I read time and again how folks think that it's not against the law to carry where the sign is posted. That it's "The store owner's rules and I can be asked to leave but it's not The Law".
It is law that one cannot carry in a posted area.
It all depends on how the statutes in your state are written. In Missouri, it is NOT the "law that one cannot carry into a posted area".
The penalty is that one may be asked to leave by the shop owner.
Generally speaking, you can be asked to leave for ANY reason, whether you are carrying a firearm or not. That is the "penalty" for doing business with a private business owner.
And if one refuses, the cops will be called.
Yes, and that applies if you refuse to leave for ANY reason.
A big deal was made in Ohio when the CC law was extended to bars (or restaurants that also serve alcohol). All of us trumpeted "hey - just post a sign. We'll either leave our guns outside or go elsewhere." Now I read a lot about folks pointedly ignoring this.
And when the media shouts "CC HOLDERS IGNORE WARNING SIGNS AND THE LAW - NONE OF US ARE SAFE" it won't be pretty.
If a person is carrying a
concealed firearm, how, exactly, will a proprietor know that the person is carrying? It's unlikely that the person will be wearing a t-shirt that has, "I'm carrying a concealed handgun" written all over it. Also, do you have an example of the media shouting "CC holders ignore warning signs, etc....", or is this simply something that you assume will happen?
I have to ask - when I see one of these signs it is damned obvious that the owner of this private property does not want anyone carrying a gun on their premises. Why would anyone ignore that property owners constitutional right? If your property is posted "no trespassing" how would you feel if you looked up and someone was standing in your yard? It's the same thing.
I pretty much agree with this. As responsible citizens, we should strive to respect private property owner's rights as much as possible (whether we carry a firearm or not). I expect folks to follow my rules when they are on my property, and subsequently, I believe it's perfectly valid for them to expect me to follow their rules on their property, especially when I have made the CHOICE to be on that property.
With that said, I DO allow for the fact that there are certain parcels of private property, or institutions located on private property, where some of us have no choice but to be on certain occasions (a hospital, for example) and where we are actually paying this private property owner a sometimes substantial amount of money for them to provide their unique services or products to us. In some instances, these establishments are located in less-than-safe neighborhoods or areas where you are at risk just walking to the building from the parking garage. In such cases, I reserve the right to place the safety of myself and my family above the wishes of the private property owner, and "ignore" the signs as long as it isn't unlawful to do so.
So in summary, while I certainly don't think we should go out of our way to not respect a property owner's wishes, I also believe that we sometimes have to make the most prudent decisions for ourselves and our families, even if they contradict with a property owner's wishes. My first responsibility is to myself and my family, a property owner's wishes are secondary to that.
