Just thought I would share my open carry story today. I am licensed in many states to carry and conceal carry. I work at a resort in the lakes region of New Hampshire and part of my duties include taking the business deposits to the bank. I frequent two banks in town - Ocean Bank & TD Bank. I have been visiting both banks with large cash deposits for several months now - openly carrying (holstered and secured) my Beretta PX4.
When I arrived at TD Bank in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire I went about my business. The bank was empty except for tellers and managers. I had a friendly conversation with the teller as she counted the money and completed the deposit.
The bank manager, Cecile Chase, tapped me on my back. I was a little shocked that she had crept up behind me but was not too alarmed. She yelled out that I was not allowed to carry a gun into the bank. She also barked out that I was breaking federal law because (brining a gun into the bank). I calmly introduced myself formally and explained I was making large cash deposits. I explained the gun was for my safety and I was no different than armed couriers in this state. She again reiterated that I was breaking the law and said the next time I would be arrested. I again informed her that I was licensed to carry in this and many other states and frequently carry into her bank and other banks in the area. She was unphased and said the police had been called. I thanked her for her time and asked for her business card, which she provided, when I left.
I waited outside for ten minutes but the police did not arrive. I decided to head over to the police station. I secured my Beretta in the vehicle and asked to speak to the Chief of Police. I spoke with a detective and the chief at length, and while there are no local nor federal provisions prohibiting it, he suggested I do a better job of "concealing" my gun. He also said TD Bank is a private business and can refuse service to anyone. He affirmed that I would not be arrested unless they cited me for some sort of trespassing complaint, though I doubt it will go that far.
Should you wish to contact Ceclia Chase about her no-gun policy in her bank, her contact details are below:
Cecile M. Chase
Vice President - Banking Center Manager
36 Center Street
Wolfeboro Falls, New Hampshire 03896
Bank Telephone: 603-569-8999
Bank Fax: 603-569-4453
Her Direct: 603-569-8996
Email: Cecile.Chase@tdbanknorth.com
I hope others will help me speak out about this. She said I would be receiving a letter from TD Bank security operations outlining the incident. If/when I receive I will post a summary here.
What a moron. I wouldn't call. My approach is to type a letter to the CEO, and send it certified mail. That usually gets their attention. In any event, that space cadet manager needs to learn what the law actually says.
when I do large desosits i drop them in the night deposit box... takes a day for the bank to record the transaction but i wil not dis-arm while carrying large amounts of cash
Been lurking on this topic. Definitely keep us updated. I don't open carry but if I chose to I sure am glad that the Michigan Legislature has the statue on open carry in banks on the books. Although it is still a private business, but then business can be taken elsewhere.
I was less than thrilled about the way she approached you as well. The last thing I'd want to do is walk up behind you and then yell that you aren't allowed to carry a handgun into the bank. It sounds like she was trying to embarrass you. Was there anyone else in the bank at the time other than employees?
If there were other customers in the bank the last thing I would do is try to embarrass a customer. If this was the case I would seriously consider her "people" skills for this type situation.
IMHO, what she should have done was waited until you had completed your banking. As you were walking away from the window she should have approached you and asked to speak with you in the office. There she could have more tactfully taken up the issue of your OC'ing your handgun into the bank.
Very interesting topic, I hope you keep us posted on the end result. I, too, would recommend a letter to the CEO. I have done that on a few occasions when I was PO'ed enough about something to actually feel like I needed to get some kind of resolution. It has never failed to get my issue addressed and rectified. I suspect that you will probably feel like changing banks after this is all over with, but it is certainly worth a letter to try.
The OP is well within his rights to OC and I beleive he did the right thing. The AG of NH made it very clear to all LE agencies not a short time ago that OC is 100% legal and justified in this state. The CoP suggestion to "conceal" his handgun should be taken as nothing more than that. As far as having a sign that says "No Guns" at the entrance, it doesn't matter. A sign holds no weight of law in NH. The only thing that can be done from a buisness standpoint is to ask the person to leave. If you do not, then you run afoul of the law.
Ah, thank you for the clarification. I did not know that and tend to think about things from an Ohioan point of view. I'm really just to lazy to look up the other states, so thank you for that insight.
I carry in banks in GA all the time. I have never encountered resistance to this day. I have OC'd in a bank when a Cop was making a deposit. He just looked at me and smiled and walked off. But then I was screaming military. With my short hair cut, my old brown ball cap with dirt from a Kuwait dust storm on it, and my brown command PT shirt hah.
She will not need him there. All she has to do is to sneak up behind the robber and shout, "You can't have a gun in here". Of course, the robber will politely say, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that", leave and go rob someplace which allows guns. Or if he doesn't comply with her request, pull out her cell phone, point it at the robber and say, "leave or I'll call the police."
I sometimes carry to my bank, but the amount of money I carry has no impact on that. I do not carry to protect my money, and in fact if I could give my money to a robber and that would end it, I would do so.
Of course no one can know that for sure, but if I were in the bank and it was robbed I would not intervene unless I had good reason to think that the robber was going to shoot or seriously injure someone.
Preventing bank robberies is not part of my "charter."
I agree with you. Money is not worth human life. Although a bank robbers life isnt worth much to begin with. The moral issue behind that is...
What if the bank robber who shown no intention of shooting anyone during the robbery goes and buys some meth with some his new found wealth and decided to off a person walking down the street for fun. Does your outlook on using deadly force during the bank robbery change now?
No way to answer that I guess, just food for the good ole' think tank.
If someone is committing armed robbery on me, I am in reasonable fear for my life and deadly force is justified. The only decision is whether I think I have a better chance of survival by shooting or complying.
The only signage on my bank is(Please remove hats and sunglasses so your appearance isn't disguised or sumpin like that)In other words Smile for the cameras
Have you considered writing a letter to the CEO or Chairman? A respectfully written, clearly typed letter might do wonders. I would consider asking how, as a customer, should you feel about the bank after the treatment you received. I would also ask how can you trust a banking manager who blatently lied to a customer.
Yes, I have drafted a letter with a CC to the branch manager. Never did receive my phone call nor letter from TD Bank security advising me of their policies.
While I believe the branch manager was acting in the interest of the branch, her tactics and actions emphasize the need for training and education on the subject.
That's because there isn't one. Federal facilities owned and operated by the government for federal employees (offices or buildings) are off-limits for carry by federal law. These places include, but are obviously not limited to, the Post Office, IRS, Social Security Administration, Federal Courthouses, FBI Branches, and so on and so forth.
Actually Post Offices are not considered federal facilities as defined in 18 USC 930. Firearms are NOT prohibited in Post Offices by 18 USC 930 (the federal facilities statute). Firearms ARE prohibited in Post Offices by 39 CFR 232.1(l). Nothing in 18 USC 930 applies to the Post Office.
Just an update. I went in to the branch on Friday afternoon. Cecile was in the lobby and I thought there would be an issue, as I was open carrying again. She was pleasant and courteous - no confrontation. She even said "good to see you here again"...
I suspect the phone calls, emails, and letters worked.
I hope the business you work for has some "strong numbers" in terms of business with that bank. If that's the case, upper management with the bank will tell her to zip her mouth shut rather than lose your business.
If you have the influence to get your business to change banks, I'd likely do that immediately to add an exclamation point to your displeasure with being treated the way you were!
I had a problem like that at the local grocery store. I use to work on a farm and I was getting paid to kill crows so I brought my air gun to shoot them. Well after 7 hours of killing birds you get hungry so I walk into the store got some snack food and walked to the counter to pay and the manager and like 5 workers walk up to me and ask to see my CWP which I then informed them that since it was a air gun and was visabile that I did not have to have a CWP to carry it. Well the sheriff was in the store and they called him over .... 30 mins later after he explained that it wasn't illegal for me to carry a air gun into store and that he knows me and knows that I wouldnt do anything illegal with it. The manager then said I had to leave and that I couldnt even buy my food. So I talked to my parents and we called the main office and talk to some and they made the manager write me a letter of apology and sent me a 100$ gift check. moral of the story fight for your right to bare arms no matter how small they are.
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