Cleveland Ohio Hospital Carry?

[John Wesley]

I am taking my mother to a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio in a couple of weeks (surgery). My Kentucky permit is honored in Ohio.

Question:
I looked but am unsure about carry inside the hospitals in Cleveland.
Is there a state law against it? (Didn't see one).
If posted, does it carry the weight of the law? (or would you just be asked to leave).

Thanks!!!
(Anything you might think I should know about Ohio carry is very welcome!)

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Crescentstar]

If it is posted no carry, it carries the weight of the law. Most Ohio hospitals now have police officers and some even have metal detectors. If they find you in violation, you will go to jail.

[torgo1968]

To add to Crescentstar's post, Cleveland's city government (and by extension, it's DA's office) is very anti-gun. If there is anywhere in Ohio where you wouldn't want to ignore the signs, it's Cleveland.

[tbroy]

We went to a wedding a couple of years ago in Cleaveland that was held at the hotel connected to the Cleaveland Clinic. I noticed the "No Weapons" sign as we were leaving. Apparently the hotel is an extention of the hospital. Not a good feeling for a MI fan in OH.

[John Wesley]

Thanks!!!!

That's what I needed to know! I'll have to lock it in the car.

I really appreciate the advice!

[TSiWRX]

Both the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals are heavily posted. Yes, in most cases, the signage is more than conspicuous enough.

Parking lot signage do not carry the weight of law (IANAL, but if I understand things correctly, it's criminal trespass only *if* you refuse to leave, after you've been asked to do so) - however, the lots inside the city are typically heavily patrolled and/or close-circuit monitored, so even if you wanted to disarm/rearm in-vehicle, I'd advise that you do so with great discretion. Sure, in the city, you could park off-campus in order to avoid that issue altogether, but another complication would be the possibility of vehicle break-in - inside Cleveland proper, neither CCF nor UH/Case are located in the best parts of town. Outside of their respective downtown campuses (with UH to also include MetroHealth, along with the Case Western main campus), their satellite locations vary greatly in terms of their physical surroundings - some are in less nice parts of town, others are in quite affluent areas.

Remember, you need to notify law enforcement of your CHL status, if you are armed. This is for any kind of official interaction, including traffic stops.

Best wishes for your mother's coming procedure.

[John Wesley]

My last reply seemed to disappear...

Anyway, thanks TSiWRX!

As much as I hate to do this, I suppose I will put it in the trunk as soon as I leave the hotel for the hospital.

Should I be concerned about a place to eat such as a Cracker Barrel or McDonalds? Do you know if they are typically posted? If so, does everything posted carry the weight of the law or just the hospital areas?

I am heading for Cleveland in the morning.... (April 18th)

Thanks!

[TSiWRX]

Most Cracker Barrels and McDs in the Cleveland-metro area (including out to the suburbs) are *NOT* posted.

Ohio does have a restaurant carry/"bar carry" law on the books, so most of the signage that you see that says something about "alcohol/'Class D'" are left-over from the old days and are no longer valid (just remember that here in Ohio, if you don't partake of the alcohol, you'll be fine). Nevertheless, any private business that chooses to post the "Gunbuster" sign still means that you cannot carry there: again, it would only be criminal trespass if they asked you to leave, but you refused - still, dealing with a MWAG call and its subsequent hassles may not be tops on your list, with the nature of this visit.

Even with that said, it's much less likely for any restaurant to be posted than many would think. Dining out is probably the only vice that we (my wife and I) have. the "Restaurant/Bar Carry" bill really cut our risk exposure.

[Caertaker]

Timely thread. Heading there myself in late May and got all sorts of valuable information without even having to ask. What a great forum!

[TSiWRX]

As far as I can tell, the Handgunlaws.us information provided is all up-to-date and correct: http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/ohio.pdf

[torgo1968]

Even with that said, it's much less likely for any restaurant to be posted than many would think. Dining out is probably the only vice that we (my wife and I) have. the "Restaurant/Bar Carry" bill really cut our risk exposure.

This is a great point. As anti-gun as Cleveland's government is, posted establishments in this area are the exception, not the rule.

[justherenow]

Also note that some may say Cleveland proper has such and such gun laws, the state has preemption (ORC 9.68) and the cities cannot have gun laws that are contrary to the state law. A gunbuster sign does not need to have any specific verbage nor does it need to be anything other than a piece of used toilet paper with "No weapons" written in crayon on it, basically it does not matter what the sign looks like or what the verbage is, the sign is law. Must notify LEOS if it is an official encounter, no carry into goverment buildings. Parking lots can be posted but it is not criminal but a civil violation meaning they have to sue you in court. No magazine restrictions in the state and open or concelaed is ok, but open will get you funny looks.

[John Wesley]

Just returned from Cleveland late last night. The only sign I saw was on a doctor's office building. I did not see one on the parking lot or entrance to UH/CASE hospital.

I did not see anything on any restaurant but remember I didn't have much time to see much of the city. (Of course that was what you were saying.) Mom is expected to make a full recovery with little chance of complications at this point.

Thanks to all for your comments!

[TSiWRX]

^ Glad to hear that your mom is doing well! That's really all that matters! Hope you both get some rest - I love to drive, but for something like that, I know I'd be drained after the trip.

I'm really surprised you didn't see anything at Case/UH.... Both the wifey and I have been here since '97, and even my parking lot is posted virtually everywhere, despite the fact that it really doesn't carry the weight of law. For the buildings, you're right, it does depend a lot on the entrance/exit, and the "conspicuous" part of the equation can potentially come in to play, too. With the Case/UH campus, a further complication comes from the fact that the two are literally superimposed. There's also the debated concern of "institutions for the care of the mentally ill."

[John Wesley]

I was VERY surprised not to see any signs posted at the hospital entrances nor at the parking garage. The wife didn't see any either. (Both the Glock and the Ruger stayed in the car just in case.)

The address is 11100 Euclid Ave (I am certain of that) in case I somehow confused the name of the hospital.

I will look more closely on my next trip there. We are usually pretty good at looking for signs. As I said earlier, the only place I saw posted was a doctor's office building (3909 Orange Place) a few miles to the east southeast of that hospital.

Overall, just from what I was able to see of Cleveland I was fairly impressed.

I am still resting up from the trip! :)