Government owned buildings

[mlr1m]

I see this question come up on here when someone asks if they can carry in different buildings in their city or State.
"Does the government own the building?"
Then they say is it is government owned you are barred from carrying a weapon. Is this the way it works in most States?

Oklahoma law reads..

1. Any structure, building, or office space which is owned or leased by a city, town, county, state, or federal governmental authority for the purpose of conducting business with the public;

Thus I am led to believe that public restrooms in parks, buildings leased to private organizations and any other public building not used for the purpose of conducting government business is not restricted from the carry of weapons.
Many of our gun shows are held in buildings owned by government agencies. My gun club rents a city owned building for its meetings.

Yet when you look online for information regarding whether or not you may carry in a building in Oklahoma they say if its government owned it is illegal to carry. They leave out the part where it says the building must be used in conducting business with the public. Most here believe that means government business.

What are the laws in your State? Do they read like the Oklahoma laws do?

Michael

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Rock and Glock]

Colorado is much less restrictive, and generally requires a building or a part of a building that is prohibited to be secured with magnetometers. There are the usual prohibitions for schools, universities, colleges, seminaries also, and some other exceptions on other public buildings. Pretty much prohibited in the Capitol and in State Legislators Chambers, offices and the like.

Open carry can be restricted to, as follows "Local governments may prohibit the open carrying of a firearm in a building or specific area within the local government's jurisdiction if they post signs at the public entrances to the building or area informing persons that open carrying is prohibited."

Probably some more, but that about covers the basics.

Typically only those used for government business unless otherwise specified.

[mlr1m]

In simpler terms. Are you prohibited from carrying weapons in all government owned or leased buildings or only those actually used for government business?
It seems to me that many of the sites offering input on this issue are incorrect if how they read the Oklahoma law is any indication.

Michael

[sdprof]

In SD, we got darn few gun laws, and they are pretty minimal.

No firearms in courhouses or k-12 schools. If carrying concealed, can't carry into a place that derives more than half its income from liquor sales for on premise consumption. Strangely, that means one could legally open carry into a bar. There's state preemption, but many towns have still local ordinances prohibiting any weapons in bars ( would love to have the money to challenge one of those.) Gunbuster signs have no legal force or penalty.

[CaptSmith]

Here is Washington states "building" carry prohibitions.............RCW 9.41.300.......note: Weapons prohibited in certain places .........note requirement for lockers at security areas for "checking" your weapons.....

[archer51]

In Virginia you can carry in state buildings except for court buildings.

[mlr1m]

In Virginia you can carry in state buildings except for court buildings.

Does the fact that it is State owned prohibit you from beling able to carry or is it the way the building is being used that is the deciding factor?

A restroom in a public park is a government owned building. So is a enclosed building set up for picnics. While these are Government buildings they are not used for government business. From what I can tell these are not prohibited buildings in my State.

Michael

[livewire]

Here in WA, the only 'government buildings' that are prohibited are the Federal ones. Quite the opposite, actually, the City of Seattle owns a bunch of the high-rise towers downtown, and they got smacked by the State a while back for trying to ban guns in parks and City-owned buildings because it violated our Preemption law.

[jfnixon]

In GA, "government building means a building that houses an office, agency, authority, department, commission, board, body, division, instrumentality, or institution of the state or any county, municipal corporation, consolidated government, or local board of education within this state. In addition, any place where such government entity meets in its official capacity, but, if the building is privately owned, then only while the meeting is in session. If a privately owned building houses a government entity, then only the portion of the building that houses the government entity is off limits" (from the georgiacarry.com website). No business has to be transacted with the public for it to be off-limits. Restrooms at State-owned interstate rest areas are explicitly authorized for CC by the bill.

[gunther71]

Why do local law enforcement carry into Usps owned buildings and citizens are not allowed?

The usps is federal i thought.

[HotGuns]

Because Federal law has exemptions for the local Police.

[74]

No restrictions on state buildings in NM, except for courts and schools. Use of the buildings makes no difference.