by jshuberg on Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:06 pm
1) A FAQ is not the law. There have been misrepresentations as to the law on the BCA website in the past. Looking to a FAQ for legal advice is a very poor idea. Not to say that it's wrong here, but when making an argument it's always best to cite original sources - in this case the MN statue 724.714.
2) You're right in that the mall, as a landlord, cannot ban the carrying of firearms. It is also true that they can ask anyone to leave, for any reason, or for no reason at all since it's private property.
3) There is no law that exists that says that an establishment that cannot legally ban firearms is committing a crime if they post a sign claiming they can. I know, it sucks. The signs annoy me on the very rare occasions that I go to the mall. It is what it is though.
4) Even if there was a law that prevented the mall from posting that they ban firearms, you as a guest of the mall are not an injured party. You're rights are not the ones being violated. If such a law were to exist it would be the tenants of the mall that would be the injured party.
5) Any individual store in the mall is allowed to ban guns from their store. For all we know part of the standard lease agreement is that every store there agrees to a firearm ban, which would make the mall banning firearms in keeping with the interests of their tenants.
6) Even if they were breaking the law by posting signs, unless you have the money and political backing to fight the mall in court, any discussion of changing their policies is a waste of oxygen.
Personally, I think that any private establishment should be allowed to ban guns if they want to, without restriction. I also believe that if anyone becomes the victim of a crime in any private establishment that bans guns, that the owner of the establishment be held fully liable for the crime, as they assumed the legal responsibility of protecting everyone within their establishment when banning guns. Because of this insurance for businesses that ban guns would be significantly higher than those who don't. This isn't how it currently works, but I think it should be.
If you want to spend time on something, don't bang your head up against the signs at the mall. They are inconsequential to the big picture. Get involved with MN GOCRA, or push for a change of legislation through your representative.
Last edited by
jshuberg on Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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