Poteet Strawberry Festival NO CHL ALLOWED

[Rokyudai]

Interesting conversation today with an event staff over the phone. My family and I were going to drive from San Antonio to Poteet to see what the Poteet Strawberry Festival had to offer. I called ahead after finding the website did not contain any specific information on licensed carry of concealed handgun into the festival.

I spoke with a polite woman who informed me that no guns were allowed at the festival. I asked if this also included those who have been licensed to carry concealed. She put me on hold and spoke to security and this is a brief synopsis of the 'logic'.


Woman: Sir, I spoke with security and no guns regardless are allowed in the festival. There is no reason to bring a gun as this is a family festival. We also have a liquor license.

Rok: Mam, I appreciate that you want to create a family atmosphere and believe everyone will be safe with a policy like this. I do however want you to know that those who have obtained a license to carry concealed have been deemed legal to carry and the fact you have a license to sell alcohol on the premises is not in itself grounds to bar those with a CHL. Do you mean to tell me that the festivals majority profit comes from the sale of alcohol? Mam, I think you should post this policy on your website to let those who have a CHL know prior to coming to the festival.

Woman: Well sir, this is the first time this question has come up in 20 years and I doubt it will again.

Rok: I disagree but I will make sure to let my friends, family, (and fellow CHL'ers) know so that they do not violate your policy (and spend their money elsewhere).

She was dismissive and obviously her and security are woefully misinformed and live in a bit of a haze to say the least. I will be composing a letter after this post (and a few other posts on other forums).

If anyone in or near Poteet can confirm visually any 30.06's or have had similar experience let us know. If anyone would like to submit a respectable letter to the festival coordinators, here is some contact info:

Poteet Strawberry Festival Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 227
Poteet, TX 78065

toll free 1.888.742.8144
(p) 830.276.3323 (the number I called after toll free failed)
carol-rivera@sbcglobal.net
( I cannot confirm this is who I spoke to, but this is the contact email for the festival from the website)


Thanks! By the way...kind of funny that in one breath she mentions it is a family-oriented festival and no guns are allowed, but apparently intoxicated adults are safer to be around.....

[frankie_the_yankee]

JMO, but I think we would all have been better off if you had just let sleeping dogs lie. One thing you may have "accomplished" is that if they didn't have 30.06 signs before, they will probably put them up now.

I would say if you go to the website and don't see any "no guns" stuff, it's probably OK to carry. And if you get there and it isn't, you can just leave the gun in your car.

That's why the lady was proabably right when she told you that this was the first time such a question came up in 20 years or so.

Sometimes it's possible to be too careful. If you have a CHL, carry your gun when you want to, live your life how you want to, and deal with situations as they come up. Look around hard enough trying to find problems and you will probably succeed.

In another thread, a fellow CHL'er took it upon himself to inform the operators of some kind of event (a gun show I think) that their "no guns" signs were not 30.06 compliant and were not enforceable. So they thanked him and said they would henceforth make sure their signs did conform to 30.06 so they would be enforceable from now on.

Another "big win" for our side, hey?

The general rule is that if you ask someone if they allow guns, unless they have a clear policy established one way or the other, they are going to reflexively say "No." And no amount of "CHL's are good guys" arguments are going to change their minds.

[bdickens]

Yeah. If they're not posted with a 30.06 sign, then their "No Guns" policy does not apply to a CHL holder. Practice good opsec and keep you mouth shut. What they don't know won't hurt you. The only two people who need to know you're carrying are yourself and God.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Does anyone know if this event is held on government-owned property?

Chas.

[Rokyudai]

Hey guys and gals, thanks once again for the 'tough love'.... I expected several (if not many) to respond as such and that is fine. Sure, attempting to inquire and inform can backfire and result in adding another off limits place. IF that's the case, I will avoid them altogether. I do not want to come off as a foaming at the mouth 2nd Amendment advocate who shoves this down every person's throat, rather, I try to find opportunities to dispel the misconceptions and educate those ignorant to licensed concealed carry. It does not always work, but that can be said for many issues that people choose to challenge. The dedicated will not necessarily quit just because they had a set back. I am not on a personal crusade, but, can we agree that enlightening the public is better than keeping our mouths closed and letting the status quo remain?

I read stories all the time on this and other forums of those who have "converted" another or "recruited" another into the RKBA dogma. We all slap each other on the back and applaud others for doing this (I am no exception). We aren't the Masons after all. Our ways aren't secretive. It's more a matter of presenting a positive image, educating, and understanding that our dollars are at work in the local, state, and federal economy as well and ultimately getting the bigger picture.

(stumbles off his soap box amidst the boos and hisses)

I did have a different experience about a month ago when I needed to go to Austin to a small convention center. I asked the owner over the phone who was very happy to receive a call and had no problem with licensed concealed carry. It's incremental progress, but progress nonetheless....

Thank you again folks...

[frankie_the_yankee]

In addition, you now can no longer carry legally to the place regardless of if they have 30.06 signs or not, because you now have been given effective oral notice. You dug yourself a hole

Note that he can't, but we still can. That's because anything we may read here is hearsay as far as the law is concerned. No one representing the festival has told me anything as far as I know.

[stevie_d_64]

In addition, you now can no longer carry legally to the place regardless of if they have 30.06 signs or not, because you now have been given effective oral notice. You dug yourself a hole

Ta-Daaahhh! Bingo...And all that stuff...

And for the record, I'm not booing and hissing at the original effort here...

There is a growing sense of frustration in our community that is culminating in this inquisitive trend to "ask" about this issue where it is unclear to the CHL'er to the event or facilities policy regarding the carrying of a firearm (for lawful, self-defensive purposes) in their event or facility...We all know the law and the facilities/events that are clear to us, so we already know what to do and act accordingly...

We all kinda know what the solution is to all of this, yet it is very clear that it will not happen overnight, and some of this may never be totally cleared up...

I say we all continue to make the effort to do what we feel comfortable with in our lives, and keep the rest of our friends here informed of these issues and occurances so that we all are basically on the same page when it comes to this sort of obstacle...

[Rokyudai]

In addition, you now can no longer carry legally to the place regardless of if they have 30.06 signs or not, because you now have been given effective oral notice. You dug yourself a hole

Ta-Daaahhh! Bingo...And all that stuff...

Oh well. I knew this was a possibility. Guess I will have to buy my Strawberry Jam at the store like everyone else.

[NcongruNt]

Does anyone know if this event is held on government-owned property?

Chas.

Right, those were my thoughts.

If the festival is held in the street, a park, or any other publicly owned space, then whether or not they say CHL is prohibited is a moot point. I seriously doubt a strawberry festival as a whole would be 51%, so i doubt that applies here either. You can always contact TABC and inquire to the type of license given to the festival. If part of the festival is held on private establishments (such as restaurants, shops, markets, etc) then I believe that the owners of those venues still hold control of their establishments and would have to post 30.06 signage or give verbal notice for a CHL ban to be effective (with the exception of bars, which would be off-limits per the 51% rule). If the entirety or a portion of the festival is held on privately-leased land, then that land can be effectively posted 30.06, and the verbal notice given to Rokyudai is legally binding (to him) at the venues controlled by the festival organization.

[stevie_d_64]

In addition, you now can no longer carry legally to the place regardless of if they have 30.06 signs or not, because you now have been given effective oral notice. You dug yourself a hole

Ta-Daaahhh! Bingo...And all that stuff...

Oh well. I knew this was a possibility. Guess I will have to buy my Strawberry Jam at the store like everyone else.

I'm sorry, I didn't edit quick enough...mea culpa...

You did what you felt compelled to do out of a legitimate concern, and I applaud your effort, yet it was predictable what the outcome would be...

BTW, Pasadena has a Strawberry festival too...Guess what I do, when the "Wife Unit" wants to go???

[stevie_d_64]

http://www.strawberryfestival.com/main.cfm/115

I found this to be rather...mmmmm...[can't say, but I can think it!]

BTW, looking at the website for the event, it sure does look like the event is not on any goverment owned or leased property...Looks fairly private to me...

[NcongruNt]

http://www.strawberryfestival.com/main.cfm/115

I found this to be rather...mmmmm...[can't say, but I can think it!]

BTW, looking at the website for the event, it sure does look like the event is not on any goverment owned or leased property...Looks fairly private to me...

Yeah, I couldn't find any detail as to whether the festival grounds are publicly or privately owned. If I were wanting to go, I'd make a call to the city offices in Poteet on monday and inquire there. As big as the festival is and as long as it has been running, it's quite possible that the grounds may be publicly-owned. It's also quite possible that the association owns the grounds, but there's no way to tell with the information at hand.

[boomerang]

It doesn't look like a street festival.
Maybe the Poteet Strawberry Festival Association, Inc® owns the land but I don't see Atascosa County property tax records online so it's not as easy as figuring out who owns property in Harris County through HCAD.

If the festival is held in the street, a park, or any other publicly owned space, then whether or not they say CHL is prohibited is a moot point. I seriously doubt a strawberry festival as a whole would be 51%, so i doubt that applies here either.

I hope a "family atmosphere" strawberry festival doesn't get more than half their money from alcohol sales!

[Rokyudai]

I found it interesting that one of the activities listed on the website for the festival was Old West Cowboy Shooting reenactments. The quote was something to the effect... when you hear the gunshots, run on over to....so and so's Insurance Company booth for wild west gun fights!


Did anybody just hear on the nightly news tonight that a shooting occurred in an amusement park parking lot in Orlando Florida??? Hmmm....