Would this sign work for our Church

[rtschl]

lonewolfjustin, welcome to the forum. You'll find we are diverse in our opinions here but tend to not want either sign up. A lot of us do not care as much about 30.07 as we do about 30.06 for obvious reasons and that is the camp I am in. I do not believe a business, church, person who does not want open carry is necessarily anti gun or anti personal protection/safety.

At my church we do not post either sign, but we will give oral notice asking the person to conceal or to go lock up their gun in their vehicle. At first we considered a printed card to hand out, but decided we did not need to spend the money on something we could handle with kind and personal interaction with someone who was open carrying.

[Excaliber]

I look on 30.06 as a very unwise posting. It directly increases the likelihood of a violent incident at a location because it advertises vulnerability and the absence of effective defenses. This is a "c'mon in" invitation to bad guys. It's similar to putting a "doors never locked" sign on your house and thinking it will prevent burglary.

To me, 30.07 is simply a way to express a dress code for a premises (sorta like: "no shirt / no shoes / no service") and nothing to get all hot and bothered about from either side.

[Embalmo]

My pastor has decided against open carry, but has decided against posting a sign indicating such. I believe this is wise because any sign that seems the least but anti-gun would be a magnet for any would be assailant.

[lonewolfjustin]

Thank you everyone for your great ideas. I definitly have some good arguements to make on behalf of taking the signs down. I originally thought, "oops, I might have posted to the wrong spot and got people angry." Thanks giving me some sound advice on this topic. Several points yall brought up haven't even been addressed in the meetings, which definitly need to be. I look forward to using this forum in the future with other topics :)

[steveincowtown]

Welcome to the forum, but I don't think that many people in this forum will be willing to help someone post a legal anti gun poster. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe most of us would prefer it if they posted a non enforceable sign than an enforceable one.

I hear what you are saying Liberty, I am pro carrying and the church is as well. They just aren't ready for open carry yet. I thought this forum was all things Texas CHL pro and cons and where you could get advice regarding legal issues conserning gun laws. I guess I came to the wrong place, I apologize...

Don't worry about a sign. Outside the Church very, very few LTCers are open carrying. I would suspect inside the church that amount will be zero. If it does come up, and you don't want OC in the church, just give polite verbal notice.

[oljames3]

To clarify, First Baptist Church in Elgin, Texas, politely asks that no one carry openly in the sanctuary. Sanctuary only. No signs. Authorized persons will provide spoken effective notice, if needed. I carry openly everywhere I go on FBC property, only concealing before I enter the sanctuary. Works for us.

[Pawpaw]

Maybe you should put up signs like this:

[vjallen75]

I go to Gateway Church in North Richland Hills and they have several campuses around the metroplex.

They posted on their website that they would not allow open carry because they don't want to scare anyone away. They do have 30.07 signs posted on all campuses. It does not offend me that the sign is up, I agree with saying it's a "dress code" thing. Open Carrying isn't a new thing yet so people aren't fully ok with seeing a gun on someone's hip/shoulder.

I think everyone has given him some great points to argue with about CC/OC and I hope they make the best decision for their congregation.

[vjallen75]

Maybe you should put up signs like this:

Concealed Carry Sign.jpg

IF I ever own my own business I'll post this for sure!

[Liberty]

Double post deleted

[Liberty]

1. Have you had any issues with persons carrying concealed handguns in the past? If not, and you can be certain that dozens are lawfully doing so for their own and your protection during every large service, don't worry about it - it's not a problem so it doesn't need a solution

If there hasn't been an issue then It's a solution looking for a problem. The signs rub me the wrong way, Sorta like saying "We don't want your kind here" and appears threatning and unfriendly even to a non carrier. Most CHL holders understand the right to restrict gun carry into a place. Many of us who don't particularly open carry still resent the fact that they are openly told they can not.

In the unlikely event that someone does enter openly carrying all that need to be done is to politely ask that they cover it up. This will have the same legal effect as the sign.[/quote]

[SewTexas]

many churches have an 07 sign from what I've seen. I don't have a problem with it. As long as it's not accompanied with an 06 sign.

[Liberty]

many churches have an 07 sign from what I've seen. I don't have a problem with it. As long as it's not accompanied with an 06 sign.

I just hate the idea of helping them out picking up an enforcible sign. Seems traitorous to me.

[imkopaka]

Realistically I am against open carry in church for no other reason than it is a distraction. You are there to worship, pray, and learn about God, and none of those things are going to happen if you are constantly glancing at the guy with the gun on his hip. I open carry almost everywhere I go, but never to church; I never want to be a distraction to those trying to enter the presence of God.

The only reason to post a compliant 30.07 sign instead of a non-compliant sign is to allow criminal charges against open carriers...and even then only if the church staff is too afraid to say anything to their face.

In my opinion the best route to take would be a small, non-compliant sign at the main entrance(s) asking open carriers to cover up. Something like,
"Please help us create a distraction-free environment for worship by concealing lawfully carried firearms in the sanctuary. Thank you."
If anyone open carries anyway, have a member of the usher team (or a member of pastoral staff, security team, etc, depending on the size of your church) politely tell them that they need to conceal it or secure it in their car.

[vjallen75]

Realistically I am against open carry in church for no other reason than it is a distraction. You are there to worship, pray, and learn about God, and none of those things are going to happen if you are constantly glancing at the guy with the gun on his hip. I open carry almost everywhere I go, but never to church; I never want to be a distraction to those trying to enter the presence of God.

The only reason to post a compliant 30.07 sign instead of a non-compliant sign is to allow criminal charges against open carriers...and even then only if the church staff is too afraid to say anything to their face.

In my opinion the best route to take would be a small, non-compliant sign at the main entrance(s) asking open carriers to cover up. Something like,
"Please help us create a distraction-free environment for worship by concealing lawfully carried firearms in the sanctuary. Thank you."
If anyone open carries anyway, have a member of the usher team (or a member of pastoral staff, security team, etc, depending on the size of your church) politely tell them that they need to conceal it or secure it in their car.

I completely agree with what you say 100% -- I was going to say the exact thing except I didn't want to spark the religious debate. Although my license hasn't issued yet, I do believe open carrying in church would cause distractions especially to younger kids just getting into "adult" church. My 12 year old wouldn't sit still if he saw someone with a gun on their hip at church.

Thanks for your post!!