TomJ
Contributing Member
Our church rents space from a private grammar/high school for it's Sunday services. There are no school activities Sunday mornings and the entire property is under control of our church and used exclusively for our activities. We had a couple of things happen which made our pastor a little uncomfortable and they put together a security team. I was asked to serve on that team and as part of that process was asked if I had a concealed carry permit. I have the permission of the church employees running the security team to carry while working security. There is, however, some confusion as to whether I'm allowed to carry there under Ilinois law. On one hand the services are at a school and the buildings are posted with no gun signs. On the other hand Illinois law specifies that it's buildings that are under control of a school that are prohibited areas, not buildings owned by schools. They make a distinction between control and ownership for other restricted areas, such as nuclear facilities. Again, the entire campus is under control of our church Sunday mornings, not the school. I pasted the applicable text below. The people at our church are unsure as to what's legal. I did consult an attorney who has done much 2A work and his answer is that the law for this situation is unclear due to the control issue and to consult the lease agreement, which is silent regarding this. I'm wondering if anyone has any knowledge regarding this. I understand that the odds of me needing a gun while working there are negligible and don't want to violate Illinois law, but if it's permissible for me to carry would do so.
Sec. 65. Prohibited areas.
(a) A licensee under this Act shall not knowingly carry a firearm on or into:
(1) Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public or private elementary or secondary school.
(a-10) The owner of private real property of any type may prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms on the property under his or her control. The owner must post a sign in accordance with subsection (d) of this Section indicating that firearms are prohibited on the property,
(22) Any street, driveway, parking area, property, building, or facility, owned, leased, controlled, or used by a nuclear energy, storage, weapons, or development site or facility regulated by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Sec. 65. Prohibited areas.
(a) A licensee under this Act shall not knowingly carry a firearm on or into:
(1) Any building, real property, and parking area under the control of a public or private elementary or secondary school.
(a-10) The owner of private real property of any type may prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms on the property under his or her control. The owner must post a sign in accordance with subsection (d) of this Section indicating that firearms are prohibited on the property,
(22) Any street, driveway, parking area, property, building, or facility, owned, leased, controlled, or used by a nuclear energy, storage, weapons, or development site or facility regulated by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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