Carry at Ripley's Aquarium Gatlinburg

[jem102]

Son and family came to visit this week and one of our adventures was Gburg and the aquarium. I left the H&K in the car thinking for sure it would be posted but no signs anywhere which was quite surprising. After you bought your ticket you had to pass through a turnstile and I don't think there was a metal detector built into it as my Cold Steel Recon (not a small knife) keys etc. came through no problem.
Question 1. "Is there an overall law about this being a resort town" that bans carry?
Question 2. If a metal Detector picked up a gun or knife could they do anything other than ask you to leave? I think not but don't want any marks against my HCP.

After the aquarium we walked the town in and out of I don't know how many small stores and mini-malls and not one no weapons posting. Great news but almost feel I am missing some greater rule here.

Next day we visited Concord Park outside Knoxville for a picnic and on the rules board (which had obviously been up for years) it stated no weapons/firearms. Now it was not the signage as prescribed by the state Atty. Generals office but good enough for me if that is what the community wants. The question is if anyone knows since the passage of the new parks law in the state if they simply have not gotten around to changing the sign or still ban carry?

Any info appreciated.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[rmccoll]

Q1: there is no overall law except that it allows individual places to post. Govt buildings etc are universally restricted.
Q2: If they are not posted then upon discovery all they can do is ask you to leave.

Concord Park: This is in the town of Farragut and I don't think they have taken the measure up. I live just outside the town of Farragut and try to keep up with these issues.

Knoxville has concluded that since they voted to ban firearms in parks prior to about 1986, they do not need to do it again. I don't recall that being part of the legislation but the city attorney has issued an opinion justifying this. Bit ironic as there was a shooting in one of the down town parks just this week.

[kylebce]

Hi to my fellow Tennessean. Gatlinburg is a gathering place for herds of sheeple. It's overall a low violence place, but if you want to carry- there is no law against it, no city wide ordinance. If a business decides to post "no weapon" signs or metal detector- they can ask you to leave. There's no citation or strike against you legally.

Don't carry in Government buildings, banks, schools or bars. That's basically it. I do alot of work in hospitals and they are all posted. I choose to comply in their buildings as well.

As far as parks- the state law was changed to allow CC into parks and recreation areas. There is a clause allowing individual towns to opt out and not allow carry in their jurisdiction. Oak Ridge did so immediately, but I don't know of any others who have.

I live near concord park and they just haven't changed the sign yet.

[jem102]

Thanks for the input. I am glad Gatlinburg seems so open to CC and disappointed in the Knoxville area. Whats happening in K town is that crime grows proportionately with the size of the city and their "knee jerk" reaction is to limit law abiding citizens because they do not know how to confront the criminal element and are overly concerned with appearing PC to the rest of the world.
I think Knoxville is very unique (not your normal big city disposition/outlook on life) and has a chance to break the big city stereotype at this juncture but it appears they intend to let a select class run the show while the main stream goes "oh well". JM.02

[Smoke]

We hit the G-burg aquarium about a year ago. I remember that at the time there was a no weapons sign up but it was after you got in the entrance. I had done like you and had knives, leatherman, and half a dozen other things that should have kicked off a metal detector. Nothing happened and no one asked me anything about weapons although the wife gave me a strange look and asked later if I had all my "stuff".

[jem102]

We hit the G-burg aquarium about a year ago. I remember that at the time there was a no weapons sign up but it was after you got in the entrance. I had done like you and had knives, leatherman, and half a dozen other things that should have kicked off a metal detector. Nothing happened and no one asked me anything about weapons although the wife gave me a strange look and asked later if I had all my "stuff".

Thanks Smoke. Do you recall where the sign was?
Now you buy your ticket at an outside window, walk across to the glass front doors, then through a turnstile and your in. It was busy so I might have missed it but tried to look around for the "sign" or posting. They have lockers and rest rooms off to the right and I thought there may be something posted there but didn't see any.

[gogriz91]

After having been there, the only thing that will assault you in Gatlinburg is bad taste. If I had it all to do over again, I'd spend my time in the park with my blaster than wandering the streets of Gatlinburg.

[John Wesley]

I carried successfully at Ripley's Aquarium in Gatinburg about a year ago. If you walk through the turnstyle, take about 10 steps forward, then look 90 degrees to the right it was high on that wall and easy to miss.

I thought that was a little late to be worried about it so I carried on.

[NCHornet]

I carried in the aquarium and all around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and I never noticed any sign at the aquarium. Since the most they could do is ask you to leave, and then you leave, I probably wasn't searching for them. I do love the aquarium though, I could spend all day in that tunnel that runs through the largest aquarium. It was awesome.
Take Care

NCH

[jem102]

Thanks folks, sorry to be so long to reply but work has been, well WORK this week I just come home and crash. I like the aquarium but agree the rest of Gburg can be kind of "junk" not needed.
I just can't remember that sign but if that's where its posted (high on the wall) no wonder. You do need to careful in TN because if a place is properly posted it is a misdemeanor and fine to carry if I understand the law correctly.

Thanks again to all for the info.