TexasCHLforum.com

After reading about some of the negative experiences of some other CHL holders, I thought I would share my rather uneventful experience at the Fair. My wife and I, along with my sister and her husband, arrived at the fairgrounds at about 3:00 on Sunday. We entered throught the Pan-Am gate on the North/Northeast side. (At MLK Jr. Blvd & Washington St.) It wasn't very crowded at all, and as we walked up, one of the fair employees asked me if I had any weapons. I told her I did, and she asked for my CHL. I handed it to her, she glanced at it and handed it back. She told me to keep it out and show it to the officer inside the gate. We purchased our tickets and walked in. Nobody was being wanded, so we proceded in and I put my CHL back in my pocket. That's it. No one tried to take down my information or hassle me. No problems.

We went on to enjoy the fair, including the dog dancing, pig races, & fried butter. We even had to wait in line for an extra long time because Oprah showed up and they stopped serving us so they could prepare food for her. So if you hear any booing when they air that segment, it was us!

That experience seems to mirror my experience in years past. Obviously their record information policy is not being consistently followed. Hopefully they'll drop that requirement officially.

It seems that what gate you enter, who you talk too, what day it is, what time it is, who is wanding (or not), are various determining factors on whether you are allowed hassle free entrance to the Fair. I have no problems with the way you were treated, and I am glad you were able to have a good time and enjoy the Fair. This should be the UNIFORM policy at all gates. Show your CHL to a LEO (if necessary), nothing recorded, and off you go.

If someone asks if I have any weapons, I'm going to ask them if they are a LEO, and when they say "no", I'm going to reply "no" to their question under the assumption that they mean "illegal" weapons. None of their business otherwise. Telling a non-LEO that I'm carrying a weapon equates to un-concealing, as far as I'm concerned, and my license states I'm only allowed to carry concealed.

So, essentially you'll be breaking the law if a civilian asks such a question and you answer in the affirmative.

I would appreciate it if one our experts could confirm this.

It seems to make sense to me.

I don't recall in my CHL training that a civilian can be deputized to lawfully allow this question and answer scenario.

Believe me, I'm no lawyer, but I'm just applying the old logical conclusion with the limited brain cells the Good Lord gave me. I bet one of our resident honorable Solicitors has answered the same question somewhere in this massive forum database in the past...

tfrazier wrote:If someone asks if I have any weapons, I'm going to ask them if they are a LEO, and when they say "no", I'm going to reply "no" to their question under the assumption that they mean "illegal" weapons. None of their business otherwise. Telling a non-LEO that I'm carrying a weapon equates to un-concealing, as far as I'm concerned, and my license states I'm only allowed to carry concealed.

That would have normally been my response, except I was planning on telling them anyway, since I thought I would be wanded.

tfrazier wrote:Believe me, I'm no lawyer, but I'm just applying the old logical conclusion with the limited brain cells the Good Lord gave me. I bet one of our resident honorable Solicitors has answered the same question somewhere in this massive forum database in the past...

Huh?

Just because it makes sense does not make it the law. It'd be nice though...