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The bowling alley The Boy practices at for Special Olympics has put "No guns or weapons allowed, even concealed weapons." signs on the entrances.
Well, it's got no force of law in Florida and all they can do is to trespass me if I refuse to leave once they decide I'm packing.
But if I never give away I've got a weapon, then they have no reason to bother me.
I do worry those signs will cause the worst sort to think they can shoot it up with impunity.
Gun free zones are dangerous.
"Gun free zones are dangerous." Agree. A gun free zone sign is no different from a speed limit sign. It states what is legal, but no zero effect on forcing all to obey it. Disarming potential victims is never a good idea.
ReplyDeleteMany bowling alleys sell and allow the consumption of alcohol on its premises. In some states, if the sales of alcohol exceed 50% of the income derived from the business, the law becomes even more important. I'm pretty sure the revenue generated from renting the bowling lanes exceeds alcohol sales. Even if you aren't drinking and the concealed carry permit may make no difference. Worth consideration.
I hope your son does well at his tournament.
jrg
i can't remember the stats but it's extremely high that shooters choose the gun free zones more often than not...panzer guy
ReplyDeleteHere in Texas we have signs that actually carry the force of law... commonly known as 30.05, 30.06 and 30.07 signs for the ones that places can choose to post and the 51% signs for establishments that are "bars" which derive 51% or more of their revenues from the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption which must post that sign. Note that liquor stores and other places which sell for off-site consumption are not required to post 51%. Those places (and places which sold for on-site consumption with less than 51% of revenue) used to have to post the "blue sign" which indicated that carrying w/o a permit was a felony, however that is no longer true when "constitutional carry" was enacted.
ReplyDeleteWhen "constitutional carry" passed they also reduced the penalties for carrying past the 30.0x signs. Now pretty much they can only charge someone with violating those if they refuse to leave if detected, similar to other states.
It's also worth noting that a lot of places post signs incorrectly. I've seen a lot of places which post invalid 30.0x signs (there are requirements for location, size, and exact wording). A lot of signs are visibly way too small to be enforceable or fail to have the required language (often prior versions or failing to post the Espanol version). And a lot of government owned/leased locations post signs that aren't legally enforceable because those places are only allowed to post under limited circumstances. I also see places post 51% and then you check their liquor license and they aren't actually a 51% establishment by TABC. Or places that have 51% licenses but probably wouldn't stand up to legal challenge for the whole establishment because they play games with ownership. For example for a bowling alley if the bar portion is owned by a separate legal entity, then the 51% ONLY applies to the bar area, not the whole venue. And depending on how things are laid out, they may be violating their liquor license if the allow alcohol outside their controlled area. In order for 51% to apply to the whole address the whole address would have to be 51% revenue from alcohol including lane fees, shoe rental, other concessions, merch, video arcade machines, etc. As noted... it is usually highly unlikely in most of these businesses that would be the case, even though alcohol is a significant revenue source, it is usually well below 1/2. Another nuance is that places like bowling alleys would have a problem if they post 51%... Because generally speaking children are not allowed to be in 51% establishments, and usually that kind of business derives a significant portion of revenues from families including children and teens. Trying to prohibit firearms based on 51% would be a bad idea for them. Posting 30.0x has political ramifications due to the fact that it's a choice for the business -- and many people will shun businesses who do that.
-swj