CLAYTON • An attorney forgot he had a handgun in his briefcase Monday as he tried to pass through security at the St. Louis County courthouse in Clayton, said Clayton Police Chief Tom Byrne. Clayton police brought the attorney to their station and verified that he had a concealed carry permit. "He said he'd never do it again, it was an oversight," Byrne said. By law, all officers could do was ask him to leave, which he did, Byrne said. He was not charged or arrested, Byrne said. The incident came as the legislature is considering a bill that would allow attorneys to bypass courthouse security. Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...8a6-11e1-a4fc-0019bb30f31a.html#ixzz1oVCUhWK9 My problem with this story is if this was a regular person they would be fighting a case right now. I thought that carrying in a court house or school zone was a automatic felony. Now in my CCW class we were told that if we carried in a store that didn't want fire arms in there the most the police could do was ask you to leave. Court room was no where on this list. This is bs.
I disagree. I think a regular citizen would have had a very similar experience. If you carry into a courthouse, you are subject to the policy as ruled by the presiding judge. Most courthouses do not allow firearms inside but, as there is no provision of Missouri law for a criminal penalty, one can only be asked to leave if they have a gun in the courthouse. It is not illegal to carry a gun into a school or a courthouse in Missouri IF, and only if, you have a Missouri CCW permit. In fact, it is ONLY illegal to carry a gun into two places in Missouri: Any building owned or controlled by the federal government and public buses or trains. That said, there are 17 places listed in Chapter 571.107 RSMo. The possession of any permit does not authorize one to carry into those locations but it is NOT a criminal offense to carry into those locations. One can only be asked to leave. How could someone "forget" they were carrying a gun?
I dont know how in the world he for got he was carrying. I will look up that code so I can read about what you are talking about. I thought carrying in places like that is against the law. You got a link to that, if not I'll Google it. I plan to foward this article to all the CCW people I know see what they think. You guys could be right.
Here is the link to the entire law. You will want to scroll down to section 571.107. http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/chapters/chap571.htm
