Concealed carry while visiting others' homes?

[NavyLCDR]

+1
Common courtesy to my host.

spm

Is it also common courtesy to the convenience store clerk when you enter in the middle of the night? How about a taxi driver when you get in their cab? Why is it "common courtesy" for me to tell them about an object that they should never see, emits no odor, takes up none of their person space, and is nothing more than an object in my legal possession? Should I also tell them about my cell phone? The keys in my pocket? What credit cards I have in my wallet? Where does this "common courtesy" end?

If someone doesn't want me to carry my firearm in their house, it is up to them to tell me... I am not going to ask any more than they would ask if they would allow me to carry my car keys in my pocket.

 

[444]

This issue never even entered my mind until fairly recently, on an internet gun forum.
When I carry, it's concealed. No one is supposed to know I am carry. I never mention it. I go in and out of businesses, offices, houses, and never mention it. I ride in other people's cars etc. Never mention that I am armed.

And again, the thought of doing so never entered my mind.
I have a hard time even envisioning what such a conversation would be like.

I don't even mention that I am carrying when I hear a conversation about other people carrying. I never mention that I am carrying to my buddies who I also assume are carrying. I can't think of a single instance when I told anyone, at any time, anywhere that I was carrying.

For that matter I seldom (not never) mention that I own guns at all. Most people know that I do and if they bring it up I try to steer the conversation in another direction, or down play it as much as possible. I wish nobody knew that I owned guns. Nobody knows for sure that I ever carry a gun. They suspect it, but they don't know.

 

[TestPilot]

Whatever you do legally is your own business.

The BOTTOM LINE is that it is the duty of the HOST to make known any rules of the host's house when it prohibits something a guest can legally and morally do elsewhere. Do not accept the false notion that that duty suddenly shifts to the guest when it comes to guns. If they feel so stong about the subject that they have a "no carry" policy, it is THEIR duty to make it known.

Do not accept the false notion some people create that we have more duty for others in regards to guns than doing anything else that is legal.

Another false notion we should reject is that the duty is on us to avoid someone being offended by our prefectly legal and moral practice of carrying a gun for security. Anyone can be "offended" by anything. That does not mean we should start asking "may I" for anything and everything that we justifiably do.

The argument for "common courtesy" does not pass the BS test.

What is against courtesy for doing something legal and the host did not expressly prohibit?

Because the host just might want to prohibit if known? If that's the reason, then the person making such arguments should declare everything the host might object to.

"I am pro-abortion rights. Can I still enter your house?"
"I think homosexuality is a sin. Am I still welcomed in your house?"
"My laptop has porn in it. Do you want me to check it our leave it in my car?"
"My wife has an UGG boots. Do you want her to check the boot or leave it out if the company's treatment of animal offends you? Oh, you didn't know? Let me show you a video alleging the mistreatment of animal, since you might find it offensive, and I think it is my duty to let you know that you might find it offensive if you know about the issue."

Shall I go on?

If you are arguing against not declaring on common courtesy grounds, you should also be doing the above.

However, you should note that I am only saying that we should not accept the false notion that we have some sort of duty to declare doing something legal and not immoral specifically for guns while not for all other things.

I am not saying you always should carry inside someone else's house, epecially when the outcome of discovery and the risk associated with it is not worth the benefit. Just because you can, does not mean you always should.

 

[TestPilot]

I once attended a reunion for my LE Academy class and the host provide a "Carry Gun Check-in" by the entry way. Big sign, "Please check your Carry Gun"...we all knew better than to leave them out in the car

It should be noted that ther is a considerabe risk to "checking in" the gun at places.

I've witnessed many cases where people get ejected from places without given proper opportunity to gather property left at whatever place they were ejected from. Sometimes it was their fault for being ejected, but other times, not so much. Often times, the police were not able to force the release of the ejected person's property.

On a side note, if most cops I know got an invidation to an LE event, then told to "check in" their guns, they'd find it quite offensive.

 

[Mastrogiacomo]

If I'm carrying concealed, I'm not asking anyone's permission. My safety as a woman comes first, and as any cop will tell you, during a home invasion, things go bad fast. If there's children in the home where I'm staying, I make sure that I can secure the gun under those circumstances. If not, I don't stay over.


Laura

 

[SFreed]

What about a friends house where you are having dinner, attending a party, or just visiting?

I think that the key in this situation is that I'm very aware of my friends views on the 2nd Amendment. I can't imagine actually sitting down to dinner with someone who opposed my rights.

 

[444]

"When I go visiting I am among friends and relatives. I am neither looking for or expecting trouble so why do I need a gun?"

I would hope that you never go looking for trouble.
And I would hope that if you were going somewhere where you expected trouble, you would do the smart thing and turn around and not go there.

The sad reality is that trouble finds you. Bad things happen to good people.
If we KNEW where and when trouble was going to happen, we could simply avoid it and not worry about self protection.

 

[Robert]

There are few topics that get heated or go pear shaped as quickly as this one. We have had many, many threads on this subject so I am closing this one before it goes totally off the rails.