Have you ever done something this stupid?!?

[heavyshooter]

I had to run a few errands on Friday morning and as I prepared to leave I grabbed the things that I carry every day; wallet, keys (Leatherman Micra), pocket knife, pocket pistol. They are in the same place every day and I grab them without giving any thought to it. The pistol is a Ruger LCP which is so small and light that I will regularly forget that I have it on me. That is a good thing because it gives me no excuse to be without it. I am armed more than 90% of the time (if I could do so legally I would be armed 100% of the time ). But when you are an old man, forgetting that you have your gun on you can be a bad thing.

The sequence of my errands was as follows: 1) Go to Bank #1 and make withdrawl, 2) Go to Post Office to retrieve mail, 3) Go to Bank #2 and make deposits. When I made it home I was emptying my pockets and that’s when it dawned on me. I went into two banks and a Post Office with a loaded firearm! STUPID!!! It’s a good thing God looks out for fools.

Has anyone else made a mistake of this sort?

Heavy

 

[Cincy]

In Ohio, you can carry in a bank as long as it is not posted.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Post office is a no no, but banks are not off limits in Colorado.

 

[oldfool]

been known to go into my pocket for change, and come out with a mix of coins and bullets
(gets you some strange looks in some places)

 

[PT1911]

I'm 23 and have gone through a long day of errands with a forgotten P3AT in the pocket. Realized upon taking the gun out of my pocket that I had gone to a long list of places that shall remain unnamed. I will put it in the stress category....

or maybe the inexperience of my age

 

[heavyshooter]

Post office is a no no, but banks are not off limits in Colorado. - Larry Ashcraft

I get mixed reviews on this one. I have a friend here who is a LEO and he was very clear, "Do not carry in a bank unless you want to go to jail!"

My wife just informed me that both banks that I visited have a "NO Firarms" sign posted on the door. I honestly did not see that. But I would not have mattered because I forgot that I was carrying.

 

[longbeard48]

Been there and done that. My P3AT has been in the Post Office and to schools more than once. Later in the day, I think about it and say "Oops!

 

[Floppy_D]

It’s a good thing God looks out for fools.

It could be worse. You could be waiting on your luggage after a flight and have this realization.

 

[Meta]

While each state has it's own regulations with regards to prohibited areas for CCW, a sign on the door of the bank without a state prohibiton is not a crime. The same rules are in effect for private establishments where a sign can be posted and it's not a crime to be armed with a CCW while there. What IS a potential crime is NOT vacating the premises when you are asked by the owner/manager/proprietor of the establishment. So, in a word, a sign does not make it a crime to CCW. Only a law can do that.

 

[TimM]

In Colorado it is legal to carry in a bank unless they have it legally posted.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Some good info here. There is no mention of banks that I could find. The way I read it, unless the bank is checking all persons entering the establishment with a metal detector, carry is legal there.

"No Firearms" signs don't carry any legal weight in Colorado, except in the case of the federal property, such as the post office.

 

[Deckard]

I get mixed reviews on this one. I have a friend here who is a LEO and he was very clear, "Do not carry in a bank unless you want to go to jail!"

LEOs are a long way off from having encyclopedic knowledge of the law. I can't count the times I've had to explain my state's own laws to an officer. "Go on, radio your superiors. I can wait."

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

unless they have it legally posted

No way to "legally post" a bank in Colorado. Signs won't cut it, period.

 

[Badlander]

I have done much worse than that. I went to A very bad neighborhood to do A job and realized I had no gun. It was monday. I switch to A 1911 on weekends and the 640 gets put away I remembered to put the 1911 away and forgot to take the 640.

 

[heavyshooter]

LEOs are a long way off from having encyclopedic knowledge of the law.

Good Point

 

[Shadow Man]

While I am not advocating carrying in a restricted area, if you honestly forget, you are carrying concealed. If you do that correctly, it should be pretty hard to be made. For instance, I've only been made once, and that was due to physical contact from a personal friend. And I have honestly carried so often that I've overlooked my carry piece when entering restricted areas. It wasn't intentional, and my weapon was concealed, so no harm, no foul.

 

[The Bushmaster]

My bank regularly raffles off firearms and have them out in the main area for display with a gun rag so you can wipe them off after you examine them. Only one bank in my area is posted and their parking lot is generally near empty...

 

[wishin]

Even if it was legal, my concern would be going through the hassle of explaining and defending the fact that I wasn't up to no good should a cop spot my hip holster partially sticking out while in line. I know that I'm paranoid about that, and it's all because I was once detained because my car was a perfect match for a bank robber's car. They even took me to the bank for a teller ID. I'm not sure they can get away with that these days.

 

[Shadow Man]

I was stopped twice in the same hour for looking like a wanted person. Both times I had to explain to the very nervous-looking officer that I was reaching for my wallet to correctly ID myself. Both officers saw my CC permit, took posession of my weapon until my identity was confirmed, then returned it with profuse apologies. All that for wanting to walk to the beach

 

[Impureclient]

Shouldn't a bank just have a "NO robberies allowed" sign instead of a "No guns" sign?

 

[52grain]

Question about the post office: is it OK to have a cased gun in a locked car in the post office parking lot?

 

[heavyshooter]

Even if it was legal, my concern would be going through the hassle of explaining and defending the fact that I wasn't up to no good should a cop spot my hip holster partially sticking out while in line.

This is my thought as well. Even if it is legal, I wonder if the hassel is worth it.

 

[wishin]

Shouldn't a bank just have a "NO robberies allowed" sign instead of a "No guns" sign?

How about:

We don't have or keep over $100 in cash!

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Question about the post office: is it OK to have a cased gun in a locked car in the post office parking lot?

According to their poster, weapons are forbidden on USPS property, period.

Since the PO is just a few blocks from my shop, I usually play it safe and just leave the sidearm at the shop when I go to the PO.

 

[RS14]

It could be worse. You could be waiting on your luggage after a flight and have this realization.

One of my professors has done worse. He apparently once had two identical metal briefcases: one for his pistols and one for his papers. He checked the papers by mistake, and only realized this when he sat down on the plane and opened the remaining case. Luckily for him, this went unnoticed, and he was able to act casual through the rest of the flight.