Where to Ask Before Bringing a Gun into a Home

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Thanks for the responses. (Even though so many took it personally and neglected the regional information I requested.)
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Oh, yeah. I did forget.:eek:

Most people here say that you should keep CCW secret but they make the exception here? What they don't know won't hurt them. If they find out it shouldn't be a big deal. Worse case is they'll either ask you politely to take it outside or if they make an irate outburst, you're best off avoiding those people to begin with. Not much to lose, in my opinion.
 
Yes, based on the original question, and forgetting about rights, there are only 6 possible scenarios.

1: Arrive, don't tell them, no one knows any better, you leave at the end of the evening. All is well.
2: Arrive, don't tell them, somehow they find out you have a weapon, they don't say anything or they don't care, you leave at the end of the evening. All is well.
3. Arrive, don't tell them, somehow they find out you have a weapon, they say something and ask you to put it in your car. you do as asked and leave at the end of the enjoyable evening. All is well.
4: Arrive, don't tell them, somehow they find out you have a weapon, they say something and ask you to put it in your car. you get insulted and say piss off and you leave. You move to a compound in Idaho and all is well.
5: Arrive, You inform them when you arrive that you are carrying. They and you react as in scenario #3. You enjoy the evening and you leave at the end of the evening
6. Arrive, You inform them when you arrive that you are carrying. They react as they do in scenario #4. You react the same as #4 and leave. Idaho is still on your mind.

The problem with this whole scenario is that people have indeed taken it personally. This has nothing to do with if you can't trust them armed, then you can't trust them at all. Or, if they ask you to not bring it in, you getting upset. It has to do with not everyone in the country carries a gun on them all the time. That is also their right. Your right to carry one does not trump another person's right to private property and setting rules. I doubt very much that every single person's house that you have ever visited, and you call a friend or family member, has a concealed weapon. So, there is nothing wrong with your friend asking you not to bring a gun into their home. If you can't handle that, then you are the one who isn't much of a friend.

Why is it that some people think that their right(s) automatically over ride everyone else's rights. Or better yet, common courtesy and politeness. I have freedom of speech, yet I am not allowed to get into someone's face and call them derogatory names and use their race as an adjective. Same with religion. Freedom of religion doesn't mean every Sunday I'm allowed to go around and find someone to sacrifice and slit their throat. Why is this any different? The right thing to do, if you aren't sure how they feel about having someone bring a gun into their house, is to not take it into their house. If you can't live without your cold steel, then don't visit. If you want to ask them "Ahead of time", then that is appropriate. Asking at the door or waiting for them to find it when you take off your jacket, puts the host in a very awkward position. They don't want to insult you or piss you off, but for whatever their reasons, they don't want the gun brought into their house. Why isn't important. What is important, is that it's their private property, and that is their right.

Why aren't people complaining about private businesses that don't allow you to bring a concealed weapon onto their establishment? This is supported by just about all states issuing a CCW. Most will just cave in and say; "I just won't visit that establishment again". Fine, no problem. By philosophically, it is the same argument about a private residence. Later... mike....
 
crhistcorp, I did not say that no one has a right to not allow armed people into their homes nor did anyone else. I also did not imply that people did not have a right not to be armed.

Are you saying that everyone should have the power of arrest when they see someone legally carrying and to confiscate their property? I have a right to leave people's homes at anytime or to not enter them at all. I do not surrender those rights when I enter someone else's property or when invited onto said property.

I guess disagreeing with you makes me Randy Weaver though.:rolleyes:
 
Good thread BTW no flames yet:fire::fire:

If I go into another's home, I will NOT volunteer the information: I carry. If I know, or someone were to tell me, thet they would not like my CCW in the home, I would leave in the car or not go in. It would infact, be a personal insult to me, if you told me to disarm. It says a lot about how you feel about me.

I have not threatened you, insulted you, given you dirty looks and I may just protect YOUR life, some ones life you love (eg friend)and/or mine with my weapon. When you "make" me leave it in my car you are saying you distrust me.

I respectfully disagree with cristcorp's opinion on this matter. If he were to ask me to disarm when he is probably carrying himself and has guns in the house, I would immediately loose all respect I would have for him.
 
christcorp,
When I read your first post I was going to ask you where you live but you told us later on. I knew you lived in NYC at one time or another. I lived in NYC for almost 50 years so I know why you think the way you do. You need to let that way of thinking go. There is no big deal about having a gun. It's just another part of your clothing. By making a gun a big deal you are feeding into the anti-gun way of thinking. (Don't confuse my saying a gun is no big deal with saying it's not a big responsibility.) A gun is just another part of my clothing and I have one all the time. It's just the way it is and there is nothing wrong with carrying all the time. For goodness sake, it's just a gun!!

For a handgun to be real protection you have to carry all the time, not only when you think you might need a handgun. You never know when an emergency will happen. You never know where and when an attack can happen. You saying someone is paranoid because they feel the need to carry in someone else's home is wrong IMO. Can you guarantee there won't be a "home invasion" at your house while you have others over? It's unlikely but not impossible.
 
The 'right' to 'bear' arms differs from the privilege empowered by a CCL. Unless you are a sworn law officer, you have no right to come obviously armed into my home. A case in point - my idiot-in-law (b-i-l), without a CCL, came into my home with a snubnose tucked into the front of his pants - after I had told him to leave it in the car. I entered the room - saw the revolver - and retreated to my safe, where I got my 7.5" .454 SRH. As I sat across from 'him', I slowly loaded said SRH - and laid it across my lap. He said he was thinking of pulling his out, until I reminded him that was an offensive move. Problem solved. He is more mature now.

When I visit anyone I know, my CCW stays in the car - or at home. My home, my rules - my choice. I do not know what the Alabama law states about advising others as to your CC. Right now, my wife and I have one CCW loaded, a knife, and a baseball bat within easy access of our bed. If relatives or friends are on the way, that firearm gets locked away. My other firearms are locked away, unless I am cleaning them. My home, my choice. YMMV.

Stainz
 
Any business or property owner has the right to ask someone not to enter their premises armed. However, I also have the right not to associate with them. I couldn't care less about their gun phobia because I'm somewhere else.

When I carry concealed, I don't volunteer any information. My gun stays in it's holster and is pretty much out of mind and out of sight until I remove it when I go to bed. It won't be an issue unless someone else brings it up. A gun in a holster is not going to "go off" or otherwise hurt anyone. I don't really see what all the fear is about.

If you are worried that a guest in your home might hurt you or your family with a weapon then maybe you shouldn't have invited them to begin with. How would you know they didn't lie to you and have a weapon anyway?

I just assume everyone's armed and work from there, because you really can't know unless you're running a wand over everyone entering your door.
 
That's just the way it is. To debate this is utterly ridiculous.
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Wow, hardly seems like we even need THR then does it? I mean my opinion isn't worth anything right? And the way I conduct myself around my friends is not really up to me is it? Thanks for clearing that up.
I don't warn them about having a pocket mask on my key-chain in case someone needs mouth to mouth and I usually don't discuss whats in my pants with people so....no, it has nothing to do with them. If they ever end up seeing it, the last thing I'll be worrying about is if I hurt their feelings; and if they do see it and get upset it just means that they're uneducated and ignorant. So either they need educating which should clear things up or else I don't really need them as friends anyway.
 
If you are so paranoid that you can't go into a friend's, neighbor's, or family member's house without your gun, then you might as well just go live in your house with all the doors and windows locked.
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If you are that paranoid that you can't be protected without your gun, then you are probably better off not going to other people's houses
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Do you wear a seatbelt only when it's extremely likely that an accident will happen that day?

Do you keep insurance only during a hurricane, flood or tornado?

Do you carry a spare tire and jack only when you know you will be driving on a road known to have nails on it?

You never know if you will need your defensive weapon (hopefully never!). It's not that I fear being attacked by a friend who invited me to their home. However it could be a very bad day if on the way home from that person's house if something really off happens and I remember that I locked my CCW in the trunk because I was being 'polite'.

You carry a CCW always, because you never know when you need it. If you start picking and choosing appropriate times to carry, it's likely that you will be caught unarmed and surprised, wishing you had it with you that day.
 
I carry whenever/wherever it is legal to do so (I consider myself "prepared," not "paranoid"), don't do a lot of visiting, & those few I do visit are fellow outdoorsmen & shooters as well as staunch supporters of both the 2nd Amendment & self-defense. If I had cause or invitation to visit those who didn't want anyone to carry in their residence, I would treat it the same way I treat private businesses that post "Unarmed Victim Zone" signs . . . I don't go there. Apart from that, I don't ever announce that I am carrying.
 
This always seems like a weird thing to come up. See my friends trust me. They've trusted me with their households (housesitting), their pets and kids (also sitting for them) and even their lives (they have no problem riding in a car I'm driving). They are also sensible enough that the trust doesn't just vanish if I wear flourescent hawiian shirts, a pocket knife, my cell phone, or my CCW.

I guess I'm just lucky.
 
In what parts of the county (or other countries) would it be socially expected for someone carrying to reveal this before entering a home?
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I've never heard of someone asking if they can bring a pistol into someone else's home. In Alabama you can ask someone to leave and if they don't, you can (obviously) have them arrested for trespassing. Pretty much the extent of it.

To take the point further, I disagree with Stainz (the other AL poster). It's polite to ask if you can lay your mitts on my Stratocaster or if you can go rummaging around in my fridge. However, yourself, your opinions and your property (within the bounds of the law) are your own. The question you ask is akin to asking if a Jew/Muslim/Catholic should inform the homeowner that they are a Jew/Muslim/Catholic. Honestly, I just don't feel the need to exercise authority over my home and my guests to that degree. Abide by the law. Don't touch the Strat. Ask before you start rifling though my grub. We'll get along fine.

Of course, acting like a jerk, an idjit or breaking the law will get you uninvited. However, said uninvitation won't be extended because of your opinions, religious affiliations or property. It'll be because you're a jerk, an idjit or you were breaking the law (e.g. Stainz' b-i-l, who in Alabama, was breaking the law by open carrying somewhere other than his own property or place of business).

That's my opinion and policy, though. Asking me to leave for any reason you see fit is perfectly valid. It's your property after all, and I don't want to be arrested for trespassing. Shame you feel that way about me, though. And here I thought we were friends.
 
I'd say if someone doesn't trust you (or anyone else for that matter) they ought to be exercising their 2A rights and wearing a firearm themself.
 
I am never worried about a home evasion when I am at home or at a friend's house, but I am prepared. I am never worried about some BG hiding behind the tree or corner when I am walking up or leaving my friends house, but I am prepared. I am never worried about being attacked while walking a lady friend to her car after one of my friend's parties, but I am prepared. I am never worried that I would stand by helplessly while someone was brutally assaulted, because I am always prepared.

I am prepared because my gun is not locked up at home or in my car's trunk. I am prepared because my right to defend myself, my family, my friends, and others from deadly bodily harm is exercised any time I am in your presence.

If you are offended by someone being capable and ready to protect you and your love ones from such harm, then exercise your right and ask me to leave your presence.
 
Why Captain America? Are you going to have a shoot out with them because they won't let you cowboy in " THEIR" home? :confused:
 
My personal safety is more important than the feelings of my friends or anyone else for that matter. I see absolutely no reason to notify them unless the law requires me to do so. If they find out and get upset I have no problem with leaving their home and never coming back. If they have a problem with my stance on the issue I have no problem with cancelling the friendship.

I carry a firearm with me as long as it is legal. I ignore no firearm signs on a regular basis. Fortunately, that is not a crime in my state. The owner of the establishment has the right to ask me to leave and I must legally do so but a sign cannot keep me from carrying.
 
Wow, I'm late to this thread, and in kind of a weird position since *most* of my life I've lived in a state where you can't carry anyway.

However, I've done my time in a number of other places, and regional attitudes and conventions certainly seem to play a major role.

I think the best answer is that there is no best answer. The situations in which the question can arise are so varied, the "what if's" so nebulous, that each situation should probably be judged on it's own merits.

Are you going to a close friends for dinner? Stopping by to watch the game? A backyard BBQ at a friend of a friends with lots of people? Alcohol? Who and how much?

The same applies to people entering your home, sure they may have a CCL, and yes that provides them with the same rights your card does, however it's a question of how well you know them, it's your home, and your comfort level that has to be brought into consideration.

While I write this, I'm sitting in my own home, wearing a P220, and having (eeeek) a beer. I'm having a beer because it's my day off, it's bloody hot, and I've been puttering about the garage. Now, if I'm having a few beers, because it's my intention to get a little fuzzy and watch the game, I'll probably put it away. I might add that my wife is not home. If she were home, and I was having a beer or two, I'd stash my weapon because she has her 226 and doesn't drink at all.

Now, that's kind of complicated, and that's the carry situation, in my own home, with just myself and my wife. Trying to answer in advance, the multitude of carry situations that might arise in someone elses home, seems like a bit of a lost cause.
 
Same goes with a CCW. Even the law says there are some places you can't carry a weapon into. E.g. Courthouse. They aren't taking away your right to carry a gun concealed. Just telling you where you can and can't exercise that right.
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You can only carry a concealed weapon on your own property. Long as you have a permit. Nope, ain't restrictin' yer rights. Just tellin' ya where that right can and can't be used. Oh, don't try to bad mouth the govament at the court house neither.

Not that I disagree with your point about a person's private property. They have the right to require their visitors to wear pink tutus. But it's ridiculous to suggest that the government restricting your rights to certain places is not infringing on them.
 
From Noxx,

Trying to answer in advance, the multitude of carry situations that might arise in someone elses home, seems like a bit of a lost cause.
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I think Noxx has it about right. Each situation has to be thought through which I believe is the responsibility of anyone who carries. It will be their individual decision regardless of the law. It's safe to say that most folks who carry in my state do so without the blessing of the law.

A couple of observations.

A number of folks seem to feel they are unable to defend themselves or others unless they have a piece on them. If true for those folks, it's unfortunate. A hand gun should be only one tool in the arsenal. The belief that you are unable to defend yourself without one (evan for 10 minutes or 1 hour) tends to make a person dependant on that one weapon and inclines one to use it first or to depend on it. A serious mistake IMHO.

I've lived in a number of states and have seen a lot of people carrying. Most folks who carry have a tell. This is especially true if you know them. Where I grew up we learned to spot folks who were carrying before we reached our teens. Folks who are carrying often move differently than the norm, they bend down differently, touch themselves differently, sit differently, carry their bags just a bit differently, last week they wrestled with their nephews this week they shoo them away, small things. It's hard for most folks who carry not to do this. Like a man who's had his wallet stolen out his pocket and who is always conscious for the rest of his life as to where his wallet is, so most folks who carry are conscious of their piece. It ain't hard to spot once you know. Most folks don't know. Most folks who carry believe that no one else will know, another mistake. It depends on who's looking.

On the original question: I currently live in an area of about 8-10 million people. About 6 million or so are white folks from a variety of backgrounds. Over a million or so are of various Asian backgrounds (China, Japan, Viet Nam, Korea, etc.) Several million are Mexican American and from Mexico. Several hundreds of thousands from various Latin American countries. At least half a million African Americans. Immigrants from Afghanistan, India, Basques, Sikhs, Tongans and Somoans (Junior Seau by the way is an average sized dude when he's with his kin).

I went to a birthday party for one of my wifes co-workers children last Sun. A Korean woman who married a Russian.

So it's hard for me to tell you what the local attitude is on carrying a piece into someone else's house. I can tell you it should be thought out. Some folks I work with come from places where an AK 47 is the concealed carry piece.

Seems to me the subject is worth some thought. One size may not fit all.

tipoc
 
I think Nox and many others do indeed have the right idea. And that is what I was trying to convey. It has nothing to do with the way I was brought up in NYC. (I haven't lived there since 1979). It also has nothing to do with how probably 90% of us on the forum think. (Believe it or not, most of us probably believe along the same lines of principles). This has to do with the other 97% of the population that doesn't have a CCW. And possibly the other 50-60% of the population that probably doesn't even have direct access to a firearm.

The 6 scenarios I posted previously, are basically the only 6 possible scenarios you could choose from if entering someone else's private property while you are carrying. Which of those choices you make is up to you. I personally don't care. I believe that "WHO'S" property you enter on should determine your actions. I.E. If I am meeting my Realtor at her house or I was meeting with someone I was going to be doing business or investments with, I almost guarantee that I'm not going to enter their house carrying. That just isn't right. (That is the type of argument that is ridiculous). I should not put the other person in a position of feeling uncomfortable or afraid. It doesn't matter what you and I think, there are plenty of people who are uncomfortable and afraid around guns. Especially people carrying one if they don't know them too well. Same with a person coming into my house. If they aren't a close friend and I find out that they are carrying, then I have a problem. They may be there for a business meeting, and I sort of know them, but I have a problem. Maybe they are carrying illegally. Maybe they are s psycho. There are a lot of maybes.

That is the main reason against brandishing a weapon in public. The people who see the gun don't know that you are a law abiding licensed person. I always wear western boots. Casual and dress style. If I wanted to wear a boot holster, I could probably get away with going almost anywhere. But I don't use a boot holster and this isn't my house.

People talk about hypocrisy and the owner having a gun, but not trusting me to carry when in their house. This is NOT the discussion. Again, the discussion is for the other 96% who don't carry and 50-60% who don't even have a gun. Do you know that it is much harder to get a driver's license than it is to get a CCW. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying that there are a lot of "Drivers" out there who get to practice driving every day and have been driving for 10,20,30, or 40+ years. Many of these people are dangerous as all hell and I don't trust them. You see these people every day. Granted, guns are a right and driving is a privilege. The point is, there are people who have been licensed to drive for more than 30 years and they can't be trusted. The average person probably feels the same about a person carrying a weapon with a CCW. They may be "licensed", but that doesn't mean that they can be trusted. "At least in their eyes". Again, they don't know that you are licensed. Of course you can tell them that you are licensed and carrying, but that isn't going to make them feel any better if you aren't someone they really know.

This is what this is all about. Common courtesy and understanding of another person and their feeling. Especially in their own home. Some of you can take this whole thing personal and believe that your rights are being infringed on. They aren't, but I could understand you thinking so.

When my parents and family come out to visit me, they are amazed at the amount of guns I have. They find it strange that you can walk into a store and buy a gun as fast as you can hand them the money and sign your name. That we go to gun shows and buy whatever I want without filling out any paperwork. That I have guns scattered all over my house, in my cars/trucks, and on my person. Not really for bad guys, but more because a gun out here, for some, is as much a tool as it is a weapon. I am definitely the black sheep of the family. I left young and never went back. They are all Pro-Union, left wing, John Kerry voting, ACLU supporting liberal Democrats. Me, I'm more the Right to work, pro-life, Right Wing, Rush Limbaugh listening, anti-welfare, Ronald Regan was the best president in the world supporting Conservative Republican.

Obviously, when my family comes to visit, I don't leave guns out and about. They don't mind going out back and doing some plinking. They think it's fun. Hell, my mom thinks the MAK-90 is the greatest thing since an orgasm since shooting it with a 90 round drum magazine. The point is, I wouldn't walk into their home with a weapon on me. They have one handgun in their house and it's there for emergencies. I grew up knowing where it is and was. But my father doesn't bring it out or carry it. Once a year he gives the box of ammo away and buys a fresh box. He cleans it at that time to make sure it works. Carrying a gun in their house would not be the right thing to do. (Forget the fact that I live across the country). If I still lived in that town, I wouldn't come into their house carrying.

So, you can think that I believe in taking away your rights. I'm not, but you can believe that. You can believe that you have the right to walk into any person's house carrying, and by not telling them, all is OK. Yes, you could think that way. You could also believe that it's also OK to cheat on your wife or husband and as long as you don't tell them and they don't find out, that it's OK. Personally, I wish that every man and woman over the age of 18 was required to take a weapon safety course and that all citizens were required to possess at least 1 weapon per household. And that there was no license requirements for carrying. Then life would be simple. You would know that all houses had guns and that most people probably had one on them. The bad guys would know this also, and there would be a lot less chance of any law abiding citizen becoming a victim. Later... Mike....
 
Forget how you want to interpret the law. The "RIGHT" thing to do is to leave it in your car and don't bring it in. If you are so paranoid that you can't go into a friend's, neighbor's, or family member's house without your gun, then you might as well just go live in your house with all the doors and windows locked. I live in a state where "Probably" more than 75% of all citizens have a gun somewhere. We even carry guns openly in public on our way shooting, hunting, etc... I know my training, my children's training, and my wife's training. I control my house. If you came over, you would be expected to leave your gun in your car or at home. If you can't do that, then you aren't welcomed.

This situation however should NEVER come up, because you shouldn't even consider going into another person's house carrying a weapon. Not even asking them. Not unless the purpose to visit was to look at the gun, reload, etc... That's just the way it is. To debate this is utterly ridiculous. When I visit another person, I don't even consider bringing a weapon. This is a very simple subject. Later... Mike...
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If you don't want anyone carrying guns in your home, that's your business and your right.

To say that the "RIGHT" thing to do is always ASSume that everyone else in the country feels the way you do is egotistical. To then go on to in effect describe every CCWer as "paranoid" and to say that debating the point is "utterly ridiculous" is, to put it in the kindest terms I can at the moment, pure bovine excrement. :mad:

I have a friend who is the subject of a person I would qualify as a "stalker." So by your high-and-mighty opinion, even though she KNOWS I carry when in her house, and is ok with it, I'm a bad person? :rolleyes:
 
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