Got me Thinking...

[alxshml]

Now I currently don't have a CCW license, but some reading here has me thinking.

In some states, the NO CONCEALED WEAPONS signs have no legal weight. You could only be asked to leave if it were discovered you were carrying.

So what happens if your in a business with a sign posted and get into a justified self defense shooting? Would the fact that the sign was in place make any difference in the legal matters you could face in the future?

For the sake of this discussion, please assume that in the state we are discussing the signs have no legal weight and this is a regular business, ie a mall. No laws prohibit you carrying as they do in say a school or government building.

 

[Oyeboten]

I would guess that the Business or whomever which had the Sign posted, could sue you for some sort of damages, if an CCW SD event occurred on their premisis.

 

[Bubba613]

It will depend entirely on state laws.
In TN there is a "Safe Harbor" provision which protects people in the lawful use of their gun from prosecution. In California they'll probably bury you under the jail.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Would the fact that the sign was in place make any difference in the legal matters you could face in the future?

Well, it would depend on whether or not the state had a law protecting legal shootings from civil penalty like Bubba613 says.

Since, normally, you can sue anyone for anything it's entirely possible that someone could sue you for ignoring the sign. Would they win? Who knows. Of course, if the property owner sued you for violating their sign your attorney would likely counter sue for not giving you adequate protection

On the criminal side, if the law clearly states the signs have no merit then you are likely protected there.

Problem is there is simply no guarantee of anything, there is always the chance you'll run across some odd circumstance that opens you up to either criminal or civil penalties.

Best you can do is make sure you are in the right before you pull the trigger. If you are alive and safe you can worry about the paperwork later, that's always been my thinking anyway.