Carrying at a booster club fundraiser ??

[Brad Mc]

I'm the president of a high school baseball booster club. Last year we were asked by our towns Homecoming committee if we would like to earn quite a bit of money to basically direct cars to park in an orderly fashion in a field that the rodeo uses for a parking lot. There is a carnival, beer booths, and a rodeo. For two nights myself and other parents did the parking lot attending. At times some of the baseball players helped. By the end of the night we were dealing with all kinds of people. Alot of drunks too. We had belligerent drunks coming up to us all ticked off because their car was blocked in at another parking lot that we were not assigned to work. We also saw some thugs snooping around people's cars peeking in windows. We just kinda used our flashlights as a detergent. As I was working it, I was thinking how it would be smart to carry out there just in case something crazy happened. Last year I did not have my CHL. Well, this year we've been asked again to do the parking lot directing. My question is.. Is it legal to carry while doing a school fundraiser. In this case it is NOT a school sponsored event. The parking lot is basically a field surrounded by a cattle fence next to a rodeo arena. It's not past any entrances, etc. .. At the event itself Chl carry is permitted. What makes me wonder if I would be legal is the fact that I'm attending a parking lot and the fact that we our members of a school booster club doing a fundraiser. . We are not doing security for the parking lot, but we do pay attention to suspicious activity. I'm not wanting to carry to be some kind of security officer or to intervene with criminal activity in the parking lot. We would call for police for that. The bottom line is that... At this event I would definitely be carrying if I was there just to attend to event, so I would hate to have to disarm to do this volunteer work. What do you guys and gals think??

[Middle Age Russ]

Booster Club Fundraising that is not done in association with a school sporting or showing event and not on school grounds should present no issues with carrying, I should think. On the other hand, any fundraising done on school grounds or associated with a sporting or showing event (thinking FFA project shows, here) would be a no-carry situation.

[Teamless]

If the booster club is not for a School organization, and as long as you do not enter a school building, then you can carry.

You can even do this ON SCHOOL GROUNDS, just not in the buildings

[Middle Age Russ]

Good point about school grounds, Teamless. This is one area where we have to be careful, though, since stadiums and such are often fenced and can be considered off-limits.

That said, Booster Clubs are typically adult (parent) organizations that simply raise funds to support school related clubs, teams and activities. They are not directly associated with these school programs and acting as a booster is not the same as being a coach, mentor or whatever directly involved in the programs.