Carrying at Indy children's museum?

[WC Deer Hunter]

So we're taking the kiddos to the ICM amd was just curious about any carry issues there
I plan on discreetly concealing but juat curious really as I'm not familiar at all with the place

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

Last I heard it falls vaguely under the school category and is thus verboten however IANAL so...just a heads up

 

[bobbittle]

Children's museum (and the attached parking garage) are considered school property and carry is illegal, as is leaving your firearm in the car if left in the garage.

 

[MCgrease08]

There's a long thread about this. Search it it's a good read.

I have a membership and my LTCH and I don't carry there. I go to have a good time with my daughter. Too me it's not worth it to carry and potentially draw negative attention to my family. I see toO many issues could stem from someone yelling MWAG. Just me though. I like to get down and play, it would be hard to keep it concealed rolling around with the kids.

 

[WC Deer Hunter]

Wow glad I asked. I had no idea about the"school classification ". Thanks for the heads up
I'll leave it at home I guess.

 

[mrjarrell]

Children's museum (and the attached parking garage) are considered school property and carry is illegal, as is leaving your firearm in the car if left in the garage.

^^This. It's a school and, as such, is off limits. Didn't used to be the case, back a few years ago, but it IS the case now. Do not carry there.

 

[Hornett]

Wow glad I asked. I had no idea about the"school classification ". Thanks for the heads up
I'll leave it at home I guess.

The vague school calssification comes into play because they have a day care facility on site.
That makes it a school under Indiana Law.

 

[nomadicmutt]

Actually, as far as I can tell, the IC prohibiting carry in preschools was recently repealed.
Used to be IC 35-41-1-24.7


Indiana Code 35-41-1

Feel free to correct if wrong...

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

Actually, as far as I can tell, the IC prohibiting carry in preschools was recently repealed.
Used to be IC 35-41-1-24.7


Indiana Code 35-41-1

Feel free to correct if wrong...

The statute prohibiting carry on school property does not make a distinction of what type/level of school.


IC 35-47-9-2
Possession of firearms on school property, at school function, or on school bus; felony
Sec. 2. A person who possesses a firearm:
(1) in or on school property;
(2) in or on property that is being used by a school for a school function; or
(3) on a school bus;
commits a Class D felony.
As added by P.L.140-1994, SEC.11.

 

[canav844]

The statute prohibiting carry on school property does not make a distinction of what type/level of school.


IC 35-47-9-2
Possession of firearms on school property, at school function, or on school bus; felony
Sec. 2. A person who possesses a firearm:
(1) in or on school property;
(2) in or on property that is being used by a school for a school function; or
(3) on a school bus;
commits a Class D felony.
As added by P.L.140-1994, SEC.11.

Which in and of itself does not define school property, and I wouldn't as a layperson consider a daycare a school, however there is an IC which does define school property

IC 35-31.5-2-285
"School property"
Sec. 285. "School property" means the following:
(1) A building or other structure owned or rented by:
(A) a school corporation;
(B) an entity that is required to be licensed under IC 12-17.2 or IC 31-27;
(C) a private school that is not supported and maintained by funds realized from the imposition of a tax on property, income, or sales; or
(D) a federal, state, local, or nonprofit program or service operated to serve, assist, or otherwise benefit children who are at least three (3) years of age and not yet enrolled in kindergarten, including the following:
(i) A Head Start program under 42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.
(ii) A special education preschool program.
(iii) A developmental child care program for preschool children.
(2) The grounds adjacent to and owned or rented in common with a building or other structure described in subdivision (1).
As added by P.L.114-2012, SEC.67.

Part in bold covers the parking lot in theory. As the website here: http://www.childrensmuseum.org/preschool would indicate that the preschool is part of the museum structure as a whole and thus anything owned by the museum is covered. If it were a 3rd party run pre-school there would be more gray area as to what is owned or rented in common. Though when considering any museum, it is wise to beware the property being used for a school function stipulation, as a feild trip shows up to the front door while you're carrying at an exhibit in the back or it's locked in your car; and by all technicality of the law, D felony. IANAL, so verify on your own, or hope one of the lawyers do chime in.

For those interested the other ICs mentioned in the school property definition
http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title31/ar27/ch1.html
http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title12/ar17.2/ch1.html

 

[K_W]

They have a IN State accreditation, which makes it a full fledged school, even on weekends and summer...

 

[mrjarrell]

The school at the museum is a preschool, not a daycare. As such it is a fully functional "school". Just don't carry there. It's really not even a subject for discussion.

 

[Pinchaser]

The school at the museum is a preschool, not a daycare. As such it is a fully functional "school". Just don't carry there. It's really not even a subject for discussion.

My only reason for posting in this thread is to say that mrjarrell is 100% correct. It's a rare occasion that I get to type such a thing and I didn't want to pass up the opportunity.

 

[revance]

The parking lot is owned by the museum, which runs the school. So the parking lot is also a school. It has nothing to do with its physical location.

That being said, I always carried there before they opened the preschool. Yes, I even crawled around and played with the kids. The neighborhood surrounding the CMI is the most dangerous in the city and was recently named the 17th most dangerous in the country. A great place to be disarmed.

 

[Trigger Time]

I love my child so I refuse to be victims in gun free zones.

When I'm walking through the mall, I carry concealed and no one has ever known. The places where we are stripped of our rights is where we will need them the most. The right to keep and bear arms is a natural right. If you choose to carry at anytime do so at your own risk because you have to live or die with the consequences. Have a nice time!

 

[Scutter01]

I love my child so I refuse to be victims in gun free zones.

When I'm walking through the mall, I carry concealed and no one has ever known. The places where we are stripped of our rights is where we will need them the most. The right to keep and bear arms is a natural right. If you choose to carry at anytime do so at your own risk because you have to live or die with the consequences. Have a nice time!

A crisis of the body (a mugging, for example) is not the only time that you need to protect your family. If you carry in a prohibited place and you are arrested, you will go to jail. How will you protect your family then? How will you earn to feed them? Every decision we make affects our ability to protect our loved ones, not just whether or not we choose to carry. When visiting the Children's Museum, the likelihood of being arrested and charged for carrying on school property is higher than the likelihood of encountering a situation where I would need a firearm. Both are possible, but I have to make the decision that is most likely to end in a favorable outcome. Or I just don't go to that venue.

 

[drillsgt]

It's an easy choice, I just decide to never go there

 

[WC Deer Hunter]

Well thanks to everybody for the information about the "GFZ". We went and a great time was had by all. It seems some think a gun is the only way to protect your family or self. Don't gt me wrong, I don't like having to disarm but I'm never completely disarmed. A good pepper blaster, knife, and other items can be great alternatives when unable to carry your gun. I carry whenever legally possible, and when not possible I carry the alternatives instead. There are times that it is better to just not go as well. Either way, stay safe

 

[revance]

A crisis of the body (a mugging, for example) is not the only time that you need to protect your family. If you carry in a prohibited place and you are arrested, you will go to jail. How will you protect your family then? How will you earn to feed them? Every decision we make affects our ability to protect our loved ones, not just whether or not we choose to carry. When visiting the Children's Museum, the likelihood of being arrested and charged for carrying on school property is higher than the likelihood of encountering a situation where I would need a firearm. Both are possible, but I have to make the decision that is most likely to end in a favorable outcome. Or I just don't go to that venue.

I am more concerned with getting to/from the museum than having it inside. To get there, I have to wait at the light at 29th and MLK. A lot of bad things happen in the 4 blocks around that intersection.

 

[Scutter01]

I am more concerned with getting to/from the museum than having it inside. To get there, I have to wait at the light at 29th and MLK. A lot of bad things happen in the 4 blocks around that intersection.

Agreed. It's an unfortunate situation all around. Luckily, there are LOTS of other self-defense options available that are perfectly legal (and ones that we should all already be practicing instead of relying 100% on The Gun).

However, we can't claim that "gun owners are the most law-abiding citizens" if we then turn around and publicly advocate committing a Class D felony just because we're inconvenienced by a law. Either we're law-abiding or we're not. You can't have it both ways. If you just want to violate the law as an act of civil disobedience (perhaps in the hope of getting the law changed), then you should open carry and get arrested so you can take it to court.