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I have a quick question for all of you in the Houston area. My family and I are wanting to tour NASA. I am going to be in transit and will be carrying, so no where to leave my pistol. So, can I leave my gun in the car at space center houston? I know I can't bring a weapon into the actual JSC, but what about the parking lot of Space Center Houston?

There was an earlier post about JSC, but only one short post about the Space Center Houston parking lot and I just need a bit of clarity.

Space Center Houston is officially on federally owned property (JSC), so it is legally off limits also. I have that issue when I attend the balloon festival down there, so end up having to leave it in the room or locked in a safety deposit box at the hotel.

yea and nasa security is more then just rent-a-cops.i wouldnt try it.

alvins wrote:yea and nasa security is more then just rent-a-cops.i wouldnt try it.

Yeah they look pretty serious with their MP5 (or a reasonable facsimile) across their chest and a P229 on their belt.

I wonder about the federal ownership though, prior to 9-11 we went for a homeschool day, there were no warning signs posted, no searches nor metal detectors until we went to the Mission Control center. We were told by security that no bags or weapons were allowed beyond the lobby and to secure anything like that in the lockers and take the key. Myself and at least two other dads discreetly removed our fanny packs (yes...fanny packs ) and secured them in the lockers.

When we completed the tour, we came out, retrieved our respective man purses and went on the tram for the rest of the day. All of this in full view of the truly serious looking security personnel. Now some may have been more twitchy if there were Crossbreeds being chunked in there.

I would hate to think I was in violation of Federal law but they specifically mentioned weapons and didn't bat an eye.

Added in Edit:

NASA is not a federal agency though they are funded largely by the Feds and answer to the vice POTUS. They are a government contractor.

Interestingly Space Center Houston (the visitors center) says on their site:

Space Center Houston wrote:Space Center Houston is the Official Visitors Center of NASA's Johnson Space Center, which is the home of astronaut training and Mission Control. We are a separate 501(c)(3) organization, not a government agency.

But on a thread discussing the Rice lease myth, there were links to both deeds for the major purchases by the Federal Government. So the land is definitely Federal.

well my uncle and grandpa both were millitary police at kennedy space center. Maybe i can ask them about it.

Thank you all for your comments. I went ahead and made 'arrangements' to leave my lc9 behind, boy did it feel odd and unsettling. In hind site, I think it would have been fine to have left it in the space center houston parking lot, but I definitely wouldn't carry inside. The security personnel at SCH all appear to work for a private company. Private or not, they have glocks and appear pretty serious. Regardless, I'm not one for breaking the law. OASN, the tram tour was hot as hades.

well its not like jsc is in the middle of the ghetto or somthing anyway.i cant believe yuppie clearlake was that scarry?

alvins wrote:well its not like jsc is in the middle of the ghetto or somthing anyway.i cant believe yuppie clearlake was that scarry?

Yes, because criminals and nut cases never visit the "nice part of town..."

alvins wrote:well its not like jsc is in the middle of the ghetto or somthing anyway.i cant believe yuppie clearlake was that scarry?

No, cuz' stuff like this never happens there:

In the Clear Lake area (NASA, south of Houston) today [July 25] at 10:55 a.m. four men robbed a bank branch inside a Randall's store at Space Center and Clear Lake City Boulevards. Three of the men were reportedly armed with shotguns....

viewtopic.php?f=108&t=47040" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This crime was never closed, as far as I know. Maybe the robbers were caught doing something else. Maybe not.

- Jim

Dragonfighter wrote:NASA is not a federal agency though they are funded largely by the Feds and answer to the vice POTUS. They are a government contractor.

NASA most certainly is a federal agency, and JSC is federal property. Firearms are completely prohibited: JSC employees aren't even allowed to leave firearms in their cars when on site.

ctb5 wrote:

Dragonfighter wrote:NASA is not a federal agency though they are funded largely by the Feds and answer to the vice POTUS. They are a government contractor.

NASA most certainly is a federal agency, and JSC is federal property. Firearms are completely prohibited: JSC employees aren't even allowed to leave firearms in their cars when on site.

No argument here about the property. This may seem like splitting hairs but NASA (formerly NACA) was formed as a civilian entity contracted for flight test with an end toward space exploration. In that they operate under the auspices and with funding and authority of the Federal Government. Kind of like the IRS being an entity of the Federal reserve but operates with authority of the Federal Government.

I do not have enough knowledge of the "rules" that JSC has always operated under (rules having the force of law IIRC) but they definitely were aware of the CHL's in the late nineties because of the procedure I described. What if anything has changed I am not sure but at least on a procedural basis they accommodated us by having us secure such things in lockers before entering secured areas like mission control.

I just returned from Space Center Houston (after leaving my handgun at home). The visitor center is operated by the Space education foundation and is across Saturn Lane from the JSC. They have lots of signs telling people no weapons, a bag check station, and a 30.06 sign very high and to the right of the entrance doors. I believe the parking lot is OK.

Do to weather the trams got shutdown and I heard that I could actually drive to rocket park which would have taken me onto JSC property (the entrance to the parking lot is about 10 feet past the security gate) at which point it would not have been ok.

CharlieH wrote:I just returned from Space Center Houston (after leaving my handgun at home). The visitor center is operated by the Space education foundation and is across Saturn Lane from the JSC. They have lots of signs telling people no weapons, a bag check station, and a 30.06 sign very high and to the right of the entrance doors. I believe the parking lot is OK.

Do to weather the trams got shutdown and I heard that I could actually drive to rocket park which would have taken me onto JSC property (the entrance to the parking lot is about 10 feet past the security gate) at which point it would not have been ok.

Space Center Houston is actually on federal property, so even the parking lot is officially off limits