Can a place allow concealed but not open carry?

[JmE]

This originates from me having to go get a shirt and cover at a county fair today. I'm not asking about the county fair question as that is for a different section.

The question that I'm asking is, can an entity require concealed carry only in the open air fields of an event? I realize that they can ask you to cover or leave but how does it work when they post no firearm signs and then insist that concealed carriers can carry, even encouraged, but open carriers cannot?

[Imcrazy]

Sure they can.

[pirateguy191]

Private property? You bet.

[JediSkipdogg]

Private property can post a sign that says all gun carriers must wear neon orange shirts. You fail to do so, it's criminal trespass.

[JmE]

Yep, figured that hadn't changed.

This is pseudo-private as the situation has yet to ripen for a challenge, IMHO. I'm still mulling if I am going to challenge this and defend pro se (no money for an attorney on this one). I probably won't but I'm on the commissioners' meeting agenda. The county tried to claim that they only own a sliver of the property when they do, in fact, own the whole, tax exempt property. I'm going to get them on record stating the situation. That ought to be fun... not.

[BobK]

... that concealed carriers can carry, even encouraged, but open carriers cannot?

That right there is how Walmart often handles it.

Walmart's company policy is to allow concealed carry wherever it is legal and an anti-gunner store manager cannot change that policy. However, Walmart also reserves the right at a store manager level to ask open carriers to cover up or leave. There have been numerous instances where an Ohio open carrier in Walmart caused one or more customer complaints and resulted in being asked to leave.

That is also the biggest concern that gets discussed in the Texas concealed carry community. In almost two years here, the only non-statutory place I've seen validly posted with a 30.06 sign was when I got my CHL fingerprints taken. Almost no-one posts down here. It is commonly believed that a big factor is "out of sight, out of mind". The sheeple don't worry about CHL's because they are concealed. People worry if open carry gets passed here it will cause a lot of businesses to decide to post.

That is not to say I necessarily believe all the naysayers, because I take things with a grain of skepticism. But that does accurately reflect the worries and mood of many people reluctant to spoil a good thing.

Of course, it doesn't help manners when an overly zealous open carrier tries to browbeat people into their beliefs and conversations on the topic almost inevitably turn threads into flame wars, resulting in locked threads and hardened positions on both sides of the question. Kind of like the whole GZ/TM discussion experience.

[JmE]

Private property can post a sign that says all gun carriers must wear neon orange shirts. You fail to do so, it's criminal trespass.

Yeah, my brain is baked from the Sun today. They have no firearms signs posted but encourage concealed carry...

Separating the fact that it is a county fair with an AG society didn't work for this thread and made my question pointless. I see that now.

[JmE]

That right there is how Walmart often handles it.
Walmart's company policy is to allow concealed carry wherever it is legal and an anti-gunner store manager cannot change that policy. However, Walmart also reserves the right at a store manager level to ask open carriers to cover up or leave. There have been numerous instances where an Ohio open carrier in Walmart caused one or more customer complaints and resulted in being asked to leave.

Yeah, the local Walmart is so freaked about open carry that I cover when I go there.

That is not to say I necessarily believe all the naysayers, because I take things with a grain of skepticism. But that does accurately reflect the worries and mood of many people reluctant to spoil a good thing.

Not to start an argument about it but I've always been and currently remain in the camp of those that won't accept a privilege to the detriment of a right. I believe that the right must remain strong for the privilege to stay secure.

[ohazco]

Not Ohio, but I was at Goodwill in Colorado Springs a while back, and they had a clear sign saying "open carrying of firearms prohibited" or something along those lines. First time I ever saw an actual sign calling out only open carry.

[Brian D.]

Private property can post a sign that says all gun carriers must wear neon orange shirts. You fail to do so, it's criminal trespass.

Ha! I have shirts in all sorts of different colors, couldn't gig me but once with that rule.

Looks like the original question has been answered, hope a little humor is okay now.

This thread does remind me to post, for the umpteenth time (sorry) that some states our CHLs are valid in have prohibitions against open carry. So it's a good idea to know how to really cover up your handgun, even if you spend your time locally OC'ing or in a "casual" manner of concealment.

[JmE]

This thread was created because I was trying to be a good boy and keep the county fair questions in the "only" thread. Once I teased apart the fair portion, the question no longer made sense. The original question was if a county fair could prohibit open carry and allow concealed carry. Now I know that they can't prohibit either if the county owns the property. Prohibition when the county AG society owns or leases the property is being debated.

[_Hawkeye_]

As private property rights are currently interpreted yes.

Should private property, but open to the public, be able to bar someone entry based upon a constitutionally protected right? My opinion is no. If you are open to the public, then the public is what you get.

[JmE]

As private property rights are currently interpreted yes.

Should private property, but open to the public, be able to bar someone entry based upon a constitutionally protected right? My opinion is no. If you are open to the public, then the public is what you get.

After hearing Judge Napolitano on the subject, http://youtu.be/GP1Wgkh5MeE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , I agree with you.

For those that are interested, this starts the video where he begins speaking about it; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP1Wgkh5MeE&t=55s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Werz]

As private property rights are currently interpreted yes.

Should private property, but open to the public, be able to bar someone entry based upon a constitutionally protected right? My opinion is no. If you are open to the public, then the public is what you get.

After hearing Judge Napolitano on the subject, http://youtu.be/GP1Wgkh5MeE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , I agree with you.

For those that are interested, this starts the video where he begins speaking about it; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP1Wgkh5MeE&t=55s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

However, it always amuses me that nobody wants to bite the hand that feeds. Gun shows always require you to unload, and one of Ohio's largest gun dealers expects you to conceal upon entry. No massive outrage, though.

[JmE]

However, it always amuses me that nobody wants to bite the hand that feeds. Gun shows always require you to unload, and one of Ohio's largest gun dealers expects you to conceal upon entry. No massive outrage, though.

My massive outrage of one occurred years ago. There are undoubtedly posts around the web from me at the time and I called the people promoting shows to point out what I felt was a huge hypocrisy on their part. I was told that "we can't get insurance otherwise." IIRC, I checked out at least one company underwriting shows and found that to be untrue. I communicated it to one of the show promoters and they couldn't have cared less.

I stopped going to gunshows...


(In all of these years since, I believe that I have gone to one show after being badgered by a friend that paid. I ****** and moaned the whole time, didn't spend a dime, and complained to the promoter until they refunded my admission to my friend.)