The following is a video transcript.
CAN I CARRY MY FIREARM DURING PICK UP AND DROP OFF?
It’s that time of year again when students are returning back to school. If you’re a parent who drives your child to school, can you legally possess your gun while doing so? If you have a concealed carry permit, you are allowed to have a gun on educational property, but only for the purposes of dropping a student off or picking them up at the end of the day. While on educational property, the permit holder must keep their car doors locked at all times, unlocking them only to let the child exit the car or re-enter the car at the end of the day. Other than that, there are very few and very limited circumstances where a person can possess a gun on educational property.
EDUCATIONAL PROPERTY DEFINED
You may be asking yourself, “What is educational property?” Well, under the statute, educational property is defined as
Any school building or bus, school campus, grounds, recreational areas, athletic field, or other property owned, used, or operated by a board of education or school board trustees or directors for the administration of any school.
The definition is very broad and covers many types of facilities and properties.
SCHOOLS HOUSED IN RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
What if your student attends a school at a church? Can you legally carry your gun on that property? A fair reading of the statute would seem to indicate that you cannot do so. A trickier question is whether you can carry a firearm at a church that has a school in it at a time when school is not in session and religious services are going on. Again, given the broadness of the statute, in my opinion, you cannot do so. This answer would be the same for after-school programs, daycares, and education centers.
If you have any questions regarding carrying a firearm on educational property, call U.S. LawShield and ask to speak with your Independent Program Attorney.
I am a substitute teacher at the elementary schools here in Henderson County,NC. So if an active shooter has made their way into the school I am substituting at, I am not allowed to use my concealed carry permit gun to defend the children from the shooter?
I believe NC allows you to store a weapon in your vehicle if you keep your vehicle locked while on school property.
As long as you are on the property for lawful purposes not just picking up and dropping off,
you have a valid concealed permit and its not out in the open for others to see.
if all parties are legal to open carry, can you stand on a sidewalk in front of a school when school starts in the morning and at the end of the day
Given the news of late (yet again), this is an excellent time to discuss the illegitimacy of Gun Free Zones, and initiate legislation to revoke all gun free zones.
What about traversing school property via an easement that allows access to my home? The property is school property, the but easement was granted for ingress to my property. Am I in violation if I have a firearm in my vehicle while driving on the easement?