Pointless No Gun Signs - Can You Carry In Florida Airports?

KimberPB · #1 10-20-2008, 12:08 PM

I had to pick up some friends from the St. Petersburg/Clearwater airport over the weekend and on my way into meet them I noticed that every door had a no gun sign under Fl. statute 790.01. I didn't know that statute off hand but I do know that in the state of Florida it is not illegal for me carry in the non-sterile part of the airport. So I just went in and waited for my friends. After I got home I was curious what that statute said so I looked it up. Within the first to lines it said that anyone with a valid concealed carry permit was exempt from that section.

So basically if you are legal to carry you can still carry and if you're not legal to carry you could not carry there even if it was not posted. Oh well, I guess it might make some people feel better but the sign is pointless.

lukem · #2 10-20-2008, 12:52 PM

Yea, I remember looking this up when I first moved here.

KimberPB · #3 10-20-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukem

Yea, I remember looking this up when I first moved here.

Ya I don't remember seeing any signs at the Tampa airport last week when I was there. That's why I was a little suprised to see them posted at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater airport.

lukem · #4 10-20-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KimberPB

Ya I don't remember seeing any signs at the Tampa airport last week when I was there. That's why I was a little suprised to see them posted at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater airport.

I don't think I've seen any signs there either.

BoomChick · #5 10-20-2008, 05:52 PM

I'm still laughing. . . .

wow.

netentity · #6 10-20-2008, 06:17 PM

I don't know who told you it was legal to carry in an airport in Florida; here's the DOACS page on prohibited areas.

The actual statute is FL Statute 790.06 (12), the relevant section being;

(12) No license issued pursuant to this section shall authorize any person to carry a concealed weapon or firearm into any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05; any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station; any detention facility, prison, or jail; any courthouse; any courtroom, except that nothing in this section would preclude a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or determining who will carry a concealed weapon in his or her courtroom; any polling place; any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district; any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof; any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms; any school administration building; any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose; any elementary or secondary school facility; any career center; any college or university facility unless the licensee is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile; inside the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport, provided that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft; or any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law. Any person who willfully violates any provision of this subsection commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

Once you're inside the doors to the terminal, sterile area or not you're in a prohibited area. It use to be legal in Florida, it was repealed a few years ago.

A few shall issue States prohibit airport carry; AR, FL, ND, NV (concealed only prohibited), OH, OK and VA.

KimberPB · #7 10-20-2008, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by netentity

I don't know who told you it was legal to carry in an airport in Florida; here's the DOACS page on prohibited areas.

The actual statute is FL Statute 790.06 (12), the relevant section being;

(12) No license issued pursuant to this section shall authorize any person to carry a concealed weapon or firearm into any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05; any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station; any detention facility, prison, or jail; any courthouse; any courtroom, except that nothing in this section would preclude a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or determining who will carry a concealed weapon in his or her courtroom; any polling place; any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district; any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof; any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms; any school administration building; any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose; any elementary or secondary school facility; any career center; any college or university facility unless the licensee is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile; inside the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport, provided that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft; or any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law. Any person who willfully violates any provision of this subsection commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

Once you're inside the doors to the terminal, sterile area or not you're in a prohibited area. It use to be legal in Florida, it was repealed a few years ago.

A few shall issue States prohibit airport carry; AR, FL, ND, NV (concealed only prohibited), OH, OK and VA.

You are not in the passanger/sterile part of the airport until you go through the security check point. Up until that point you are legal to carry.

netentity · #8 10-20-2008, 07:01 PM

Why does this portion exist?

provided that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft

Reading the whole clause implies that cannot carry any firearms into the passenger accessible area of the airport unless they are prepared to be checked unloaded as baggage. The legislative intent is pretty obvious to me.

Does anyone have a copy of Gutmacher's book and get his opinion on it? The Statute and DOACS site is pretty straight forward to me. Sterile area and terminal is the entire airport building.

lukem · #9 10-20-2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by netentity

Does anyone have a copy of Gutmacher's book and get his opinion on it? The Statute and DOACS site is pretty straight forward to me. Sterile area and terminal is the entire airport building.

Yes, I have it. I'll check tonight to see what it says but I'm pretty sure that's where I got my info from originally.