You’ve seen signs like the ones above for years, but you’ve never had to pay attention to them before. Now that you are carrying, whether with an LTC, Texas License to Carry, or permitless (constitutional), you are obligated to know and understand the laws of where you can and cannot carry.

Let’s handle the easy parts first. Whether you are carrying without a permit or with an LTC, you ARE NOT ALLOWED to carry into a SCHOOL. Even if you are “just dropping off”, you are violation of the law if you take your gun into the school building. However, if you have your LTC, it’s perfectly legal to have the gun in your possession in the parking lot and/or pickup/dropoff line. If you are carrying without a permit you are not allowed to have the gun within 1000 feet!

Having a permit (LTC) gives that and several other advantages because having a permit means you’ve proven some proficiency with the gun and you passed an extensive background check. Case in point: Let’s say you “forgot” to remove your weapon before trying to pass through security in a Texas airport. Bad mistake, but one that happens more often than you’d realize. If you do not have a license, your trip is going to be delayed and your pocketbook hit up to $10,000! On the other hand, in that scenario with a Texas License to Carry, you’ll be most likely escorted to your car where you can lock up the weapon and allowed to travel on.

So signs like the ones posted above are important and you need to become familiar with them whether you are carrying with a license or without. A brief summary below:

30.05 – This sign prohibits the carry of firearms (handguns and long guns) on private property. Doing so basically makes you a criminal trespasser and you could face a fine of up to $2000 or 180 days in jail!

30.06 – This sign prohibits the concealed carry of firearms on the property. Again, if you have a license you’ll be asked to leave and you should do so. Failure to comply with the 30.06 sign could result in a $200 fine unless you are unreasonable and refuse to leave, in this case the offense jumps to a Class A misdemeanor resulting in a $4000 fine and/or 1 year in jail.

30.07 – This sign prohibits the open carry of firearms on the property. All the items under the 30.06 apply for this statute. Many times you may see this sign but not the 30.06 posted at a property. This simply means that the owners are ok with concealed carry, but do not want individuals open carrying.

51% – The 51% sign means that the business makes 51% (more than half) of it’s income from the sale of alcohol. Easy to know that alcohol and guns don’t mix well. This applies to LTC and permitless carry! Again, fines up to $4000 and up to 1 year in jail. Be aware that sometimes the signs aren’t as well placed as 30.06 and 30.07 signs. Be vigilant!

Unlicensed Carry – This sign is important because it definitely distinguishes between LTC and constitutional carriers! A common place to see such a sign is your local Wal-Mart. This prohibits anyone carrying in the store WITHOUT A LICENSE! Now whether or not anyone will stop and ask to see your license is a debate for another day.

Didn’t mean for this post to run so long. Just want you to be aware of the most common signs you’ll see. As always, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to know and understand the laws and how they apply to you!