AZ: Open Carry at Bank in Yuma

Gun Watch ^ | 4 June, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

I had to do some business at a local bank today.   I was reminded that some people find it unusual to openly carry holstered guns into banks.  Of course, we have been conditioned to pay no attention to the practice when someone in a uniform does it.   In the early 1980s, in military uniform, I and a brother-in-law carried full flap holsters into a bank in Madison, Wisconsin.  It was difficult to tell if there were 1911A1 .45 pistols in the holsters or not, and no one blinked.  In any case, it was not against the law. 

Here in Yuma, most banks do not ban the carry of weapons.   They do not wish to lose customers.

The staff at this bank drew the line at taking a picture of an armed man inside the premises.   They stated that for security reasons, it was policy not to take pictures inside.  They had the reasoned reluctance of a bureaucracy to not violate a clear policy themselves, as recorded by a digital device.

Such a policy makes little sense in the age of magnificent smart phone cameras.  I could have taken exceptional video of the entire lobby without anyone knowing, but I did not, because I was asked.   I contented myself with taking the above picture from outside the door.

I shifted the holstered pistol a bit to make sure it was in the picture, and the double image effect comes of using the bank doors as a mirror.    The bright sunshine and blue skies do a credible job of an advertisement for a second amendment friendly bank in Arizona.

Some people believe that federal law forbids the carry of firearms in banks.  I believe that is untrue, thought it is difficult to absolutely know all federal law and regulations.   From my study, if banks ban weapons, it is their choice to do so.   There may be bans at the state level that I am unaware of.  I have not found any in Arizona.   Alert readers are encouraged to cite statutes for other states in this regard. 

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

[marktwain]

Carrying weapons is legal in most banks around the country. There may be a few local laws that prohibit it, but there are not many.

[dware]

There are few places I don’t (can’t) carry mine. They include federal buildings, local, county and state buildings that have metal detectors at the entrance, and any place that posts no weapons. Other than that, I can carry pretty much anywhere, and do. That includes banks.

[T-Bird45]

The subject of OC inside banks caused a minor kerfuffle when the OC law was being considered here in OK a few years ago. It was settled when it was pointed out that the largest bank holding company in the state, Bank of Oklahoma, was also the holding company for banks in AZ and CO where open carry was already the law. The bank said they had no problems in those states and had no reason to expect otherwise here. Common sense prevailed...

[Second Amendment First]

I open carried into the local bank in the mid 70’s and no one thought anything of it. Small town in central Pennsylvania.
A year or two ago a robber was stopped by the president of a small bank in Missouri who was wielding his own sidearm.

[justlurking]

Carrying weapons is legal in most banks around the country. There may be a few local laws that prohibit it, but there are not many.

In Texas, a few banks tried to claim that federal law required them to ban guns on the premises when the CHL law was first passed in the mid-90's.

When asked to cite the law, and notified that they were assuming liability for creating an "attractive nuisance" by announcing that anyone entering/exiting the bank was not armed, almost all of them took down the signs.

You are probably wondering about that last part: it's actually true in Texas, under case law. If you create an environment that is conducive to commission of a crime, you can be held liable.

As far as I know, no one has been held liable for a crime after posting a "no guns" sign in Texas. But, the notification was apparently enough to get the lawyers in a number of big companies to react quickly.

[lulu16]

I live in AZ, and whenever I see a person who is open carrying, I smile at them, or many times talk to them and shake their hand. Sundays seem to be a big open carry day around here.

[SkyDancer]

Walk in and yell “I’m rubbing this bank” then head to the nearest wall and start rubbing it ....

[varon]

Walk in and yell “I’m rubbing this bank” then head to the nearest wall and start rubbing it ....

...........while moaning ooooh baby yeah............

[bobby.223]

No deposits......and make sure to withdraw.