American Legion in Bath, MI bans firearms

TheQ said:

In Michigan a CPL holder, like myself or Venator, can lawfully OC (but not CC) in a bar. Several weeks ago I joined Venator there while he sipped Scotch and I sipped straight Cola. I was OCing (Venator told me it was OC friendly) and that started the whole affair.

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Was Venator OCing also?

ODA 226 said:

Was Venator OCing also?

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No I was having an alcoholic drink, when I do that I don't carry. But my guests (a male and a female) were not drinking alcohol and were OCing.

KBCraig said:

Nope. I was active duty (Army) from 2 Feb 1986 to 6 Aug 1989, and I'm not eligible for membership.

http://www.legion.org/join

Eligibility Requirements for American Legion Membership

If you are currently on active duty, serving the United States honorably, anywhere in the world, or have served honorably during any of the following eligible war eras, we invite you to become a member of The American Legion.

April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918 (World War I)
Dec. 7, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946 (World War II)
June 25, 1950 to Jan. 31, 1955 (Korean War)
Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975 (Vietnam War)
Aug. 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984 (Lebanon / Grenada)
Dec. 20, 1989 to Jan. 31, 1990 (Panama)
Aug. 2, 1990 to today (Gulf War / War On Terrorism)

Not that I'm interested in joining. My politics wouldn't be very welcome at the Legion Hut.

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Oh, thank you. I knew they had opened up membership a few years ago, but forgot they still had those pre-1990 requirements.

Response from National. Interesting they claim to have no power over posts. Seems odd as then a post could engage in activities contrary to the national organizations policies.

Brian-
Thank you for contacting The American Legion National Headquarters with your question. The National Organization is unable to get involved in any activities at the Post level as per our National Constitution and By-Laws. Departments (state headquarters) of The American Legion have a general oversight, but not day-to-day operational responsibility, over the Posts within the Department. The National Organization does not have even this general oversight.

Furthermore, the American Legion is a grassroots organization. More importantly, the gun laws are covered by local and state ordinances and laws, each of which varies drastically throughout the country.

I would recommend contacting the Department of Michigan state headquarters at 517-371-4720 to see what the state of Michigan allows in their American Legion posts. Thank you and have a great weekend.

Scott A. Miller
Assistant Director, Internal Affairs and Membership
The American Legion
317-630-1269
www.legion.org

OK, National says they cannot get involved. On to State.

Meanwhile, are you going to ask for folks to contact the Post, or do you want us to wait and see what State has to say to you and the Post?

stay safe.

yup, I was able to cancel the check I sent in for my lifetime membership before it got to them, so glad I did. Never will the AL get another cent of money or support from myself or my family.

Seems to me the Al does not even have faith in its membership, sounds like they need to re-evaluate their membership requirements.

VetteFreakC5 said:

yup, I was able to cancel the check I sent in for my lifetime membership before it got to them, so glad I did. Never will the AL get another cent of money or support from myself or my family.

Seems to me the Al does not even have faith in its membership, sounds like they need to re-evaluate their membership requirements.

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Laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but once you have written a check and conveyed it to its recipient, you have created the obligation. Under most circumstances, you can't cancel the obligation simply by putting a stop-payment on the check. Likely the AL will simply not renew your membership and let the matter slide. However, if they wanted to press the issue, they could enforce their bounced check policy on you.

That might not mean anything if you choose to ignore it. The AL would not have many options, and taking you to court over it might not be worth the effort and expense. However, the bounced check and unpaid fees can be reported, resulting in damage to your financial reputation.

I suggest that you call the AL, tell them that you do not wish to renew, and ask for the check back before they attempt to present it, suffering fees when it is refused.