If the sign is anything except an attempt at a 30.06 sign, you can lawfully enter, and the police can do nothing to you. The "circle/slash" signs and decals you see on doors have exactly zero legal meaning, and you can safely ignore them. (We call them "gun busters" signs, after the "Ghost Busters" movie.)IsraelisJewish wrote:I think I realize what we are saying here. Is it that some store/business owners take "shortcuts" and place a, for example, little sign that has a gun in a circle with a light through it, INSTEAD of the legal 30.06 sign? In THAT situation, one could ignore the sign as it was not the REQUIRED and PROPER 30.06 sign. That is, unless the owner/manager of the business walked up and informed you they did not wish you to carry in the store/business? (assuming somehow they found out you were carrying?).
Is this the right assessment here? And I wish to apologize, when I returned to read any answers I realized I am guilty of hi-jacking the subject matter of this thread.
You may also safely ignore the older 30.05 signs which look very similar to a 30.06 sign, but are not applicable to licensed carry of a firearm and carry somewhat different language. Those are usually signs which nobody bothered to change into proper 30.06 signs back when the law changed many many years ago, and you won't see many of those anymore.
The ONLY thing you need to worry about is whether or not a 30.06 sign is compliant, and the requirements under the law are very clear. If the letters are not contrasting with the background, it is not compliant. If the letters are not at least 72 pt type (approximately 1" high), it is not compliant. If the language is not exactly the legally mandated language, it is not compliant. If the legally mandated language does not appear in both English AND Spanish, it is not compliant. If it is not prominently posted where it can be seen, it is not compliant. ANY sign which is not compliant does not have force of law behind it. However, there ARE complications......
The first is, as we say, "you might beat the time, but you won't beat the ride"; which means that you may not get prosecuted (beat the time), but you might get arrested and taken downtown to the police station (beat the ride). See my post immediately previous to this one about Grapevine Mills Mall. It is now posted with compliant signs. But for years it was not, and yet it was the official policy of the GVPD to enforce the signs as if they were compliant. That means that, if caught, you could be arrested (did not beat the ride), but you would in all likelihood not be charged, or if charged, the charges would be dismissed (beat the time). That means the expense of a lawyer, and the attendant anxiety surrounding a criminal trespass charge and possible loss of your CHL/LTC.
ONLY YOU can decide whether or not that risk is worth it to you if confronted with a sign that is not compliant. IF you are willing to assume that risk, you had better KNOW the law, or your decision-making won't be adequately informed. For me, it is not a violation of my value system to carry past a non-compliant sign. I understand that they don't want me in their store, but I also understand that they didn't care enough to do their homework, and that absolves me of any moral burden. I will usually carry past an obviously non-compliant sign............UNLESS, like the city of Grapevine, there is some stated policy of local law enforcement to enforce non-compliant signs as if they were compliant.
In that case, there is literally nothing I can't get elsewhere, within a reasonable distance, without having to deal with store-owner or mall-owner stupidity. Not a thing. I vote with my dollars. You should too. Welcome to the forum, by the way.
