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Guns in Banks

Prophet

Prophet

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Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
544
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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So i was in my bank today making a withdrawal...new month means new bills to pay and I am OC'ing like i've done the other 50 some odd times i've been there.

Well...today while i am making my withdrawal a gentleman comes up to me and says:

"excuse me sir, you are not allowed to have that firearm in here"

To which i asked if that was bank policy or law. He replies:

"We are a federally backed institution and therefore we are a federal building" ergo its federal law.

I asked him how I should go about protecting myself when i withdraw large amounts of money...this is the kicker because he replies:

"Just like every other customer who comes in here"

So basically he wants me back to the herdwith all the othergood lil sheeple.The funniest part is that this bank was robbed about 2 months ago. It wasn't in the news butI know it was because I came to make a depositthe same day and the police were there and the bank was closed.

He started walking away and I asked him who he was, hegave mehis card and he turns out to be the Chief OperationsOfficerfor the bank. That was a surprise.Ifigured if I am in the wrong than I won't carry there anymore but if I'm not than I plan on writing a letter to the COO and telling himthat he mispoke and that I plan on continuing to carry while in his bankunlesshe would like me to take my business elsewhere.

So any citation about whether carrying in a bank is illegal?
 
S

ScottyT

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Apr 7, 2008
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800
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Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Banks are federally insured, not federally owned. They are privately/publicly owned businesses. They could ask you to leave (if that is company policy), but unless it is posted keep on keepin' on. I carry into my credit union weekly and noboday has ever said anything.

Please correct me if I am mistaken.
 
S

Stealth Potato

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Joined
May 20, 2007
Messages
143
Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
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He's definitely wrong. 18 USC 930 defines a federal facility as:

"...a building or part thereof owned or leased by the Federal Government, where Federal employees are regularly present for the purpose of performing their official duties."

Simply being a "federally backed" institution (what did he even mean by that? FDIC insured?) doesn't cut it. Unless the building is owned or leased by the feds and federal employees work there, it is completely legal to carry a firearm there.

EDIT: I too carry into my bank on occasion and so far nobody has even seemed surprised by it.
 
deepdiver

deepdiver

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Apr 2, 2007
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Location
Southeast, Missouri, USA
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Good God what an idgit. :banghead:

He must assume that you went to gov't school and are therefore incapable of researching the law. As everyone else said, no, not a federal building, or federal property or anything else federal besides the bank's insurance policy protecting it's depositers and the bank's gov't oversight, assuming it is a national bank and not a state bank.
 
Tess

Tess

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Jun 15, 2006
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That answered whether a bank is a federal building (it is not).

I just searched the Pennsylvania code (http://www.pacode.com/secure/search.asp) for every combination of "firearm" and "bank" I could think of, and found no state law prohibiting carry of a firearm in a bank. You would be wise to check for yourself, though; I'm not a lawyer, a Pennsylvania resident, or an expert on firearms laws.
 
U

UTOC-45-44

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Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
2,579
Location
Morgan, Utah, USA
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Prophet wrote:
So i was in my bank today making a withdrawal...new month means new bills to pay and I am OC'ing like i've done the other 50 some odd times i've been there.

Well...today while i am making my withdrawal a gentleman comes up to me and says:

"excuse me sir, you are not allowed to have that firearm in here"

To which i asked if that was bank policy or law. He replies:

"We are a federally backed institution and therefore we are a federal building" ergo its federal law.

I asked him how I should go about protecting myself when i withdraw large amounts of money...this is the kicker because he replies:

"Just like every other customer who comes in here"

So basically he wants me back to the herdwith all the othergood lil sheeple.The funniest part is that this bank was robbed about 2 months ago. It wasn't in the news butI know it was because I came to make a depositthe same day and the police were there and the bank was closed.

He started walking away and I asked him who he was, hegave mehis card and he turns out to be the Chief OperationsOfficerfor the bank. That was a surprise.Ifigured if I am in the wrong than I won't carry there anymore but if I'm not than I plan on writing a letter to the COO and telling himthat he mispoke and that I plan on continuing to carry while in his bankunlesshe would like me to take my business elsewhere.

So any citation about whether carrying in a bank is illegal?
Click to expand...

I OC at Wells Fargo, Chase and America 1st. NO PROBLEMO.

Did I say...HE IS WRONG !!!!!

TJ
 
D

danbus

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2006
Messages
495
Location
Hampton, Virginia, USA
imported post

Prophet wrote:
So i was in my bank today making a withdrawal...new month means new bills to pay and I am OC'ing like i've done the other 50 some odd times i've been there.

Well...today while i am making my withdrawal a gentleman comes up to me and says:

"excuse me sir, you are not allowed to have that firearm in here"

To which i asked if that was bank policy or law. He replies:

"We are a federally backed institution and therefore we are a federal building" ergo its federal law.

I asked him how I should go about protecting myself when i withdraw large amounts of money...this is the kicker because he replies:

"Just like every other customer who comes in here"

So basically he wants me back to the herdwith all the othergood lil sheeple.The funniest part is that this bank was robbed about 2 months ago. It wasn't in the news butI know it was because I came to make a depositthe same day and the police were there and the bank was closed.

He started walking away and I asked him who he was, hegave mehis card and he turns out to be the Chief OperationsOfficerfor the bank. That was a surprise.Ifigured if I am in the wrong than I won't carry there anymore but if I'm not than I plan on writing a letter to the COO and telling himthat he mispoke and that I plan on continuing to carry while in his bankunlesshe would like me to take my business elsewhere.

So any citation about whether carrying in a bank is illegal?
Click to expand...

You are very very lucky. Hell, you could have been OCing outside (50 or so yards) the bank and been on the business end of a LEO's glock. :p
 
U

UTOC-45-44

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
2,579
Location
Morgan, Utah, USA
imported post

danbus wrote:
Prophet wrote:
So i was in my bank today making a withdrawal...new month means new bills to pay and I am OC'ing like i've done the other 50 some odd times i've been there.

Well...today while i am making my withdrawal a gentleman comes up to me and says:

"excuse me sir, you are not allowed to have that firearm in here"

To which i asked if that was bank policy or law. He replies:

"We are a federally backed institution and therefore we are a federal building" ergo its federal law.

I asked him how I should go about protecting myself when i withdraw large amounts of money...this is the kicker because he replies:

"Just like every other customer who comes in here"

So basically he wants me back to the herdwith all the othergood lil sheeple.The funniest part is that this bank was robbed about 2 months ago. It wasn't in the news butI know it was because I came to make a depositthe same day and the police were there and the bank was closed.

He started walking away and I asked him who he was, hegave mehis card and he turns out to be the Chief OperationsOfficerfor the bank. That was a surprise.Ifigured if I am in the wrong than I won't carry there anymore but if I'm not than I plan on writing a letter to the COO and telling himthat he mispoke and that I plan on continuing to carry while in his bankunlesshe would like me to take my business elsewhere.

So any citation about whether carrying in a bank is illegal?
Click to expand...

You are very very lucky. Hell, you could have been OCing outside (50 or so yards) the bank and been on the business end of a LEO's glock. :p
Click to expand...

Danbus, you are HILARIOUS:lol::celebrate

TJ
 
P

psmartin

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
205
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
imported post

Prophet wrote:
So i was in my bank today making a withdrawal...new month means new bills to pay and I am OC'ing like i've done the other 50 some odd times i've been there.

Well...today while i am making my withdrawal a gentleman comes up to me and says:

"excuse me sir, you are not allowed to have that firearm in here"

To which i asked if that was bank policy or law. He replies:

"We are a federally backed institution and therefore we are a federal building" ergo its federal law.

I asked him how I should go about protecting myself when i withdraw large amounts of money...this is the kicker because he replies:

"Just like every other customer who comes in here"

So basically he wants me back to the herdwith all the othergood lil sheeple.The funniest part is that this bank was robbed about 2 months ago. It wasn't in the news butI know it was because I came to make a depositthe same day and the police were there and the bank was closed.

He started walking away and I asked him who he was, hegave mehis card and he turns out to be the Chief OperationsOfficerfor the bank. That was a surprise.Ifigured if I am in the wrong than I won't carry there anymore but if I'm not than I plan on writing a letter to the COO and telling himthat he mispoke and that I plan on continuing to carry while in his bankunlesshe would like me to take my business elsewhere.

So any citation about whether carrying in a bank is illegal?
Click to expand...

Go back and close your account -- Take your money to a smaller bank that isn't run by idiots.

I cleaned out my SunTrust business account last year and moved to a smaller bank. Aside from the smaller bank unconcerned about being robbed by "the customer" or causing a "dangerous situation",the customer service is much better.

There is ONE thing I really miss with my big bank: I really miss the English or Spanish choices.
 
L

LEO 229

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Joined
Feb 21, 2007
Messages
7,606
Location
USA
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FDIC does not extend a blanketof federal law coverage on a bank.

The bank is private institution and it is going to be the bank's policy to disarm you.

I can understand their fear.....

And a bank robber is going to enter with his gun no matter what law there is or company policy posted or spoken. He is about to rob the place so what does he care!!? :D

Having customers inside with guns may actually send him running bank out to hit some other place.

But here is the issue that I think is more important.....

You are there or walk in with a gun and you see a bank robbery going down. The bank robber just want the money as 99% do and does not intend to shoot anyone.

You see him and you draw down on him. He draws down on you and you both fire at each other.

:question: Who is in the line of fire on both sides???

The bank is insured and will get the money back so there is no loss there. But shooting up the bank or shooting customers and employees is not so easily repaired and will cost the bank.

Since anyone can openly carry in many states.... you have no idea if this guy can even shoot. ;)
 
Prophet

Prophet

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 29, 2008
Messages
544
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
imported post

mf wrote:
This the bank on E. Carson Street?
Click to expand...

Yep. I doubt the COO would be hanging out at the satellite branches. As for closing my account, I am first going to educate this poor misguided man and tell him, since he misquoted a federal law and did not say it was against bank policy I fully intend to continue to carry while on business within his bank. If he then objects to that, then I will take my business elsewhere.

As for your point LEO229, it makes perfect sense. Of course if i saw it going down on my way into the bank I wouldn't go in all guns a blazing, i would stop myself from entering (line of sight is pretty good in the bank when you get to the doors) turn around and call the cops and see how their response time is. But what if i am inside the bank and some guy wants to rob it, gets irritated because a teller is taking to long and starts shooting up the place? I doubt the 70 year old unarmed security guard is gonna have much to say about it. Of course we can play the what if game all day but, like the vast majority here, I would like toretain the option of protecting myself.
 
deepdiver

deepdiver

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2007
Messages
5,820
Location
Southeast, Missouri, USA
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Superlite27 wrote:
He must assume that you went to gov't school
Click to expand...


According to him, this would make you a federal agent, correct?
Click to expand...
Ahahahha :lol: Hilarious!

LEO229, noone is debating the bank's right to prohibit carry or the reasons they may do so. We are laughing at the COO making a federal property claim because of FDIC and simply stating our desire to do business with businesses that recognize our right to carry. I do a lot of business with a lot of banks for my business. Most are not posted. A few are. Because my business relies on their business, I do not refuse to work with them because of it. However, my operating accounts and personal banking is all done at banks that do not prohibit firearms.
 
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