Concealed carry in a US Post Office ??

[rfwobbly]

I understand Federal office buildings are not for carry, but does that apply to Post Offices. I go pick up my mail from my PO box late at night well after business hours and usually pick up some groceries in the same trip. It would help not to have to put it on, take it off, put it on, etc.

Appreciate any insights or thoughts.

 

[okespe04]

You cannot carry in a post office.

 

[MP3Mogul]

I do it anyway.... I don't worry about getting caught. I'd rather be prosecuted for carrying in a post office if I have to shoot! Carrying concealed, they won't know anyway unless I draw to shoot.

 

[Rodentman]

The instructor in our CCW class said the PO was not technically Federal property so carry is allowed.

 

[okespe04]

My instructor for the CHL in Oregon said it was a no go. Must be another gray area. I was always a fan of the COTUS.

 

[psyopspec]

Just when you thought it was safe to come out...

 

[jonnyc]

Rodentman, you need to seek legal advice elsewhere
Illegal to carry in a PO...but I wonder how they'll ever know?

 

[franconialocal]

Clarify

I'm really not in the position of giving FEDERAL law advice, but I would certainly be wary of the statement that "A post office is not TECHNICALLY a federal building". It IS a federal building...period.

It's your choice to carry there or not "wondering if you will get caught", but the law will have little room for interpretation here IMO.

 

[GunLvrNLearner]

NEVER go with the "how will they know" attitude and stick with ONLY carry where permitted,if one is going with the "how will they know" then why even get a permit


It imo also makes us as fighting for gun rights when we refuse or try to "sneak" around laws,I do not take mine into the post office

 

[TAB]

Rather its legal or not... you really, really don't want to mess with the post office.

 

[GunLvrNLearner]

I think i prefer the annoyance,hassle,or lack of hassle to remove my gun to losing my permit,my gun,and possibly the right to ever own a gun again plus a criminal record and fines and jail time,i've never been in jail but i know i do never want to go and i do everything i can to stay out

 

[rfwobbly]

Good point. In Georgia, my right to a CCW permit is based on no convictions.

 

[elderboy02]

You cannot carry a firearm into a post office in Ohio.

 

[Frank Ettin]

Whether or not the Post Office is a federal building is irrelevant. There are specific United States Postal Service regulations, having the force of law, prohibiting guns in a Post Office. See 39 CFR 232.1. See also, http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/Concealed-carry-in-a-post-office-may-lead-to-rude-awakening .

 

[Eightball]

This thought has never occurred to me, but then again I don't frequent PO's much. Good info.

 

[Dienekes]

As I recall, it is only illegal if you are illegally carrying in the first place. So with a proper CCW (or in VT or AK) that would not be an issue. I often run into a deputy sheriff I taught classes with in the PO, and he doesn't seem too interested...

There was a fairly extensive discussion on that on a now defunct CCW board.

There is also "Don't ask, don't tell.

 

[QuickRick]

IF it is in fact illegal to carry in a post office, you are innocent until proven guilty and you said you carry concealed. Chances are you would not need your piece until outside or possibly getting into your vehicle anyway. Better to have and not need than the other way around.

 

[S&Wfan]

Getting caught would be a GREAT time to hire the most expen$ive lawyer you can get to argue your case that a post office is NOT a federal building . . . even though it is protected this way for obvious reasons!

You might even WIN too . . . after taking it to the US Supreme Court and selling all you own to pay your lawyer. Then again . . . you'd most surely lose. Good lawyers get rich this way, win or lose!

Either way, in the end, it might cost you all you've accumulated.

Carry if you wish . . . for if it is concealed, no one should know. Then again, if something goes down while you are in the post office . . . expect to be detained and patted down as the LEOs sort out if anyone else present was involved in the robbery/whatever too! When they find your roscoe you will be in deeeeep sh____tuff!

T.

 

[boomana]

It is illegal to carry in a post office: the post office is a federal building. However, according to Gutmacher's Florida Firearms: Law, Use & Ownership, which covers state and federal laws, the post offices set up in card stores or Mail Box Etc.s are considered "contract post offices" and wholly private. You should be fine to carry there. Maybe that's what your instructor was talking about.

What I find interesting on this and other forums that discuss concealed carry is that there's an increasing trend for folks to casually recommend violating laws while touting the rights of law abiding citizens to carry. Really bad form. I also find it scary that many folks (not necessarily those posting here) have their concealed weapons licenses and/or permits and have not taken the time to learn the laws and rely on internet threads for basic information and advice, some of which, as evidenced by this thread, is just plain bad. It's a right to carry a weapon, but it's also a huge responsibility. C'mon people.

 

[outerlimit]

That's right S&Wfan, because as soon as a robbery takes place, police will be right on the scene. And before you even make it out the door to your car.

I'm getting very close to the point where I don't even care anymore about where I can and where I can't carry. Oh nevermind, I was at that point many years ago. Nevermind.

 

[Bubba613]

I'm getting very close to the point where I don't even care anymore about where I can and where I can't carry. Oh nevermind, I was at that point many years ago. Nevermind.
__________________

Quoted for truth.

All POs are posted, to the best of my knowledge. You cannot legally carry there.
That's what a j-frame in the pocket is for.

 

[harmonic]

As a private citizen you absolutely cannot legally carry into a US Post Office.

If you were to ever have to defend yourself, you'll likely be charged, convicted, and lose your right to ever own another firearm.

 

[Olympus]

I think you'd be better off reading your state statutes regarding the issue. Here in Missouri, it lists a post office as a location where you are prohibited to carry. But in the fine print, it says that if you do decide to carry a weapon into a prohibited location, that it shall NOT be a criminal offense. You can be asked to leave or asked to remove your firearm. If you refuse then you can be cited for a violation for your first time. If it's a second or third then the penalty goes up. So in Missouri you can carry a gun in any of the prohibited places granted you aren't caught...and even if you are and it's your first time, you'll just be asked to leave or to remove your weapon. If you're concealing correctly then it should never even come to that.

 

[PcolaDawg]

In Florida, you are NOT allowed to ccw in a post office or bank. Which is foolish, since those are two places (especially the bank) where you might actually run into an armed assailant bent on doing you harm.

Oh well.

However, as the police officer who gave me this information said, "If you're carrying concealed, they won't know about it anyway".

Be that as it may, if you get caught with a gun peeking out at a bank or a post office, you could be in big trouble, so conduct yourself accordingly.

 

[golden]

You can carry in a bank

In FLORIDA, you can carry a concealed weapon in a bank. It is other financial institutions where you cannot carry concealed. The banks were specified as separate under FLORIDA law.

You cannot carry in a post office. That is a FEDERAL Postal Regulation.

Jim