ThinkProgress pushes Trump to rid Empire of "gun free zones"

Gun Watch ^ | 7 August, 2015 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

ThinkProgress, a far left Internet site, is inadvertently pushing for Donald Trump to rid his commercial empire of "gun free zones".  In an interesting bit of investigative journalism, unnamed workers for Thinkprogress called a number of Trump properties, to inquire if they allowed guns on the premises.  The three that they list as gun free zones are all in Democrat controlled bastions with histories of extremely restrictive gun laws.  One is in Chicago, one in Hawaii, and one in Los Angeles.   From thinkprogress.com:

ThinkProgress spoke with a number of hotels and golf courses in the Trump empire and found that multiple locations were gun-free zones, even for guests with concealed-carry permits.

“No, we don’t allow any firearms in the hotel,” a manager at Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago told ThinkProgress over the phone.

Guns are also banned at Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles. An employee at the course told ThinkProgress that “we don’t allow firearms on the property.” Asked whether that ban applies even to those with a concealed-carry permit, he said that “with a permit we still don’t allow firearms.”

Not so surprisingly, Trump's property in New York City does not ban guns for people with gun permits.  Donald Trump has said that he has a permit to carry a gun.

The ThinkProgress article did not have any pictures of gun ban signs on the properties, so we only have the words of the people who they talked to over the phone about the polices.  They may be correct, but lower level employees are often mistaken about corporate policies.  

How would a guest at a Trump property know that they are not allowed to have a gun, if there are no signs or policy posted?  Gun ownership is very high among the well off and wealthy. 

I spoke to a source from the security department at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago.  He was helpful and gracious.  He confirmed that the hotel had a gun with a slash through it sign on the main entrance, aimed at concealed carry permit holders.   Concealed carry permits became available in Chicago less than two years ago.  Illinois was the last state in the U.S. to pass legislation to allow the legal carry of concealed weapons.

My source corrected the notion that guns are not allowed in the Trump Towers.  He said the hotel does not search guest luggage, and that while you are staying at the hotel, your room is considered your residence.  He stressed that as long as you handled your firearms legally while in your room, the hotel policy did not apply, and that laws concerning the shipping and transportation of firearms were the responsibility of the individual guest.

The Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles did not have a knowledgeable person available for comment.

The staff person at the Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk told me that they could not definitively answer my question.   They were certain, however, that there was no "gun free zone" or "no guns" sign on the hotel entrance.

The likely outcome of the ThinkProgress complaint about Trump is that he will remove any gun free zones on properties that he has control over.  Properties and management contracts can be complex, so it is not certain that a property with "Trump" in its name is under the control of Donald Trump the presidential candidate. 

Concealed carry permits are almost non-existent in Hawaii, very limited in Los Angeles, and have only been available in Chicago for a year and a half.

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

If ThinkProgress wants to push Donald Trump to solidify his conservative positions, so be it.

[Catsrus]

It isn’t as simple as that.

[Does so]

So NOW they’re doing “investigative-reporting”...

[Gaffer]

Nothing to do with Trump, but I think we need a Federal law that mandates that for every “Gun Free Zone” sign posted in this country, it must be accompanied by an “Illegal Alien Free Zone” sign.

[Above My Pay Grade]

They are demonstrating that Trump is not even remotely “pro-gun” and bans them even where the government does not.

No surprise given that in his book he said he favors a ban on “assault weapons” and a 3 day waiting period on all gun purchases and blasted the GOP for “walking the NRA line” and refusing “even limited restrictions”.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Donald_Trump_Gun_Control.htm

[Above My Pay Grade]

I appreciate getting as many relevant, documented facts as possible, regardless of the source.

Do you want a gun grabber to be our next President?

[Does so]

My point was, that the media doesn’t investigate Obama, while Republicans are attacked. How much control Trump has against New York laws (or his franchises) remain to be seen.

[Zeppo]

Gun-free zones at Trump properties is not really a valid 2nd Amendment concern - after all, Trump companies are not “the government”, and “the government” is not Trump properties.

However past anti-gun-freedom remarks by Trump are fair game, however.

[Zeppo]

(and repeating “however” in a sentence should be a firing offense - so I guess that “I’m fired”)

[telstar12.5]

You’ve got a gun-grabber now.

[LS]

I’m mixed on this. Does your constitutional right to carry a guy negate my constitutional right to run my business the way I see fit? Hard to argue that bakers can’t refuse service to homosexuals then say any business can’t require weapons to be checked at the door.

[LS]

Nice one.

[LS]

True. I think there are some serious, fundamental conflicts between constitutionally guaranteed rights when it comes to how you run your business.

[CurlyDave]

I appreciate getting as many relevant, documented facts as possible, regardless of the source.

Do you want a gun grabber to be our next President?

What facts did you see in the published article? I saw opinions from low level employees. The misinformation people at that level have is amazing.

Even if there are "no guns" signs, it does not mean that they apply to legal concealed carriers. In most states, the size, shape, wording and even color of these signs is specified by statute and very few meet the real requirements.

Although, now that the issue has come up, I am waiting to see if Trump will respond.

[marktwain]

I agree. If a business wants to ban me from carrying a gun there, that is there business.

Donald Trump has come out against gun free zones several times.

I doubt that he even knows about the door sign in Chicago.

I see very little evidence that the Golf course is a gun free zone, and the article stated that the Hawaii hotel did not have a no gun sign on the door.