Attorney Tim Anderson
The Indiana mall shooting brings a good moment to educate you on Virginia gun free zones.
First, most malls are gun free zones. There is usually a sign posted that prohibits weapons in the mall.
However, it is very important to understand that
you are not committing a crime if you are otherwise lawfully concealed carrying inside a mall or other business that is a gun free zone. Bringing a lawful weapon into a business gun free zone is only a violation of policy
that can cause you to be removed from the premises. If your gun is discovered and you are ordered to leave and you fail to leave after being told to do so, it could then be criminal trespassing.
Gun free zones that are governmental buildings can have criminal penalties immediately - so don’t conflate the rules.
Most important - gun free zones make everyone more unsafe unless there is sufficient security procedures. Courthouses have metal detectors and armed police and sheriffs everywhere. Malls and schools usually don’t. Telling a criminal not to being a gun into a building because a sign says so is absurd.
Business and governments that want to be gun free zones should be able to be sued if something happens and there was not security to screen entry points and defend people who cannot legally protect themselves.
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