What European Countries Have You Found To Be The Least Complicated To Detect In?

[Tom_in_CA]

3 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

 

https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/metal-detecting-and-permits/

 

Regarding this ^ ^ link 

Notice that it reveals, THE VERY PSYCHOLOGY THAT I AM REFERRING TO, when it says this revealing statement :

".... DHR commonly receives calls and emails asking about permits for metal detecting in Virginia...."

Yup !  Now you know the reason for the ORIGINS of any such dire wording exists.   All the stuff that follows is essentially telling us "grovel", "grovel" and "grovel".    Notice that they JUST finish dispelling the myth that there is a "permit" that we must have .  When they said the following :  "Contrary to what some websites for hobby detectorists have posted, there is no general permitting process for metal detecting in Virginia. ..."

But then notice what the REST of it is : Stuff that tell us THERE MAY BE PERMITS NEEDED @ *SOME* places.  And : Grovel, grovel, grovel.

Don't you see the evolution RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES ??  ^ ^    If there IS any place that did indeed "require a permit for md'ing", then in this wonderful day & age of the internet, that can be looked up on muni or county websites (for the rules regarding their parks).  And if no permit for md'ing is talked about (and is silent on the subject)  THEN PRESTO :  No permit.  PRESTO :  Not prohibited.   No need to grovel at each kiosk and perpetually show up asking "Can I ?" questions at each kiosk.  

Can you tell me of any incident, at a single innocuous park, school, beach, forest, sand box, etc... in VA (assuming not an obvious historic sensitive monument), where anyone was "handcuffed" by LEO's in SUV's, for md'ing,  at any place where it could not have simply been looked up (to see online if any such "permit" existed).

And then you  link to a purist archie website .   But what did you expect to come from a purist archie website ?  OF COURSE  they hate md'rs.   But this is a little like asking the president of P.E.T.A. (an animal rights wacko group) if it's ok to leave your bunny in the car while you run into 7-11 to get a soda.   The PETA wacko will scream : "NNOOoooo.  The bunny will suffer in the hot sun.  You will be arrested for animal cruelty.   Your car will be confiscated", blah blah.   But seriously now: What did you expect to come from an animal right extremist ?  So too do I put little stock in what a few ivory castle desk-bound purist archies have to say about us.  OF COURSE they're going to try to insinuate that it's illegal everywhere (and that we must all grovel, blah blah)

You say : ".... Isn't it putting the cart before the horse to assert that it's because people ask, when the laws and regulations came because people did it in the first place?..."

Your own links leading introduction does indeed hint at the reason they must "address this pressing question" at this location.   But sure, I have more specific examples I can cite, where the "which came first, the chicken or the egg", is clearly seen.  I can cite you case examples where you can see that everything was hunky dory, until md'rs started showing up in the 1980s & 90s swatting hornets' nests.   

I was there when all this began (started this hobby in about 1976 -ish, as a young teenager).  And was a club member and eventual president through the 1980s and into 1990s when our city had a club.  So I saw the entire evolution unfold.   And as I saw micro-examples unfold locally (here in CA), I began to ask myself if the SAME psychology isn't going on elsewhere.   And found many such examples elsewhere (even on a national scale) as well.  If you'd like some examples, I can give them.