County Fairs and Concealed Carry

[sig_man]

Does anyone know if there are any restrictions regarding concealed carry when going to a count fair?

 

[Sir Diealotz]

That would depend on your state laws or local ordinance if applicable.

 

[BC1]

None in NY law. However, if the fair is held on private property, not owned by the county or other government entity, the property owner can post the property as they see fit... not that it will do any good.

 

[rt48]

Does anyone know if there are any restrictions regarding concealed carry when going to a count fair?

Whether it's legal or not depends on several factors:

1. Who owns the fairgrounds? Here in Cuyahoga County, the county owns the fairgrounds. Like other property of all political subdivisions in Ohio, there are no restrictions on carrying on public property except for "government facilities". "Government facilities" is basically defined as buildings where government employees work.

2. Who runs the fair? Here in Cuyahoga County, the Cuyahoga County Agricultural Society runs the fair. They lease the fairgrounds from the county.

3. Is the organization running the fair a private organization or a political subdivision? Private organizations can post "no guns" signs on property they own or lease. There is at least one Ohio Supreme Court decision declaring agricultural societies to be political subdivisions.

If one assumes agricultural societies are political subdivisions, then the open air parts of the fair would be legal, but the buildings might be illegal if they meet the definition of "government facility". This has been debated at great length on the Ohioans for Concealed Carry forums and the bottom line is it will take a court case to resolve this. Neither of the gun rights groups in Ohio (OFCC or BFA) seem motivated to pursue this issue.