A “no guns” sign posted at the entrance of a private business does not necessarily mean the same thing in every state, and according to the hosts of Gun Owners Radio, concealed-carry permit holders need to understand an important distinction between a business owner’s request and a location where firearms are prohibited by law.
Gun Owners Radio host Michael Schwartz and cohosts Alisha Curtin and Dakota Adelphia discussed that distinction in a recent segment prompted by developments in Hawaii, where a gun-control advocacy group and a Honolulu law firm were distributing signs to businesses that wanted to prohibit firearms on their property after a court fight over the state’s restrictions on carrying guns on private property.
Schwartz emphasized that their discussion was not an instruction to disregard signs or firearm laws, and the hosts repeatedly urged gun owners to know the rules in their own states because the legal effect of a posted sign can change significantly depending on where someone is carrying.
Hawaii Case Puts Private Businesses In The Spotlight
The discussion began with a news clip explaining that businesses in Hawaii were being offered free “no guns” signs after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii rule that had generally prohibited firearms on private property open to the public unless the property owner expressly allowed them.
Schwartz referred to that approach as the “vampire rule,” a phrase used in gun-rights circles for laws that require affirmative permission before a person may carry onto private property…