Gun-free zones are killing grounds for mass murderers, period, full-stop. FBI data shows that over 90% of mass shootings transpire in locations that prohibit concealed carry. No uprise. Even the FBI, in their active shooter report, advised reducing the number of prohibited locations in public places in order to mitigate active killer attacks. Sadly, many politicians are far more preoccupied with trampling on civil rights than with reducing carnage, and anti-gun activists care nothing about reducing violence. They only care to disarm law-abiding citizens. Therefore, many states will cling tightly to and work to increase prohibited places that disallow legally armed citizens to carry their tools of personal protection. As a citizen who believes in protecting yourself and the lives of your family, how can you best deal with the scourge on our safety that is gun-free zones?
Know the Laws in your Jurisdiction
Gun-free zones run a wide gamut of legal merit. In almost all places, a private business can put up a “No Guns” sign, but it may have virtually no legal backing. In other places, violating such a sign is a serious offense. This should, obviously, factor greatly into decision-making. Certain places that are state or federally mandated are an absolute no-go for carry, such as schools, courthouses, and certain state buildings. Therefore, it is on the individual concealed carrier to know what the legal ramifications are for the gun-free zones within their own jurisdiction and within the vicinities they travel to.
Avoidance
While not always possible, the first way in which to deal with gun-free zones is to simply not go there. If unnecessary, why be a patron to a private business that wants you disarmed and vulnerable, even if the sign has little if any, legal standing? Such businesses that want you unarmed rarely provide security, so they seek to strip you of your own personal security while doing nothing to ensure that criminals cannot victimize the customers on their property. If possible, don’t go to such disrespectful places.
Large public locations, such as sports stadiums, are almost always gun-free zones. Often, these places have significant security, although relying on hired security to provide safety is a fallacy, so attending such events comes with the risk of being caught in an event and being unarmed. We live life, and there will be, inevitably, times when we enter places unarmed because we want to enjoy life experiences. However, when a decision is made between activity one and activity two, and one of the two prohibits you from carrying weaponry and one does not, I would encourage concealed carriers to go with the safer option when possible.
True Concealment
Even in many locations that don’t prohibit concealed carry, the environment may be, socially, very anti-gun. Among society, urban areas in restricted states are very anti-gun. It would seem that such populations celebrate in allowing only their criminals to be armed while reveling in being unarmed and helpless themselves, but this is what such people prefer, apparently. Therefore, to be spotted with a gun, even if perfectly legal, can lead to an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous interaction with citizens or law enforcement.
The less gun-friendly the environment, the better your concealment needs to be. If you can’t make your full-size pistol conceal completely, then carry a smaller gun in such circumstances. You need to ensure that you do not print and that you do not expose the gun when moving in certain ways. Concealment is an art form that takes some work, but it is vitally important when in locations that are gun adverse.
Safe Storage of Firearms
If you do need to enter a gun-free zone within a jurisdiction that you are otherwise able to carry, you may need to disarm and leave the gun in the vehicle. If so, just leaving the gun unsecured in the vehicle is a very bad idea in our contemporary society, in which a staggering number of vehicle break-ins result in a huge percentage of black market guns. While there is no solution that is completely secure in this regard, there are a variety of small handgun safes on the market that can be mounted securely to the structure of the vehicle and will certainly thwart the efforts of the common smash-and-grab thief. If your lifestyle demands that you occasionally disarm to enter certain restricted environments, then such a gun safe in the vehicle is a must.
Gun-free zones are a plague on our nation that foster terrible violence, but many in our society fail to see this problem through ignorance or through a determination to rid themselves of personal responsibility for their own safety. Until this changes, armed citizens must play the hand we are dealt and occasionally deal with gun-free zones.
So called ‘gun free’ zones are an example of government overreach and deserve to be abolished!
Criminals do not obey any laws and are emboldened by such zones because they know that everyone in those zones are potential targets.
People who are properly educated about the 2nd Amendment do not allow lawmakers to enact these senseless laws that create these zones.
Criminals stay away from places where there is a potential for deadly force to used against them!
Could you provide the link to the data that shows 90% of mass shootings occur in gun free zones? Helps to have valid sources when debating with folks that don’t have a strong support of the 2nd ammendment.
According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, “gun free zones” (areas where guns are prohibited) have been the target of more than 94% of all mass shootings since 1950.
I do not advocate breaking the law. Locations like schools, courthouses, and government buildings are legally mandated gun free zones and you can be prosecuted for violating the law. However, stores, movie theatres, and private property with a “policy” of not allowing guns, even those carried legally, have no legal standing. If you are caught with a gun there all they can do is tell you to leave and possibly ban you from the property. If you choose to abide by private gun free zones you will probably never go to a movie, a mall, or many other businesses because many of them have no gun policies.Eli Dicken was in a gun free zone when he stopped the mass shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall by a psycho who, unsurprisingly didn’t obey the sign. Eli’s decision to ignore the sign resulted in him being nationally lauded as a hero for saving multiple lives. Ultimately, it’s your decision how you regard no guns allowed signs. As Salvatore said, “Concealment is an art form that takes some work…” Be sure you are an artist.