Post Office Carry

[ScubaSigGuy]

Not intending to be insenstiive or offend anyone but, It would seem that this rule is to protect the emplyees from other disgruntled employees.

Then there's the point that a disgruntled postal employee intent on killing people is not likely to be swayed by a federal regulation saying he can't have his gun there. But we must make sure people can't defend themselves on federal property! Perhaps the $50 fine will deter him!

Makes perfect sense to me!

Exactly.

So many of the places that we can't carry don't make sense.

[Abraham]

If I understand this correctly, I have to park my vehicle off P.O. property, disarm and then I can legally go into the P.O.?

[longtooth]

That is what I do at our main PO. Go there VERY seldom.
I know this has been thrashed & borders on .
The saying is If it is concealed who will ever know.
Extreemly crowded & tight parking lot. Ever have anyone back into you?? Or worse, ever bump someone else.??

Officer: Could I see you ID please.
CHLer: DL, POI, CHL & I am armed. (On the PO parking lot).

The above is far more likely than Needing it to stop someone going postal & later haveing to explain "saving the day."

[Velocity]

Let me throw a couple of monkey wrenches into the mix....

...or here's some others :

There is a post office "window" in a building lobby in downtown Houston. As far as I know, the entire rest of the building is leased by businesses, and you can't technically walk "into" the PO as there is ONLY a window. Is walking up to the window off limits? Is being in the building at all off limits? I suspect (but do not know for sure) that the building leases the space to the post office.

Another one - there is a hardware store in NW Houston that has a post office window in it as well. Is this entire hardware store off limits, or just walking up to the window, or nothing at all?

Both these are official US post office "windows", staffed by postal employees.

[frankie_the_yankee]

Let me throw a couple of monkey wrenches into the mix....

...or here's some others :

There is a post office "window" in a building lobby in downtown Houston. As far as I know, the entire rest of the building is leased by businesses, and you can't technically walk "into" the PO as there is ONLY a window. Is walking up to the window off limits? Is being in the building at all off limits? I suspect (but do not know for sure) that the building leases the space to the post office.

Another one - there is a hardware store in NW Houston that has a post office window in it as well. Is this entire hardware store off limits, or just walking up to the window, or nothing at all?

Both these are official US post office "windows", staffed by postal employees.

Do these places have typical PO "ghostbuster" signage?

If not I would carry as normal.

If they do, I'd simply not use them.

In the rare event that I had to "out" myself in the parking lot, I wouldn't worry all that much about local LEO being hot to enforce federal law.

Especially since it's just a $50 fine.

[switch]

That would make the offense about the equilvalent of a Class C misdomeanor....

PC § 12.22. CLASS B MISDEMEANOR. An individual adjudged guilty of a Class B misdemeanor shall be punished by:
(1) a fine not to exceed $2,000;
(2) confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days; or
(3) both such fine and confinement.

PC § 12.23. CLASS C MISDEMEANOR. An individual adjudged guilty of a Class C misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $500.

A 30-day term would be somewhere in between.

The important thing is that it would not be close to equivalent to a class A.

- Jim

Not exactly. A Class C does NOT include jail time. I think it is equivalent of a Class B (up to 6 months in jail), a Class A provides for up to a year in jail. It will cost me my CHL for 7 years, if convicted.

[TxFire]

Can a local LEO enforce this Federal Law? If so, are they likely to?

[longtooth]

Probably cant. They can hold you while they call FBI. I bet the response time is not 30 minutes when local PD calls.

[GlockenHammer]

Can a local LEO enforce this Federal Law? If so, are they likely to?

What they can do is detain you and contact the correct Federal authorities.

On the "$50 and up to 30 days in jail", be careful. Another Federal Agency with which I am familiar has similar language regarding the penalties for violating the regulations (CFR). However, in the criminal code (USC), there is a law against violating any regulation of that Agency and provides for up to 1 year in jail and a fine upwards of $1,000. If the PO has a similar entry in the USC, you could find yourself in some pretty hot water, especially if you drew the ire of the the Feds responsible for prosecuting your case (and/or they were very Liberal/anti-gun). Yet another reason to tread lightly around Uncle Sam.

[Velocity]

Let me throw a couple of monkey wrenches into the mix....

...or here's some others :

There is a post office "window" in a building lobby in downtown Houston. As far as I know, the entire rest of the building is leased by businesses, and you can't technically walk "into" the PO as there is ONLY a window. Is walking up to the window off limits? Is being in the building at all off limits? I suspect (but do not know for sure) that the building leases the space to the post office.

Another one - there is a hardware store in NW Houston that has a post office window in it as well. Is this entire hardware store off limits, or just walking up to the window, or nothing at all?

Both these are official US post office "windows", staffed by postal employees.

Do these places have typical PO "ghostbuster" signage?

If not I would carry as normal.

If they do, I'd simply not use them.

Nope, they do not, and I do..

[LedJedi]

Personally, if I were ever on jury where someone were charged with violating a regulation or rule, I would hang the jury before I convicted them. (And no, I'm not inclined to become a test case myself.)

+ 10

< Insert thing I should probably not say publicly here. >

[Reloader]

If i understand the situation now, the PO is only hiring PRE-gruntled employees...

[shaggydog]

If i understand the situation now, the PO is only hiring PRE-gruntled employees...

Is it not a fact that, in order to be disgruntled one must FIRST be gruntled? (Hoo boy! This is gonna start a snowball)

[txinvestigator]

That is what I do at our main PO. Go there VERY seldom.
I know this has been thrashed & borders on .
The saying is If it is concealed who will ever know.
Extreemly crowded & tight parking lot. Ever have anyone back into you?? Or worse, ever bump someone else.??

Officer: Could I see you ID please.
CHLer: DL, POI, CHL & I am armed. (On the PO parking lot).

The above is far more likely than Needing it to stop someone going postal & later haveing to explain "saving the day."

Most Texas police don't investigate private property accidents. ;)

[txinvestigator]

Can a local LEO enforce this Federal Law? If so, are they likely to?

What they can do is detain you and contact the correct Federal authorities.

On the "$50 and up to 30 days in jail", be careful. Another Federal Agency with which I am familiar has similar language regarding the penalties for violating the regulations (CFR). However, in the criminal code (USC), there is a law against violating any regulation of that Agency and provides for up to 1 year in jail and a fine upwards of $1,000. If the PO has a similar entry in the USC, you could find yourself in some pretty hot water, especially if you drew the ire of the the Feds responsible for prosecuting your case (and/or they were very Liberal/anti-gun). Yet another reason to tread lightly around Uncle Sam.

No, a Texas LEO cannot "detain" you for violation of a federal law. Unless you can show me the law that grants them said authority.