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I will be taking the bar exam next week, and wanted to make sure I can carry while taking the exam. I am from out of town and will be staying in a hotel. I didn't want to leave my gun in the hotel. (personal safe or not) What I am seeing from the statutes, I should be okay. What do you all think?

bigjhdd wrote:I will be taking the bar exam next week, and wanted to make sure I can carry while taking the exam. I am from out of town and will be staying in a hotel. I didn't want to leave my gun in the hotel. (personal safe or not) What I am seeing from the statutes, I should be okay. What do you all think?

You should really ask a lawyer.
Where will be taking the exam? If at one of law schools, then no. At one of the others, I think you should be okay.

LOL! It's not on campus. It is in a convention center. I believe that it is okay, but wanted to run it by y'all! I appreciate your response.

bigjhdd wrote:LOL! It's not on campus. It is in a convention center. I believe that it is okay, but wanted to run it by y'all! I appreciate your response.

ANAL, but as long as it is not posted 30.06 you should be okay.

Welcome to the Forum and Good Luck on the Bar Exam.

Thanks! I'm going to need it!

WildBill wrote:

You should really ask a lawyer.

That was a great one Bill, er...uh, watch your back.

bigjhdd wrote:Thanks! I'm going to need it!

Forget about it. The Texas Bar Exam is easy. It only took four times for my cousin Vinny to pass.

Oldgringo wrote:

WildBill wrote:

You should really ask a lawyer.

That was a great one Bill, er...uh, watch your back.

+ 1 .... I was going to write exact same response, but Bill beat me to it.

And no offense at all to OP either. Just a funny and obvious (and friendly) joke based on the usual responses to such questions on this forum and elsewhere.

Welcome to the forum

good luck on your exam

bigjhdd wrote:I will be taking the bar exam next week, and wanted to make sure I can carry while taking the exam. I am from out of town and will be staying in a hotel. I didn't want to leave my gun in the hotel. (personal safe or not) What I am seeing from the statutes, I should be okay. What do you all think?

My answers are not based merely on the CHL statutes, but lets start there.

As you are from out of town, call the Convention Center and as if it is posted with the 30.06 notice.

Call the State Bar and ask if they have any restrictions - or if they would post the 30.06 notice at testing site for this exam. That would trump the convention center.

Also, carrying a CCW into the Bar Exam might cost one dearly who is seeking to join the Bar. All it could take is a slip of the concealment and an anti-gun monitor (lawyers who volunteer) seeing it and you could be ejected losing your results or worse. Is it worth it? Hello - reality check on your professional judgment.

Furthermore, you will be distracted from the most important exam in your life by the gun on your hip and your concern to keep it concealed. That is a distraction you certainly do not need on these days.

Bottom line, from one member of the Bar (and retired LEO) to a prospective member of the Bar - leave your gun at home or in the hotel safe or your vehicle. You won't need it during your exam.

Good luck on your exam.

Since TXlaw1 opened the door, I will add my comments. Taking the bar exam is very stressful and requires intense concentration. I would not want any unneccesary distractions, so I would leave the gun in my car or at home. Since leaving the gun in the hotel seems to cause you worry, this leaves only these two options.

TXlaw1 wrote:

bigjhdd wrote:I will be taking the bar exam next week, and wanted to make sure I can carry while taking the exam. I am from out of town and will be staying in a hotel. I didn't want to leave my gun in the hotel. (personal safe or not) What I am seeing from the statutes, I should be okay. What do you all think?

My answers are not based merely on the CHL statutes, but lets start there.

As you are from out of town, call the Convention Center and as if it is posted with the 30.06 notice.

Call the State Bar and ask if they have any restrictions - or if they would post the 30.06 notice at testing site for this exam. That would trump the convention center.

Also, carrying a CCW into the Bar Exam might cost one dearly who is seeking to join the Bar. All it could take is a slip of the concealment and an anti-gun monitor (lawyers who volunteer) seeing it and you could be ejected losing your results or worse. Is it worth it? Hello - reality check on your professional judgment.

Furthermore, you will be distracted from the most important exam in your life by the gun on your hip and your concern to keep it concealed. That is a distraction you certainly do not need on these days.

Bottom line, from one member of the Bar (and retired LEO) to a prospective member of the Bar - leave your gun at home or in the hotel safe or your vehicle. You won't need it during your exam.

Good luck on your exam.

In my mind calling the State Bar and bringing up the subject in the first place is tantamount to asking to have the exams posted with 30.06. So I would not do that.

The other reasons given for not carrying might carry a little more weight, though if you have been carrying for any length of time I don't think the issue of distraction would come up. I frequently forget that I am carrying.

But of course, I am not a Lawyer! (but you knew that)

Go the day before and check out the 30.06 posting situation. You should check out the place day before anyways so that you'll know where it is. That way, you won't get lost and be late day of the exam. Because if you're late, they won't let you in and you will not be issued a refund for the missed exam. Be sure to leave early enough to allow for traffic. To avoid any distractions and worries that the gun may print/show, be sure to carry a very small gun that is secured in a totally undetectable manner: Keltec 380 in a deep pants pocket holster, 22lr diamond encrusted mini gun hanging off a sturdy necklace between your dress shirt and undershirt, thin profile gun such as Kimber CDP in a Smartcarry, etc.


If the law allows, go ahead and carry. It will probably decrease your anxiety level if you're used to carrying because if you're used to it and it is suddenly denied, you'll feel anxious and naked. Funny how that works, huh?

Good luck on your exam!

P.S. The gun I'm showing you is one that a friend of mine who is a nude model carries off a necklace. It is concealed in plain sight as a piece of jewelry on her naked body. The gun is a mini 22lr that is about the size of a man's thumb. It is a NAA revolver that's been worked on by a jeweler.

If convention center is owned by the city, .... my layman's opinion is that it would be an improperly posted 30.06 sign.

Distractions:
Since I wear a holster and pistol 24/7 (unless going in a Courthouse or school building) It would be more of a distraction to feel naked in public (not carrying a holster and pistol) If you go unarmed and are used to carrying, you might wear an empty holster, so you aren't distracted by NOT feeling it there.