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Where is "printing" illegal?

51K views 143 replies 85 participants last post by  con42 
#1 ·
In reading through the threads on here to better educate myself as I wait for my concealed carry permit I have run across a few posts stating that printing is illegal. I'm curious WHERE (what states/cities) printing or part of your gun showing as you reach to a high shelf (as an example) is illegal in case I travel to such a place.
I have been reading up on other states' laws with 3 different apps on my phone, and haven't run across it yet.
I'm not worried about it around here, since Michigan is an open carry state - but I do travel a lot.
Thanks in advance!
 
#2 ·
I know the printing of U.S. Currency is illegal almost everywhere outside of The Mint!:wink:

I am not acquainted with State Statutes regarding any "ineffective" attempt to conceal a handgun. It was not mentioned in the manual, lecture or written exam of my Ky. Concealed Permit class. I personally believe I have a serious responsibility to KEEP my handgun from public view to prevent undue attention & avoid the suggestion of "brandishing" a firearm. Past that? I too would be interested in any state than I could be sited...for being sighted.
 
#4 ·
What if the state also allows OC? Many do. NC does. I know of nowhere in NC where you can CC but not OC. All of our laws (to include signs) say either Guns are allowed or Guns are Not Allowed. They don't stipulate whether the gun can be visible or not. That said, my personal opinion is that OC where I live is not a good idea because you just set yourself up for confrontation.
 
#6 ·
Oklahoma as of right now has issues with printing. If someone can discern that you have a firearm, you're in trouble. Theoretically. No one should really care, because in November open carry becomes legal.
 
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#12 ·
in Texas the CC class teacher can't be sued for misinformation so what happens is there is a lot of bad info and misinformed info given out'
I say it all the time read the book (if they gave you one) and don't be afraid to ask questions. Most of all study laws in YOUR state
 
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#15 ·
Might be a good addition to Handgunlaw.us if there truly are places where "printing" is illegal. Printing is defined in the glossary of handgunlaw.us as "A condition in which the outline of the concealed handgun may be discerned through the outer clothing. The firearm itself is not visible, but its presence and shape may be readily apparent to an observer."

In Texas printing is not illegal.
 
#17 ·
No, we did not cover the laws of every state in my class - should we have?
NO: not every state but your's for sure.

means you MAY conceal your weapon, not you MUST conceal your weapon.
guess who goes to jail if you guess wrong ? I like to be safe when I carry and understanding the law is part of it. some states if you carry CC it MUST be just that concealed and does not show at all
 
#19 ·
In my class (which BTW spent about 2 hrs covering NC law as required by ... yup, NC law) we were told the difference in OC and CC, which legally is nothing (provided you have a CCP) but in practice could be a lot. Like the guy in a nearby town (Cary for you NCer's) who posted right here at DC that he was thrown over the hood of his car by an ignorant LEO who didn't know OC was legal in NC. Our instructor said he always made every attempt to conceal but that legality wasn't the issue. Idiots are the issue, as usual.
 
#22 ·
In Ohio OC is legal sans permit. So, printing isn't illegal if your legally cc'd firearm becomes visible.

But, I'm not a lawyer, and verification is up to the end user
 
#27 ·
In Florida, I don't know the specifics of "printing" but if you are reaching for the top shelf at the grocery store and your "concealed" weapon shows, you are okay as long as it was an inadvertent slip. If you are allowed to carry legally of course. And it's not a gun-free zone. Because if it is, you just have to leave. If you stay, you are trespassing with a firearm. But FL law trumps what a business says EXCEPT the place you work. But even your boss can not stop you from having a gun in your car on his property.

I was coming out of the store a couple of months ago and a nice gust caught me by surprise and lifted my baggy t-shirt. I carry at the 11:00 position so I was exposed. I quickly pulled my shirt down and looked around to see if anyone noticed. A cop who was sitting in her car saw it, opened her door with her hand on her right hip and told me to stop.

"Are you legal?" Yes Ma'am, I am. "Have a nice day" And she went in the store.

Not to be stereotypical but I look nothing like a "thug." :king: But I do have a body-rush every time I come in walking contact with a Police Officer. I smile or nod and say hello.

AND PRAY I'M NOT PRINTING.......LOL :danceban: !!!
 
#29 ·
Here's what Florida statute 790.001 says by definition in reference to concealed:
(2) “Concealed firearm” means any firearm, as defined in subsection (6), which is carried on or about a person in such a manner as to conceal the firearm from the ordinary sight of another person.

While printing isn't mentioned, I'm sure a handgun under a skin-tight Under Armour shirt would draw unwanted attention from friend and foe alike.

bseal :"But even your boss can not stop you from having a gun in your car on his property."
Not exactly true; there are exceptions:
"Some employers and businesses are exempt from the law including schools, correctional institutions, nuclear power plants and companies engaged in businesses related to aerospace, national defense and homeland security. Guns may not be stored in cars that are parked on the premises of those businesses. According to the act, another exception is for "companies whose primary business is to manufacture, use, store or transport explosives regulated under federal law."
 
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#31 · (Edited)
I'm a bit surprised by the sardonic, authoritative response to my Post #2 inquiry. barstoolguru, yes I did take the class, admittedly many years ago. No, just as I said, printing wasn't mentioned anywhere as a matter of law. In reviewing the other posts, it appears that states allowing open carry may be less likely to have statutes specifically addressing less-than effective handgun concealment.
 
#34 ·
I'm bit surprised by the sardonic, authoritative response to my Post #2 inquiry. barstoolguru, yes I did take the class, admittedly many years ago. No, just as I said, printing wasn't mentioned anywhere as a matter of law. In reviewing the other posts, it appears that states allowing open carry may be less likely to have statutes specifically addressing less-than effective handgun concealment.
States with OC and CC have no reason to describe levels of concealment. In NC we got CC approved in 1996. Before that it was legal to OC if you wanted to set yourself up for confrontation even though it was completely legal. But people would be arrested for "carrying a concealed weapon" if it wasn't completely visible and identifiable. For instance, you could carry a gun in the front seat of your car, but not in the glovebox. That's "concealed". Trunk is fine because it's inaccessible. The OC laws still apply here if you don't have a CCP. If you do it doesn't mean you have to conceal. It means you can. That's NC law anyway.
 
#32 ·
in the state of maine there is no law against printing, i can hang my shirt over the hammer alone and its fine, have the holster hanging 1/2 way, i could wear spandex pants while duel CCing Desert eagles in ankle holsters and it would be legal. Which i like, because its windy here, and i dont like tucking my shirt in haha
 
#35 ·
Leaving aside all the lawyerly comments, common sense should tell anyone who is a "responsible" firearm owner with a CCWP that your firearm should not be visible--isn't that what the word "concealed" means?. It does not mean "wear a see-thru shirt with the firearm under it"--it means "concealed" and if you do not understand that word you deserve whatever punishment you get. If you are bending or reaching or inadvertently expose a portion of the firearm because your clothes that are concealing your firearm "ran up on you" it is patently absurd that this is against the law regarding CC. Common sense should easily tell you what you should be wearing if you are going to be a responsible CCer.
 
#36 ·
Well in Wa I think the whole point of printing or having it accidently become exposed is that at least I found I was less worried about going out ccwing without having to worry but if I print I could go to jail.

So I think if anything having the ability to go from ccw to oc or to justbe human and have your shirt ride hi, that isnt making you an irresponsible ccw ownet.
 
#38 ·
Concealed is concealed.

If you are printing it is not concealed. Having a "concealed" handgun gives you a tactical advantage. I will take every advantage I can get.
 
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#39 ·
^^^
This should be the primary focus. Even if printing is allowed, it should be avoided for tactical reasons.

... unless your goal is to put your quick-draw training to a real world test. And that's assuming the BG also wants a fair fight and makes sure you see his print if he notices yours first.
 
#41 ·
It's exactly this kind of thread and the subsequent responses that screams for a uniform, Federal gun-carry law that everyone clearly understands, has no vague areas and no loopholes and covers those who are free to roam about the country without the worry that exercising their 2nd Amendment rights will get them arrested!
 
#42 ·
It's exactly this kind of thread and the subsequent responses that screams for a uniform, Federal gun-carry law...
With all due respect, I absolutely could NOT DISAGREE MORE! Gun regulation is one of the very LAST areas of States Rights to self determination left remaining. The boys in Washington have weezeled their way so deeply into what I can say, how I am to eat, what I'm forced to tolerate, how I am to raise my children & how (not) to say Merry Christmas that the further away Federal Legislation stays from my Right to Carry in MY state...the happier I'm gonna' be. Any increased Federal authority over 2nd Amendment issues only makes it easier for them to snag us all at once in the same ever-tightening snare. We'll end up looking like Massachusetts & Illinois. Massachusetts & Illinois will NOT end up looking like us!
 
#53 ·
I don't think it is, or it would have to be so obvious that a LEO on a bad day picked on you for not having a weapon concealed. Pretty far fetched. Since I don't know every state's laws I can't tell you for sure it's not illegal someplace but I never heard of it. Maybe NRA knows.
 
#54 ·
I've done some research on this in the last month, even not on a geeky phone! From books and computer. Texas law on guns and concealment was an area where I had some questions since there is no open carry allowed there state-wise and since this idiotic "printing" concept keep coming up. There is a lot of misunderstanding and I wanted an M.O. for myself to avoid police trouble with a CC license.

Printing is not any kind of a legal term there! It's kind of a misused paranoid fantasy term!

Specifically there is a Texas government code 411 which states that there is a violation if the gun owner “Intentionally fails to conceal”, which would mean open carrying or it’s just out there with no attempt to keep it covered. Also, the 411 code says that the handgun must not be “openly discernable” to another person. This would mean either openly carrying or it’s just out there with most of it exposed. That wouldn’t mean printing since printing isn’t openly discernable. It’s only slightly discernable and even questionable, at best, and might very well be not noticed at all by the average person.

So for me that means my M.O. is to carry concealed, but to not worry about ‘printing” occasionally or even some passing exposure. As long as you’re making a good go at concealing, even imperfect concealing, unless the cop is a fanatically anti-gun rights neo-NAZI, recently moved from Philadelphia, PA you’d be OK.

If someone from Texas knows better than that, based on what the law says, or practical application, then lay it on me.

Derek. J.
 
#57 ·
I'm in Texas and I see the wording a little differently. Of course everything is up to the interpretation of the lawyer species. :embarassed: A couple of points. "Intentionally fails to conceal" can be a bit gotcha. If it can be seen as a gun, and by "seen", if a sharp eyed spectator sees a suspicious bulge and by chance it looks anything like the shape of a gun, or even suggests that it might be, then you failed to conceal. How the term "Intentional" vs. "inadvertent" is taken might depend on who's arguing the case before a judge. To me, it's a little vague in wording unless the word "conceal" is well defined.

The term "openly discernible" can be tricky too. It does not mean "openly" as in "open" as in OC. It means that someone seeing a person who is carrying cannot obviously detect that that person is carrying. A shrewd observer, such as another CHL who knows what to look for may see a vague yet telling bulge and suspect that it might be a handgun. The law as I understand it is ok with that for as I think I posted earlier in this thread, it is the average observer ("casual" if we want to use that term) is not going to notice it and discern what it is.

So it has nothing to do with open exposure. It is about how well the covering is and it assumes that the covering is complete, and thus the shape of any bulge is not suspicious to the casual observer. If you bend over while in a grocery store to pick up something on a low shelf and even though your shirt may be well long enough to cover the gun and holster, if there is a big suspicious pointed bump on the back of your shirt which is obviously not your cell phone, what kind of attention will that draw? In truth, to the casual shopper around you, it won't even be noticed. To the observant, and that might include a LEO, what will be the result? Don't know.

So I think the distinction should be made between actual exposure where the weapon and/or holster is actually visible due to a loss of cover, and where though still completely covered, the presence of a handgun is discerned due to the suspicious object shape "printing" on the covering clothing item.
 
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