When a gun-zone becomes a no-gun zone

[Hyunchback]

The law is the law. No carry at polling places.

I was looking at the local paper and found that they have shifted the venue for early voting from the court house to a building that is used twice a year to host a gun show among a myriad of other uses.

I reckon that means I'll need to strip for early voting there.

[Lochinvar]

Here is another one for you:

I attended my daughter's volleyball tournament this weekend in Fort Worth (North Richland Hills, actually) in a nice new volleyball/hockey facility. It was not a school sponsored event, rather it was a select league and there were no 30.06 (or equivalent) postings.

The volleyballers and the youth hockey leaguers all entered through a common entry way.

But guess what: When I went into the tournament at 10 in the morning I was legal. When we left at 7pm that night there was a semi-pro hockey game (Dallas Brahmins or something like that) beginning at the ribk in the same building. Not carrying that day but had I been I would have gone in legal and been turned illegal later while still in the building.

[Liko81]

(Dallas Brahmins or something like that)

Fort Worth Brahmas, maybe? They're a CHL team, semi-pro like you said, in the same division as the Austin Ice Bats (maybe that team's a bit more well-known, or maybe not)

[seamusTX]

But guess what: When I went into the tournament at 10 in the morning I was legal. When we left at 7pm that night there was a semi-pro hockey game (Dallas Brahmins or something like that) beginning at the ribk in the same building. Not carrying that day but had I been I would have gone in legal and been turned illegal later while still in the building.

Every criminal offense carries the element of acting intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence. If you have no way to know that you are in a prohibited place because a game started after you arrive, you are not in violation of the law.

- Jim

[DoubleJ]

(Dallas Brahmins or something like that)

Fort Worth Brahmas, maybe? They're a CHL team, semi-pro like you said, in the same division as the Austin Ice Bats (maybe that team's a bit more well-known, or maybe not)

They're a Concealed Handgun License team?????

[boomerang]

They're a Concealed Handgun License team?????

I once googled "chl forum" and was surprised to find people talking about a sport played on frozen water.

[mgood]

I was doing audio/visual installation on a school when it was being built in Dallas. It was not in the best neighborhood and we were frequently there after dark when most of the other contractors had gone. There'd usually be two to four of us in the building by ourselves. This was a construction site where there was frequently evidence of homeless people using it for shelter and more than once stolen cars were found behind it when contractors showed up in the morning. There were frequent breakins or signs of attempted break ins to contractors' equipment. One time someone had actually hotwired a backhoe and used it to pull the door off one of the contractors' job trailer. When you know that the only people who should be in the building are right there within sight, but there are no locks on doors, hearing noises down the hall is really spooky. I had a CHL, and even my employer, who officially discouraged carrying weapons, agreed that it might not be a bad idea to carry there.

But it was a school which was being built. I was well aware of the law concerning carrying in a school. So the question was, at what point does it legally become a school? I mean, when we first arrived on scene, it was just a muddy lot with a concrete foundation and some steel I-beams, obviously not a school. After a few discreet inquiries, the general opinion (from people who are not lawyers) seemed to be that it was not a school until the school district signed off on it and took posession of the building.

Not related to the original post, but just thought it was an interesting situation.

[Keith B]

But it was a school which was being built. I was well aware of the law concerning carrying in a school. So the question was, at what point does it legally become a school? I mean, when we first arrived on scene, it was just a muddy lot with a concrete foundation and some steel I-beams, obviously not a school. After a few discreet inquiries, the general opinion (from people who are not lawyers) seemed to be that it was not a school until the school district signed off on it and took posession of the building.

Not related to the original post, but just thought it was an interesting situation.

IANAL, but my opinion would be when it is turned over to the school district as completed for them to start moving items in and occupy, THEN it becomes a school. Prior to that, it is just a building on school property, which is not against TPC.

But without a test case or ruling otherwise, I could be wrong.