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Can you conceal carry at the George R Brown Convention Center in Houston. I believe it is owned by the City.

in January I attended the Houston Marathon Expo at the GRB. The entrances to the GRB were not posted, however, on the 3rd floor, at the top of the escalators were two enormous signs; one 30.06 and the other 30.07.

On marathon day, they had the entrances to the GRB posted because they use the entire bottom floor for the marathon. They also had installed security fences to section off parts of the roadways and sidewalks for spectators at the finish line. The entrances to the fenced off areas were posted.

The Houston Marathon Committee had the signs posted for their event. They had several uniformed police officers around for security purposes.

The GRB is city owned. My guess is that some events at the GRB choose to post and some don't.

Thanks, this is for the School Board convention. Odds are they will post it.

NTexCopRetired wrote:Thanks, this is for the School Board convention. Odds are they will post it.

If possible, I'd pay to park in the garage across the street. If you choose to leave your gun in the car, it's more secure than street parking. Plus if you carry up to the convention and then see the signs posted and choose to go back to your car to disarm, it's a shorter walk.

allisji wrote:

NTexCopRetired wrote:Thanks, this is for the School Board convention. Odds are they will post it.

If possible, I'd pay to park in the garage across the street. If you choose to leave your gun in the car, it's more secure than street parking. Plus if you carry up to the convention and then see the signs posted and choose to go back to your car to disarm, it's a shorter walk.

Good information. I appreciate it, sir.

Unless I am missing something, this is city owned property so any posting would be invalid and also constitute an illegal act. An LTC holder may legally carry past any such sign.

Last gun show I went to was the NRG Arena. They had it posted 30.07, but not 30.06. First time I ever carried in a gun show.

Soccerdad1995 wrote:Unless I am missing something, this is city owned property so any posting would be invalid and also constitute an illegal act. An LTC holder may legally carry past any such sign.

I agree with you. But, the legality of the posting doesn't guarantee that I would choose to walk right past it. If I'm well concealed, maybe. But there certainly are different opinions about the intent of the law and whether or not a non-government entity renting government space can or cannot post. Getting caught carrying beyond a non-legitimate sign could likely still cause a great deal of inconvenience.

I wonder if the School Board Convention was taking place at a private event venue if they could legally post the event. Is the School Board a government entity? My gut tells me that it's not, but I don't know.

EDIT: the Pasadena letter in the 30.06 rulings covered something similar. The city government decided to bar any future events from posting the signs due to the complaint.

Public schools should be considered a government entity, IMHO. The board members are elected by the District, they have the power to tax and are supported by State tax money. The are regulated by the State and will be taken over by the State if they are not properly run. I am not sure of the "legal" definition of a government entity but a public school district sure seems to smell like one.

I appreciate all the input. I am a little concerned about being in downtown Houston without a weapon. Maybe I am just paranoid.

NTexCopRetired wrote:Public schools should be considered a government entity, IMHO. The board members are elected by the District, they have the power to tax and are supported by State tax money. The are regulated by the State and will be taken over by the State if they are not properly run. I am not sure of the "legal" definition of a government entity but a public school district sure seems to smell like one.

I appreciate all the input. I am a little concerned about being in downtown Houston without a weapon. Maybe I am just paranoid.

They ARE a government entity, the only areas where they should be able to post are "Schools/Educational Institutions" and "School Sponsored Events" where they control the property. AG has said that school district operations buildings are "educational institutions"...but I'm not sure a conference in a public venue counts.

allisji wrote:

Soccerdad1995 wrote:Unless I am missing something, this is city owned property so any posting would be invalid and also constitute an illegal act. An LTC holder may legally carry past any such sign.

I agree with you. But, the legality of the posting doesn't guarantee that I would choose to walk right past it. If I'm well concealed, maybe. But there certainly are different opinions about the intent of the law and whether or not a non-government entity renting government space can or cannot post. Getting caught carrying beyond a non-legitimate sign could likely still cause a great deal of inconvenience.

I wonder if the School Board Convention was taking place at a private event venue if they could legally post the event. Is the School Board a government entity? My gut tells me that it's not, but I don't know.

Yes it could cause a lot of inconvenience. It is up to each person to decide whether their safety and the exercise of their rights is worth the inconvenience. This is a conversation I have a lot with my wife. She doesn't want me to carry anywhere, in large part because she dreads the thought of someone noticing my weapon and making a negative comment. She about had a heart attack as we approached the Texas state capitol building and I told her I needed to use the other line because I was carrying. She is very non-confrontation (other than with me), and I understand that.

I also try to avoid conflict where possible. But when a bureaucrat decides that they are going to restrict my rights on property that we all own as tax payers, that is where I draw a line and am willing to tolerate the possibility of conflict. I might compromise by carrying concealed so that conflict is a slight possibility instead of a near certainty.

Another thing to consider is that this is an event that will be attended by a lot of anti-gun folks (sorry to generalize, but my wife works in education and I have met a lot of her friends). So you will likely encounter conflict regardless of whether there is any signage posted, if someone notices your gun. If your goal is just to avoid the potential for conflict, does it even matter whether the place is illegally posted?