Bill Starks
State Researcher
Or any firearms prohibited signs.
Both of these things are stated quite clearly in federal law, but be forewarned: they may not mean what you think they mean. Let's start with the "notice" law. Word for word, it states:
Notice of the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) shall be posted conspicuously at each public entrance to each Federal facility, and notice of subsection (e) shall be posted conspicuously at each public entrance to each Federal court facility, and no person shall be convicted of an offense under subsection (a) or (e) with respect to a Federal facility if such notice is not so posted at such facility, unless such person had actual notice of subsection (a) or (e), as the case may be.
It clearly says "posted conspicuously at each public entrance." Those of you who have ever been in a post office, however, will recall that the sign is is usually not at the entrance, but somewhere inside the building on a bulletin board.
In a recent federal court case from Maine, a man was convicted of carrying a black powder pistol into the lobby of a federal building. He defended himself by arguing that the signs were on the far side of the lobby and not "at each public entrance," and, therefore, he should not be convicted unless he walked past the metal detectors and signs. The court disagreed, holding that the man had notice.
The sign law does not apply if "such person had actual notice of subsection (a)." Subsection (a) is simply the part of the law that says it is illegal to carry a weapon into a federal facility. Bloggers commenting on the notice aspect of the federal law never mention this portion of the law, but it is at the end of the quote posted above. Therefore, once a park ranger tells you your weapon is illegal inside the building, you have your actual notice regardless of the lack of a sign at the entrance.