what would you do in CCW situation?

[jal5]

I have had my CC permit for 8 mos. and carry most days. Recently, I had to drive my wife to Cleveland, OH for a dr. appointment which is several hours away from home. Knowing the part of the city this appointment was scheduled for I really wanted to carry my weapon. But the darn hospital has a valet parking service and the hospital is designated as a no carry zone. I couldn't leave it in the car someone else was parking and I couldn't carry in the hospital itself. So I couldn't come up with a good way to resolve this and ended up not carrying.

What would you do in a similar situation?

[mikejonestkd]

Lock box in the car's trunk. Or, don't worry about it and leave it at home.

[Al Norris]

This is more of a tactical question than anything to do with law or civil rights.

[Brian Pfleuger]

How many instances that would require a firearm would happen between the valet, your appointment inside the hospital and back to the valet?

Some situations are simply not worth worrying about. Leave it home.

[Ichiban]

A lot of cars have a valet key that wont open the glove box. When I know I'm going into a situation like this I take it along. Toss the gun in the glove box and lock it before getting to the valet, keep the regular key, and hand him the valet key. The holster stays with me.

[curt.45]

tell the valet thanks, but, no thanks and lock it in the trunk when I parked.

[pax]

Spend $30 on one of these: link (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=462945), and attach it securely to the hardware underneath the seat.

Park the car myself, around the block if necessary.

pax

[MLeake]

I have a console vault in my truck, with three digit combo lock.

[LordTio3]

Honestly, you have a few options that are perfectly viable.

You can do as Pax and others advise and get yourself a lock box for a little money and keep it in there. (very practical and easy)

You can park the car yourself and walk (honestly the easiest option).

You can leave it at home (don't).

You can do like some friends of mine and carry it anyway. (Slippery slope) There have certainly been incidents of self defense requirements in hospitals as well as other places. It may not be legal, but I definitely remember a friend of MINE who used to carry his weapon onto his college campus everyday; a good time before the tragedy of Virginia Tech and other schools. It's definitely a legal risk, and a big one.

~LT

[Brian Pfleuger]

Park the car myself, around the block if necessary.

You can park the car yourself and walk (honestly the easiest option).

Is this not essentially the most dangerous option?

Honestly, the odds are astronomical that anything would happen anyway, but the odds are LOWEST if you get out of the car right at the hospital and get right back in the car right at the hospital.

If I were worried about trouble, the LAST thing I'd want to do is park a block away and walk the streets.

[LordTio3]

What's wrong with parking in the parking lot? I don't think you have to frequent the dark streets. I've honestly never seen a hospital without a parking lot. Valet lots are most likely in a smaller separate lot.

And easy does not necessarily mean "the most safe". It's much "easier" to not tote a 1.5 pound weapon around with me everyday. But I do it because it's safer.

~LT

[Brian Pfleuger]

I didn't say anything about easier.

How much safer can you get than getting out of the car right at the hospital door and getting back in right at the hospital door?

Is it 100%? No, it's not, but it's a 99 with a whole bunch of 9"s in a row after it, percent.

It's virtually guaranteed to be the safest option AND the least hassle.

Truly seems like a no brainer to me.

[AH.74]

Invest in one of the lock-boxes. It is handy to have and there are other times/situations you will come across that it is good to have.

[MLeake]

... most of the places I go to are relatively safe, or else I wouldn't go there.

However, some of the places I travel through to get to those relatively safe places aren't the greatest.

Murphy's Law has had relatives and friends either have vehicle breakdowns in bad neighborhoods, or encounters with bad guys while they were in their vehicles (1 attempted block-in robbery at an ATM, and 2 attempted carjackings).

So, while parking at the valet lot and running in may be the safest option as far as parking goes, it does nothing for security along the route.

Lock boxes and vaults are good things. I use mine whenever I have to go into a facility where guns aren't allowed.

About the only time I don't carry at all is if I have to conduct business on a base.

[HotShot.444]

... as it appears they both misread the OP. And what's this?: " ... more of a tactical question than anything to do with law or civil rights. " Then MANY of us here have a confused idea of law and rights!! See "Chucky Cheese" post now.
Lord Tio, WHY do any of us carry?? It's not "easy"; it's a "RIGHT!"

[LordTio3]

... as it appears they both misread the OP. And what's this?: " ... more of a tactical question than anything to do with law or civil rights. " Then MANY of us here have a confused idea of law and rights!! See "Chucky Cheese" post now.
Lord Tio, WHY do any of us carry?? It's not "easy"; it's a "RIGHT!"

Perhaps you misread the purpose, direction, contributions, contributors, and venue of the issue at hand. We are talking about how to secure a handgun in a vehicle without leaving it open to a valet to go snooping. It is also posted in tactics and training section, not the Law and Civil Rights section.

And I know it's not easy to carry. I do it everyday. I said that. I don't know why you repeated what I said back to me and acted like you were telling me something.

trolling?

~LT

[Brian Pfleuger]

HotShot.444, I'm not even sure what your post means.

But frankly, this is not a question of law or rights.

It's a question of honesty.

If your answer is "Too hell with them, I do what I have "the right" to do." then that's really the end of the discussion, isn't it?

Such an answer is not, however, in the spirit of, nor does it support the purpose of, The Firing Line community.


This is a discuss of people who follows rules and laws. We have different opinions on the most effective way to go about it, but we all follow the rules. Any suggestion to do otherwise is highly irresponsible and directly violates the tenets (and rules) of TFL.

[Jeremiah/Az]

Al may have moved the OP here from law & civil rights.

Is it a law that you cannot carry in a hospital in your state? Some malls & business' here have "no gun" signs, but they have no legal meaning. Concealed means concealed. All they can do is ask you to leave if you should happen to flash it.

[Hook686]

I have secured a lock box in my car for these situations.

[Dwight55]

As a pastor in Ohio, . . . I come on this situation a lot. I do not use the valet service, . . . I park it myself, . . . stash the weapon in the vehicle, . . . lock it up, . . . go about my business.

Works for me, . . . has for years.

May God bless,
Dwight

[jal5]

I had no idea so many would contribute to this discussion, thank you.

I decided to leave my CC weapon home because of the valet service more than anything else and didn't have a lock box in that car. But driving around the hospital to find the place we both noticed what a bad section of town it is located in. I wouldn't have wanted to park around the block and leave the pistol in the car- that would have been the most dangerous of the options given the neighborhood. We ended up parking it ourselves in the lot adjacent to the building we were going to so that seemed safe enough. Had I known that parking lot was in such close proximity I would have simply carried the gun and locked it up in the trunk.

Joe