How noticable do the "No Weapons" signs have to be?

[Pele]

I'm slowly starting to concealed carry around where I go, mainly starting with long road trips through the state... I occasionally pull over to help some stranded motorist with a flat tire or a blown radiator hose, as I carry a battery powered impact wrench, hydraulic jack, and a spare jug of coolant among other items.

You never know who's just doing it as a front to rob someone.


Anyhow, whenever I pull over to a fuel station or food place, I get a little nervous about it. Sometimes I wanna run into a Sheetz or Wawa to grab a sammich.


I do a quick scan of the door I'm using to enter for any no weapons signs.


How visible to these signs have to be? Is there a minimum size, standard placement, or standard language? Does it have to be a picture of a gun with a red slashed circle on it, or could it potentially be text only? Does it have to be placed at every entrance or do I have to do a lap around the store to make sure it's not on any entrance?

What is the proper procedure if I walk into one of these places because I have not noticed the sign. Perhaps it fell off or was the size of a postage stamp down by the lower hinge of the door. Do they have to ask me to leave, or are they legally allowed to detain me until the police arrive?

Or should this be moved to a state forum?

[ronwill]

In most instances when entering private property (stores, gas stations, etc.) it is a tresspassing charge and not a firearms charge. Virginia is this way as shown:

• Private property when prohibited by the owner of the property, or where posted as prohibited.
Violation is a trespass charge and not a firearms violation.

Should you refuse to leave when asked the charge of tresspassing can be brought against you. The best thing to do is contact local and state police about the particulars.

[cruzthepug]

I have been carrying for a couple of months and I find my self looking for signs everywhere I go. I have yet to see one.

[jchantelau]

South Carolina is very specific about signs....

23-31-235. Sign requirements.

(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, any requirement of or allowance for the posting of signs prohibiting the carrying of a concealable weapon upon any premises shall only be satisfied by a sign expressing the prohibition in both written language interdict and universal sign language.

(B) All signs must be posted at each entrance into a building where a concealable weapon permit holder is prohibited from carrying a concealable weapon and must be:

(1) clearly visible from outside the building;

(2) eight inches wide by twelve inches tall in size;

(3) contain the words "NO CONCEALABLE WEAPONS ALLOWED" in black one-inch tall uppercase type at the bottom of the sign and centered between the lateral edges of the sign;

(4) contain a black silhouette of a handgun inside a circle seven inches in diameter with a diagonal line that runs from the lower left to the upper right at a forty-five degree angle from the horizontal;

(5) a diameter of a circle; and

(6) placed not less than forty inches and not more than sixty inches from the bottom of the building's entrance door.

(C) If the premises where concealable weapons are prohibited does not have doors, then the signs contained in subsection (A) must be:

(1) thirty-six inches wide by forty-eight inches tall in size;

(2) contain the words "NO CONCEALABLE WEAPONS ALLOWED" in black three- inch tall uppercase type at the bottom of the sign and centered between the lateral edges of the sign;

(3) contain a black silhouette of a handgun inside a circle thirty-four inches in diameter with a diagonal line that is two inches wide and runs from the lower left to the upper right at a forty-five degree angle from the horizontal and must be a diameter of a circle whose circumference is two inches wide;

(4) placed not less than forty inches and not more than ninety-six inches above the ground;

(5) posted in sufficient quantities to be clearly visible from any point of entry onto the premises.

[Pele]

Originally Posted by jchantelau

RULES RULES RULES

WOW! You have to be blind to not notice those.
That's how it should be.
Nice!

[stumpjumper101]

check out the va civil defense leages website. it has most of the anti establishments listed with photo's of their notification signs. also they have a email list that they will send out emails to you about action items in which are upcomming dealing with 2a rights Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL) its quite informative

[mot mayhem]

Originally Posted by cruzthepug

I have been carrying for a couple of months and I find my self looking for signs everywhere I go. I have yet to see one.

That's cause you are in Bama! lucky!!! I see em all over. they are usually about 5X7 up here. They are placed on the entryway door. Up here, it is also a criminal tresspassing, which is like a parking ticket. But, if you are concealing, there should be no problem. Good luck & stay safe.....mot

[NavyLT]

Virginia is the same as Washington State. Posted private property is a trespassing violation if you don't leave when asked, not a firearms violation.

For instance, Sunday, I was open carrying in Westfield Mall in Seattle. I did not bother to read the two page long Code of Conduct posted at the entrance. About 2 hours into my visit two Tuckwilla (suburb of seattle) PD Officers tapped me on the shoulder. They explained I was on private party (which I knew) and that they had a no firearms policy and only asked me to conceal my gun! So I did and they walked away.

I went and read the two page long sign and there was a no firearms statement in there.

[ADJ423]

No guidelines in Nevada for signs. It would be nice if there were a regulation sign so it would be easy to identify where I don't want to spend my money.

[FN1910]

Remember that trespass normally requires notice that you are not welcome in some place. In some instances it is defined by law such as you cannot hunt on someone's property without thier permission. However you probably go birdwatching on it unless it is posted. If the property is posted and you still go birdwatching then you are trespassing because the law takes the posted signs as notice that you have been notified that any entrance into the property is trespassing.

The no guns signs have the same effect. If you enter a business with a gun and are asked to leave then you are tresspassing ionly if you do not. Since the business is normally open to your entry then until you are notified that you need to leave you are not trespassing unlike the case of hunting on private property. However if the business notifies you that you will be trespassing if you enter by posting a sign just like the birdwatching then you are trespassing once you enter and can be charged immediately. Very few businesses would do that but rather ask you to leave. However they do have the legal right to immediately charge you with trespassing if they have posted notice.

Here in SC the requirements for posting are spelled out in law so I would "assume" any business that goes to the trouble of posting the legal signs would also be willing to charge you without a verbal warning. The point is that if a business has posted signs they do not also have to ask you to leave before having you arrested for trespassing. The comments about the signs do not mean anything is incorrect as they actually take the place of a verbal warning in almost all cases.