Carrying a firearm in a courthouse

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Well, the federal court house in El Paso might reconsider allowing anyone from carrying there. :)

According to the following article, the US Deputy Marshal was holstering his pistol. Bet the holster had a retaining stratp or the Marshal had his finger in the trigger guard.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/COURTHOUSE_GUNSHOT?SITE=KOPB&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Aug 5, 8:42 PM EDT
Agents accidentally shot while gun being holstered


EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Two federal agents wounded in an accidental shooting at the federal courthouse were shot when a U.S. Marshal's gun went off as he was trying to holster it, federal authorities said Tuesday.

Officials with the U.S. Marshal Service said a deputy marshal and a U.S. Border Patrol agent suffered gunshot wounds Monday morning when the marshal was trying to holster his gun after removing it from a security locker. The agents were in a secure hallway on the courthouse's third floor.
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You know. If I ever shot somebody while trying to reholster my firearm I'd probably get a bit more than a nice news article about me.
 
kurtmax

I see you are determined to carry anywhere you damn well please. I suggest you waltz into your nearest courthouse and announce that you are armed. If there is no legal basis for the prohibition, you'll have a good case. Let us know how that goes for you.

K
 
kurtmax

I see you are determined to carry anywhere you damn well please. I suggest you waltz into your nearest courthouse and announce that you are armed. If there is no legal basis for the prohibition, you'll have a good case. Let us know how that goes for you.

K
Click to expand...

Do you have some sort of problem? I started this thread because somebody might know something I don't. I've been to the courthouse maybe, 3 times, ever. I'm not too concerned about it, and I'm mostly curious as to where they get the authority to ban weapons from areas that aren't court functions.

And yes... I pretty much do carry 'everywhere I damn well please'. Especially in this state there are virtually no carry restrictions.
 
No problem. But, you were told at a courthouse carry was prohibited. If that's not good enough, why ask us? Call the AG's office and get an expert opinion and citation of any applicable code. Maybe the courthouse was just blowing smoke.

K
 
The AG here doesn't give opinions or advice to anyone but public officials.

Also, er, I was told by the crypt-keeper security guard the 'rules'. I never could find who was in charge of the building. Kept getting runaround from the imps behind the counter. I guess I'll just have to press a bit harder, and I think the Sheriff might be in charge of security there so I might drop by and ask him a few questions.

You are right... "No" is not an answer for me. There needs to be some sort of justification or proof of authority.
 
You mean, if you called the AG's office and asked what AL codes covered the carrying of firearms in courthouses, they wouldn't cite a code? Citing a code isn't a legal opinion, or is it?

K
 
You mean, if you called the AG's office and asked what AL codes covered the carrying of firearms in courthouses, they wouldn't cite a code? Citing a code isn't a legal opinion, or is it?
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Many AGs will not respond to any legal questions directly from us commoners.
It would take them some time to go to the law library, or on line, and look up the statute, and the case law that is related.
Time is money.

Government loves to exempt itself from the rules.

The chief judge likely does have jurisdiction over the entire courthouse, and his word is all that is needed.
 
A courthouse is a place where sometimes there are large amounts of distraught members of the populace.
I do not work for in a courthouse. However if I did work in a courthouse and especially if I held any position above janitor, freeroaming armed citizenry would put my situational awareness system on overload.

So to the average THR member who might eventually find themselves in such a "dry" building...
Aside from the walk out to the parking lot, what me worry?
 
A courthouse is a place where sometimes there are large amounts of distraught members of the populace.
I do not work for in a courthouse. However if I did work in a courthouse and especially if I held any position above janitor, freeroaming armed citizenry would put my situational awareness system on overload.

So to the average THR member who might eventually find themselves in such a "dry" building...
Aside from the walk out to the parking lot, what me worry?
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So this,barring metal detectors and armed security personnel checking every visitor is going to stop a determined person intent on harm or homocide?
Even then ,look at the Capitol Bldg. killer in Washington,DC in 2001 who wiped out 2 Federal guards even with these procedures in place.
When is it going to get through?
Laws ands signs do not stop determined persons intent on harm.
This mantra must end.But will it ever?
 
nor do armed guards and every one carrying an AR
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I just said that ,TAB:

So this,barring metal detectors and armed security personnel checking every visitor is going to stop a determined person intent on harm or homocide?
Even then ,look at the Capitol Bldg. killer in Washington,DC in 2001 who wiped out 2 Federal guards even with these procedures in place.
Click to expand...
 
As someone who works in a courthouse on a daily basis and who cannot carry even though I work there, I think it would be a poor idea to allow carry inside of a courthouse, for about dozen reasons.
 
As someone who works in a courthouse on a daily basis and who cannot carry even though I work there, I think it would be a poor idea to allow carry inside of a courthouse, for about dozen reasons.
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Why not? If someone wants to kill someone they are just gonna take out the rent-a-cops too. So banning the firearms actually gets more people killed...

In Alabama the preemption statutes are pretty strong. Government employers aren't even allowed to have rules prohibiting employees from carrying handguns.

Again, I think the main issue here is whether the judge has jurisdiction over the entire courthouse, or only the courthouse function parts. The courthouse here has alot more functions than just courtroom stuff. Hell, I remember taking an amateur radio course there when I was in high school.
 
As someone who works in a courthouse on a daily basis and who cannot carry even though I work there, I think it would be a poor idea to allow carry inside of a courthouse, for about dozen reasons.
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We've got all night,Drgong.
Start enumerating.We await all your reasons.
The we'll do the post mortum.
 
We have a new law here in Ga that allows carry in government buildings, except courtrooms etc.www.georgiacarry.com
Yeah I can see the purpose, "Whaaaat! $500 fine !!!! BLAM, BLAM, BLAM! " :what:
'course that didn't stop Brian Nichols (may he rot in.....) from taking out a Judge and a Bailiff. :eek:
 
So, in Georgia can you carry in a courthouse if it's not in an actual courtroom?
 
In MN you can carry in the state buildings and offices (But not the state supreme court buildings) and county courthouses as long as you notify the Director of Public Safety (for state) and the local Sheriff (for the county) in writing.

The neat thing is you don't have to be specific as to the date or time that you plan on carrying. All you need to do is write them a letter telling them that you will be visiting their facility at some point in the future and that you will be armed.
 
Of all the restrictions there are in the real world on the otherwise "absolute" right to keep and bear arms, the banning of guns in a courthouse seems quite reasonable to me.

You have some of the worst elements of society (and the friends and family) coming together with their victims (and their friends and family); you have disgruntled spouses hearing the *always* unfair outcome of their divorce suits; likewise for civil suits; people pissed off with their, or their opponent's lawyers; on and on.

Yeah, once in a while we'll see the family of a victim rush a perp who gets off rush the miscreant, but at least the rest of the court doesn't have to dodge bullets. But, truly deadly assaults in courthouses are extremely rare.

K
 
The Michigan legislature didn't write a law preventing carry in a court house but the judiciary did write their own and the Mich. Supreme court upheld a non law, go figure.
 
Follow-Up on ND in El Paso Federal Courthouse



There's a video of the US Marshal burning his butt and injuring another officer when the Marshal holstered his weapon. Dumb bunny drops his handgun and leaves the area while the pistol lays on the hall floor and a couple of dozen cons just look at it...

Enjoy. I'm sure the Marshal won't.
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