it's just not a good idea". If you don't use your rights, you'll lose your rights. Remember that.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, or anyone else worth suing.
I said it before and I'll say it again, the "going armed to the terror of the people" bit is a non-issue. If a cop tries to arrest you for this, you would have every right to resist as it would be an illegal arrest (assuming, of course, that you are simply carrying a sidearm in a holster). You can't let crap like this scare you from exercising your rights. If you do, then you've already lost your rights to begin with.
CarolinaJohn, what county do you live in? I will be more than happy to visit a bank in your area to make my point. Openly carried weapons are NOT PROHIBITED in financial institutions, period. Only once have I been questioned for doing this. A man asked, rather loudly, why I had a gun in, of all places, the bank. I told him that State law prohibited me from carrying concealed in a bank even with my permit, so I HAD to carry it like this. He shut up, and everyone else realized I knew what I was doing.
It has already been stated that Chapel Hill is the only municipality with any restrictions specifically on openly carried weapons. The minimum is 6", and even a small Walther PPK qualifies.
As long as you familiarize yourself with NC's gun laws, you will be fine openly carrying. I invite anyone and everyone who carries in NC to do so openly. I couldn't tell you how many people I have educated about their rights and freedoms just because I was carrying. Every person I have met and talked to had no idea that it was legal to carry a firearm for personal protection without having to get permission from the state. You just have to be 18 and legally own your firearm...that's it. I've even been invited to "stop by often" by business owners because they appreciate what I do.
Ok sorry I'll stop ranting. It just irks me when people tell you "it may be legal, but it's just not a good idea". If you don't use your rights, you'll lose your rights. Remember that.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, or anyone else worth suing.