I Don’t Carry Because Too Many Places Prohibit Guns
It is frustrating when it seems every place you go has a “no guns allowed” sign posted out front? Repeatedly disarming increases administrative handling and the potential for an unintended discharge. And anytime you leave your gun inside your vehicle, even if it's locked up, you risk someone stealing it.
Tips if You Frequent Gun Free Zones —
- Learn your state's legal and civil ramifications of ignoring these prohibitions. The law varies from state to state. Ignoring signs in one state may be a misdemeanor. In others, the signs are really nothing more than a request.
- Learn your state's law pertaining to storing a gun inside a vehicle. This issue becomes important, especially if your employer prohibits firearms. The law may state specifically that you can store your handgun in your vehicle, even if the employer prohibits firearms.
- Choose a different place to spend your money. It is likely that some of these no gun zones have competitors that are not too far down the road who would allow you to defend yourself. If you feel comfortable, respectfully inform the management of the no gun zone business why you won't be a customer.
- If you are a student on a college campus that prohibits concealed carry, try to create a habit of carrying concealed when you're not on campus. Carry on weekends, visits home, and other times you're off campus. Doing this can help you develop a self-defense mindset. After all, you won't be in school forever.
List of anti-gun businesses and Gun-Free Zones —
Also, please take the time to reference our business directory where we list businesses that have anti-gun policies. If you visit a business that doesn't allow concealed carry, you can submit it to your list and help other concealed carriers know beforehand.
I've added a few more resources here to help you along in your concealed carry journey.
If you carry concealed how will they know I carry most days and when I’m not at home
I’m in Texas where these “no gun” stores are relatively rare, making it easy to take my business elsewhere. If that’s not an option, I politely remind the business rep that most mass shootings occur in places where guns are prohibited.
The only places I dont CCW are federal buildings, or police buildings. Other that those, I will CCW regardless of a no gun signs. I rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
I’m in the same boat as Don here in Arizona you usually only see “no weapons” posted at hospitals and doctor’s offices. It’s more common to see the sign that says “If you have a weapon please keep it in it’s holster unless it’s needed, then we hope you’re a good shot”
Same as Don also yes most firearm robberies and murders happen in All Firearms prohibited areas. I live in Maine so no worries for me guys.
All of these businesses and other places keep forgetting that it’s not the law abiding citizens that keep doing these shootings, it’s ALWAYS the one or few that have no regard for the law or human life. And they’re always gonna win as long as people aren’t allowed to defend themselves.
I always carry concealed inside my pocket and it’s small enough that it doesn’t show. I don’t purposely go in no gun places carrying but if I accidentally do, no one knows it but me. If the occasion presents itself that I need it, I’ll use it and pay the fine. That’s better than paying the funeral home.
We have a store in our area named Meijer. They recently posted a no gun sign and I sent them an email letting them know they just lost $400 to $600 of my business EVERY month. Money talks…
Doesn’t Meijer stores SELL firearms? I don’t recall as it’s been a long time since I’ve been in one.
Actually, Meijer “asks” that we conceal. Also, they have sent a memo to store managers that, unless someone complains about open carry, just ignore it. My meijer store has a small, circular concealed sign and half of that is about so smoking. Also, it is at the exit doors, not the entrance 🙂
The “No guns allowed” signs only prohibits law abiding people to carry. The criminals don’t care about the damn signs. They prevent the rest of us from defending ourselves. If someone commits a crime with a gun and someone is shot and killed or injured the occupancy owner should be held liable because they prevented law abiding citizens from defending themselves and did nothing to prevent the criminal from entering the country premise or protecting their patrons.
I put a safe in my truck for just that reason . I never leave a gun in the cab unless it is in the safe . The console is made of plastic so it is an easy target . The safe will hinder the thieves smash and grab . Most times they are in and out looking for a fast strike . If you slow them down chances are they will get caught .
Sorry, but your car ‘safe’ can be easily defeated with a screwdriver or a prybar. And ‘getting caught’ means NOTHING anymore. Most of the car prowlers running around have been arrested DOZENS of times with minimal (if any) punishment.
Unless your handgun ‘prints’, you blab about carrying, or you have to pass through a metal detector, how is ANYONE going to know you carry concealed?
If repeatedly disarming increases administrative handling and the potential for an unintended discharge, than you need to change the way you handle a firearm. In point of fact, if you have an unintended discharge wile handling your weapon, you need to not carry a firearm! You never need a bullet in the breach or a safety unengaged. This isn’t the old west. There is always time to remove a safety and slide the rack. If you are carrying cocked & loaded, you either live in a war zone or are a danger to yourself and everyone else. Your gun should never be your first line of defense. That means using your brain (if you have one) to ascertain the situation, before you act out of fear.
The real issue here is: does a no weapons sine on the door bar a person from caring in a weapon? If the store has no armed security to stop you, then the sign is meaningless.
As a certified firearms training instructor I have learned that milliseconds count. If you intend to cc I suggest that you get professional training. I carry every day everywhere it is legal. I also carry as you say cocked and locked with 1 in the pipe.
Echoing someone else’s comment, the only place I routinely •don’• carry are the various government offices I may need to visit (some of which •do• have metal detectors, etc). I’m less concerned about a negligent discharge than I am about increasing the time that my firearm ISN’T concealed (i.e. I unlock my in-vehicle safe, unholster my pistol, unload my pistol, and place the pistol & magazine in the safe). While I try to do this as discreetly as possible, it’s still increasing the time that my firearm is exposed (which, in a perfect world, would be ZERO).
Fortunately, most businesses in AZ seem pretty relaxed about allowing their patrons to be armed. One notable business that •technically• doesn’t allow firearms is part of a larger company based in California (big surprise). I emphasize “technically” because the required signage as per ARS 4-229 defining it as a gun-free zone is all but hidden in the corner (while the code specifically requires it to be “conspicuous.” Apparently, local management doesn’t care, but they must satisfy their corporate overlords in Los Angeles.
‘A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed, except upon entering a government building’. NOPE! Never forget the Bill of Rights regulates the GOVERNMENT, not the CITIZENS.
Don’t forget that in NY, it’s illegal to leave a gun unattended in a car. And although no gun signs don’t have the force of law here, guns are prohibited in places licensed by the Dept. of Health (doctors offices, hospitals, old age homes, child care facilities, etc.) and road side rest stops so if you’re going on a long trip, no stops for you. Also, if you’re headed to somewhere like the post office, you need to leave it at home since you can’t leave it in your car (even with someone else as handguns are licensed to individuals, not just to anyone who has a license to possess/carry).
I think if I saved a life in a prohibitive area I pray 🙏🏻 that the judge is pro-2nd Amendment p