Guns and voting (literally at the polls, voting...)

[Hemicuda]

in another post by P95 Carry (about wearing an empty holster) I noticed someone mentioned that they removed their weapon when they went to vote...

is this supposedly required, and if so, where? I didn't know a thing about this, and wore my Smitty 637 to the polling place (my Township hall) when I voted...

or is this some poor excuse for a state law somewhere alot less friendly than Michigan?

Just curious...

 

[Zundfolge]

Most of the time voting places are in public school buildings (or churches, which if they have a school is just as verboten, or in some states churches are off limits as well).

I may be wrong, but I believe that "Polling Places" are off limits in most states for CCW (and it may even be a Federal law if its a federal election).

 

[Hemicuda]

wellthen... I think that they would need to POST the polling places W/ "No CCW " signs... because NOWHERE in my CCW class, OR on my CCW PERMIT does it list "polling places" as off limits...

it DOES list schools, churches, college campuses, places serving open alcohol, sporting events over 2500 people large, and a few others...

Post Offices are posted in the inner sanctum here in Michigan... (not on the outer doors as it SHOULD be!)

but not the polling places... this is interesting... and until I see it on a list or posted, I do believe I will keep carrying to the polls!

I also CCW'd a gun last night at the County Republican meeting (I am a township delegate)... THAT was in the county courthouse, but CCW is allowed on the ground floor... it is only on the second floor (where the courts are located) that CCW is verboten!

 

[boofus]

I won't be bringing my piece to vote in November for two reasons...

Texas law prohibits concealed carry in polling places, and the closest voting center is at a high school.

 

[wmenorr67]

I would check your state laws.

If I'm not mistaken Oklahoma forbids CCW in a polling place. And if caught I believe the punishment is more than being asked to leave. A good place to start your search if you don't know about it is the site www.packing.org
This is a good site to start your research into the various laws regarding CCW.

 

[manwithoutahome]

No problem with it in Oregon. Doesn't matter where you vote.

But then again, we have mail ballots and we vote in our recliner

Wayne

 

[Treylis]

Arizona law prohibits carrying at polling places only on election days.


The laws with all these states are stupid... I mean, they're because somebody is going to whip out their gun and start forcing people to vote for some other guy, am I right?

 

[Chupacabra]

Is it okay to wear my gun while I'm filling out my absentee ballot?

 

[Trebor]

Restrictions on the carrying and display of fireams at polling places are fairly common across the country. I do not know if there is also a federal law that addresses the issue.

These laws are intended to prevent armed men at the polling place from keeping others from exercising their right to vote through intimidation. That has actually happened, especially in certain areas in the south in the post-reconstruction era and again during the early years of the modern civil rights movement.

I do not know what specific states have these laws, but it is something to check before you go to the polls.

 

[dukeofurl]

 

[Treylis]

These laws are intended to prevent armed men at the polling place from keeping others from exercising their right to vote through intimidation. That has actually happened, especially in certain areas in the south in the post-reconstruction era and again during the early years of the modern civil rights movement.

Post-reconstruction is ancient history, do you have any links/cites for the more modern instances?

 

[JamisJockey]

Utah Rocks....

Utah has no such statute against bringing a firearm to a polling place. And, its also legal to carry in a school with a CFP.

 

[crawfish]

In NC polling places fall under the broad category of "public state/county property" add to that parks, playgrounds, ball fields, campgrounds, any municipal building and any business that posts a sign. Also restrictions on places that serve alcohol, charge a fee to enter, parades and lastly private run schools.

 

[Trebor]

Post-reconstruction is ancient history, do you have any links/cites for the more modern instances?

Nope, I don't have links or cites for a lot of stuff. This isn't anything I've spent a lot of time researching, but I have come across references of armed intimidation to keep blacks from voting when I was doing some reading on the modern civil rights movement about 10 years ago.

I bet if you did some reading on the "Freedom Riders" and the early days of the civil rights movement in the late '50s and early '60s you'd find some references. Sorry I don't have any cites on hand, but I can't even recall for sure what the title of the books were I read. Maybe "Eyes on the Prize,
was one?