Riverside County Courthouse.

[Keith92555]

Well, today was my first time to show it in public. OK...STOP IT!! Get your mind out of the gutter. I had to show the rice paper, not ........the other thing.

Got a call yesterday from the DA prosecuting one of the perps that assaulted me in April. Asked me if I would be available to testify in a preliminary hearing scheduled for today. I told him I would be at every hearing they have until they are all put away for a long time.

So I show up at the DAs office across the street from the Riverside Courthouse, check in, and take a seat to wait. After over 1 1/2 hours, the DA comes to get me and take me across the street to the courthouse. On the way out of the building, I told him that I have a permit, I am armed, and I would need to check my weapon with the deputy at the entrance. He said that he wasn't sure that they have someplace for me to secure the gun, but that we could ask at the entrance.

When we got inside the courthouse (the single story Riverside County Superior Court House on Main Street, not the 5 story Municipal Court building) there is no deputy there, just an unarmed security guard at the metal detector. The DA tells him my situation and the guard looks at me and asks if I have a weapon on me. I had my ID and permit ready and handed them to him as I affirmed that I was indeed armed. He then stated that weapons are illegal in the court house. I corrected him, telling him that firearms are indeed illegal, but that CCW holders are exempt. I then told him that since I was a witness in a proceeding and would be testifying, that most courts don't allow CCWers to carry in that case. I asked if there was a secure place in the building to lock up my weapon. He said that there was no place to put it in the building.

He then did something that had me a bit nervous. He got on his radio and called to a deputy. When he got a response, he asked the deputy to come to the entrance in regards to a weapon. In my minds eye, I could see a wall of deputies running to the entrance from every corner of the building. My fears were unfounded though and we watched the deputy walking from the far end of the lobby over to us, about 150" away. While we were waiting, the guard asked if I was LE. I told him no and he asked what I do for a living. I told him I have my own business. Then he asked if I was a "private detective or something." I told him that I wasn't and that if I was I probably wouldn't be able to secure a CCW.

About that time, the deputy arrived and asked what was up. As the guard handed him my papers, I gave him my schpeel...I have a permit to carry CCW and I am armed, I am here to testify and would like a place to store my weapon. Again, I was told by the deputy that weapons are illegal in the courthouse. I affirmed that yes, they are indeed illegal, with one of the exceptions to the law being persons who have a CCW, but that I didn't want to carry in the courthouse, I want to be able to put it in a secure place until I leave.

He parroted the guard and stated that there was no secure place to leave the weapon and that I would have to leave it back at the DAs office or something. Then he started with the same questions...What agency do you work for?...I am not LE...Why do you have a permit to carry?...the Sheriff determined that I have good cause...What do you do for a living?...I own my own business...Why do you need a gun?...I really don't want to go into my GC right now....

Then I turned to the DA and asked if we could lock it up at his office or something. He said let's go over there and see if there is any place to secure it. When we get there, we talk to some plain clothes officers at the entrance. I handed them the ID and permit and started the questions alllllll over again; Are you LE?...Why the permit?....etc.....They agreed to lock it in their desk drawer, but would not let me have the key. They said they are always at the desk and they would lock it up until I returned. Didn't have any receipt to give me either which made me nervous. I reluctantly agreed and they wrote down my ID info and permit info on a pad and locked it up.

When I finished testifying, I returned to the DAs building and they gave me the weapon. All in all, it took me longer to find a place to secure the gun than it did to testify...AND...I got asked more questions about the CCW than I did about the crime in question.

I got the impression from everyone who handled the permit that they had never seen one before. I seemed very novel to them and they would keep turning it over and over, checking it out from every angle. HOWEVER, everyone was very professional and no one got overly anxious about having a non-LEO with a weapon in front of them. They were veeeeery curious, though.

[Yoda]

Great Story

I would have left my firearm with my attorney to begin with just to avoid any issues but you handled it very well.

I know that was a pain in the ... but you did a great job of introducing CCW to a lot of under informed people.

[Feather]

It sounds like you handled the situation professionally, but I think it is more appropriate not to answer questions regarding why you have a permit (including your good cause). I think it is much better to deflect such questions and give an innocuous answer. If a security guard, police officer, or deputy sheriff asked me, "Why do you have a permit to carry a concealed weapon" (or any similar question), I would answer, "I have it because the Sheriff (or Chief of Police) has determined that I have good cause." Any further questions on this subject should be responded with the statement, "The Sheriff (or Chief of Police) knows and he (or she) is the only person who needs to know." You are in essence telling the person politely that it is none of their business. You should not justify or explain to anyone your good cause because it is none of their business. Just because someone asks for personal, private, and confidential information does not mean that you have to share such information.

[Jonnyboy182]

Great story, I don't know the rules regarding CCW in courthouses, but I would say that you handled the situation very well.

If it were me I would have left the weapon with my lawyer, I would rather just be able to do what I needed without playing 20 questions.

I was talking to an guy at my church (former LEO) and he said he had only seen about 5 CCW's in his 15 years as a Sheriff Deputy. I asked him what he would think a good response to the question "Why do you have a gun" would be, and he said exactly what you did.

"My Sheriff believes I have adequate cause to issue my license"
Then if pushed
"I'm sorry, I don't wish to get into my good cause statement at this time".

He even went as far to say if the officer pushed with it, ask for his name and badge number and ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, me personally, I would just tell the officer and save myself the issue, but whatever floats your boat. lol

Great job!

[spc]

You handled it well. Your answers were basically the right ones. Everyone wants to know why we need to carry a gun. That question is to be expected. Planning ahead and going in disarmed would have been much easier,,,,, but not nearly as much fun to see security jumping through the hoops for a change.

spc

[desertrat]

The security guards for courthouses are comical arent they? My fiirst time showing my rice was to one of them, pretty much the same routine except they had a lock box i could use

[Keith92555]

Thanks for the support. The general consensus from most is that it would have been better to leave the weapon behind. This would not have worked for me. One of the main reasons that I pursued the CCW was that after I testified at the sentencing of one of the juveniles, I was followed for about 5 miles and eventually lost them in traffic. I tried a few evasive turns to make sure they were following me and finally lost them by making an illegal right turn from the left turn lane.

Given that I was testifying against another one of the gang members today, I felt it was prudent to have my weapon on my person until I entered the court house.

As far as deflecting the questions, I was as evasive as possible without being coy. I answered all their questions WITHOUT ever revealing my GC. The only time I was asked was by the deputy inside the court house and I changed the subject by asking the DA if we could find a place for it elsewhere. I never did reveal GC, only that I wasn't LEO.

I think I might invest in a car safe in the future for those places I am not allowed to carry. I will continue to carry to the court though, these punks scare the out of me.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Keith

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Keith92555

Thanks for the support. The general consensus from most is that it would have been better to leave the weapon behind. This would not have worked for me. One of the main reasons that I pursued the CCW was that after I testified at the sentencing of one of the juveniles, I was followed for about 5 miles and eventually lost them in traffic. I tried a few evasive turns to make sure they were following me and finally lost them by making an illegal right turn from the left turn lane.

Given that I was testifying against another one of the gang members today, I felt it was prudent to have my weapon on my person until I entered the court house.

As far as deflecting the questions, I was as evasive as possible without being coy. I answered all their questions WITHOUT ever revealing my GC. The only time I was asked was by the deputy inside the court house and I changed the subject by asking the DA if we could find a place for it elsewhere. I never did reveal GC, only that I wasn't LEO.

I think I might invest in a car safe in the future for those places I am not allowed to carry. I will continue to carry to the court though, these punks scare the out of me.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Keith

Keith,

May God bless you and keep you and yours safe.