McKean County Courthouse: No storage facilities for firearms

[God's Country]

A couple years ago I was pulled for jury duty. A quick call to the sheriff’s office confirmed my firearm would not be an issue. Back then (although I’m not certain) I believe the courthouse still had multiple unsecured entrances, with just specific areas being off limits to firearms, so the solution, which was fine with me, was to leave my firearm in the sheriff’s office.
My jury duty was cancelled so I never had an opportunity to report on the situation.

Fast-forward to today the sheriff’s office is no longer at the courthouse, and all visitors must come through the main entrance and pass through a magnetometer.

Well I got called up again and had a brief conversation with a friend about it, when he informed me that he was at the courthouse recently and was told he had to leave his firearm in his vehicle. So I e-mailed the courthouse informing them that I would be checking a firearm and got this in reply:

Mr. XXXXX,

All visitors to the courthouse are required to enter through the front door. Weapons are not permitted in the courthouse, so it would be best if you left your weapon at home or in your vehicle.

XXXX XXX
Court Administrator

To which I replied:

XXXX, thank you for your response.

In the past I spoke with sheriff Mason, when he was still located at the courthouse, and he was very accommodating.

I choose to carry a firearm on a regular basis, and do not feel leaving my firearm in an unattended vehicle is a wise choice. Regardless state law requires court facilities to provide a facility to store my firearm, and that is the path I would choose to take at this time.

Thank You

PS
Law cited below:


§913. Possession of Firearm or Other Dangerous Weapon in Court Facility.


Facilities for checking firearms or other dangerous weapons.—Each county shall make available at or within the building containing a court facility by July 1, 2002, lockers or similar facilities at no charge or cost for the temporary checking of firearms by persons carrying firearms under section 6106(b) or 6109 or for the checking of other dangerous weapons that are not otherwise prohibited by law. Any individual checking a firearm, dangerous weapon or an item deemed to be a dangerous weapon at a court facility must be issued a receipt. Notice of the location of the facility shall be posted as required under subsection (d). (Chgd. by L.1999, Act 59, eff 2/15/00.)

I received no response so I called the sheriff’s dept., where a deputy basically confirmed that since their office had been moved a vacuum had been left.

So there you have it. Nobody seems to know (or care) why there are no storage facilities for the average citizen. Granted this is a small community and it would not surprise if I’m the first to request this type of facility. Still it’s the law and I expect our elected officials to comply with the law, as I am expected to do the same.

So I called and left a message with the county commissioners office explaining the situation and the counties responsibility to comply.

This morning I received a call from one of our commissioners and spoke at some length. He was quite affable and stated he would discuss the issue with the head of security to try and get the situation resolved. Noting that he was unaware of this requirement and it wasn’t every day this type of situation was requested (meaning never I think ). I was offered to have my firearm locked up in the DA’s office in the meantime, which is fine for now, but I did mention that I need to have access to my property when I’m ready to leave, but no matter I was not chosen for the jury.


Updates will be posted as they occur.

[God's Country]

UPDATE!

I have been in contact a few times with the afore mentioned commissioner regarding the situation. I never bothered updating the thread because our correspondence has been short and to the point. Progress was being made all the while.

Last week I was informed that a 4 drawer locker is now in place, which I feel is fine.
Of course I did mention that a plan B would need to be in place in the unlikely event that they were all occupied.

At some point I do intend to visit the courthouse to observe the location of the locker.

My thanks to those involved for making this an easy process.

[anonymouse]

Each county shall make available at or within the building containing a court facility by July 1, 2002,

I guess they're not worried about that deadline?

[ByblosHex]

I guess they're not worried about that deadline?

lmao, just noticed that. Schools should have them too... and Post Offices for that matter.

[HiredGoon]

I guess they're not worried about that deadline?

Hey, man...give 'em a break...it's only been 8 years.
/sarcasm

[kadar]

Ignorantia juris non excusat

[WhiteFeather]

Anyone notice a pattern here?

Governments at all level love quoting parts of the law (UFA) that suit their agenda, stand ready to prosecute anyone for violating the rule of law.
Spend lots of your money to implent the parts they like.

Then they exempt themselves from following the other sections of the law that they selectively quote to you, they want you to rearrange your activities because they don’t follow the law they insist you must in a double standard.

Leave you firearm in the car or home? say what?

How about this.... IF you don't provide the lockers you are suppose to by law ... After you check my LTCF permit why can't you just carry the firearm in the people court house like they have for hundred plus years?

[God's Country]

[COLOR="Blue"]Anyone notice a pattern here?

Governments at all level love quoting parts of the law (UFA) that suit their agenda, stand ready to prosecute anyone for violating the rule of law.
Spend lots of your money to implent the parts they like.

One thing that got me fired up over this when I heard there were no lockers was the notion of money. I'm sure money has always been tight around here, but somehow money always seems to get acquired when updates to the courthouse are needed, such as the ten's of thousands that are presently being spent to repair the courthouse steps.

In the court today one of the first words out of the judges mouth was his thanks for serving our country as potential jurors, and that this courthouse belonged to the citizens not the judges or lawyers that spend their time there….ironic I thought to myself.

[WhiteFeather]

One thing that got me fired up over this when I heard there were no lockers was the notion of money. I'm sure money has always been tight around here, but somehow money always seems to get acquired when updates to the courthouse are needed, such as the ten's of thousands that are presently being spent to repair the courthouse steps.

In the court today one of the first words out of the judges mouth was his thanks for serving our country as potential jurors, and that this courthouse belonged to the citizens not the judges or lawyers that spend their time there….ironic I thought to myself.

The government spent the big money for the metal detectors, all the hand wands along with paying for the up keep of putting all of this false security at the entrances everyday…… All using that section of law in the UFA then totally forgetting the same section of the law that let them disarm the Citizens must providing for storage according to law..

The lock boxes are CHEAP, a onetime expense compared to all of the rest of the law they spent the money they spend on to upgrade constantly.

Why is its always the Citizens that have to be held to the higher standard, government is suppose to work for us not the other way around, not that we are forced to work many hours for free to pay for all levels of the EXPENSIVE government to oppress US with our own tax money..

Since gun owners was having their rights reduced... the lockers required by law should have been where the money was first spent…… not tell us to leave your rights at home or in your car.

What happens if you are a victim of a criminal that is possibly many facing years in jail because of your testimony? If they have you bumped off or have you intimidated from your car to the courthouse... no case. they walk free.. how about that for warm feeling of safety….

If you are a witness in a criminal case is security going to escort you, provide for your personal safety, that right… your on your own IF you get killed well you should have hired someone to walk you from the car to the court house.

So these court facilities make sure you are safe or is it for their safety?

Maybe its just because I grew up, enjoyed going to all of these places for years without having all these so called secure zones, being scanned, probed, inspected, detected all for what? I liked it the way it was before much better.

Citizens today that have grown / growing up in metal detector society so called "security state" with all of this stuff will never know the freedoms that was traded away just to “feel better” don’t really understand the false sense of the illusion security that live in.

Where does this stupid concept we must disarm the so called Free Citizens to make a so called secure zones in public areas to protect us from a perceived bad guy possible attack for our safety.


These are the very same building when they repeatedly let the bad guys go with just a slap on the wrist BTW, so maybe IF they would lock up the bad guys

WE all wouldn’t have to lock up our firearms instead before entering the same building that our parent and grand parent could freely go through without all of the personal intrusion.

RANT OFF

[bortle]

I don't think money would have to be a big issue. They don't need a fire proof triple walled safe. A simple small gym type locker would suffice. There is a deputy standing right beside them. It's not like somebody it going to break into it.