CC into church/private school?

[ec1psetuner]

I attend church at Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia and i am wondering if I can cc there? The church is at the front and the private school is connected at the back which they use some of the class rooms for Sunday school. I know you can not carry on any education or school grounds but i do not know if the church is considered separate or if it is all school grounds? I have not found anything on the subject but if i missed it i am sorry and please direct me to the right links.

[FJRMarty]

If you enter and leave through the church, IMO no problem, assuming your church allows.

[max384]

Here's the law:

§ 912. Possession of weapon on school property.
(a) Definition.--Notwithstanding the definition of "weapon"
in section 907 (relating to possessing instruments of crime),
"weapon" for purposes of this section shall include but not be
limited to any knife, cutting instrument, cutting tool, nun-
chuck stick, firearm, shotgun, rifle and any other tool,
instrument or implement capable of inflicting serious bodily
injury.
(b) Offense defined.--A person commits a misdemeanor of the
first degree if he possesses a weapon in the buildings of, on
the grounds of, or in any conveyance providing transportation to
or from any elementary or secondary publicly-funded educational
institution, any elementary or secondary private school licensed
by the Department of Education or any elementary or secondary
parochial school.
(c) Defense.--It shall be a defense that the weapon is
possessed and used in conjunction with a lawful supervised
school activity or course or is possessed for other lawful
purpose.

The bolded part is what I would concentrate on. If a judge and/or jury wouldn't consider the church to be part of the buildings of the school, I would think they would at least consider it to be on the grounds of the school.

However, since the school is physically connected to the church, I would assume the church would be considered part of the buildings of the school.

If you were to be caught carrying, I would think you only viable defense would be the last five words: possessed for other lawful purpose. However, I wouldn't bet my freedom on it.

I am not a lawyer and I don't pretend to play one on the internet either.

[fnp9usp]

or in any conveyance providing transportation to
or from any elementary or secondary publicly-funded educational
institution, any elementary or secondary private school



That includes driveways of the property...

Short answer: NO you can't.

Long answer: if you want to risk a trial do it.

[The_War_Wagon]

You can at MY church. Would you like to be a confessional Lutheran in Pittsburgh?

[Gun]

This seems like an issue involving the separation of church and state.

(c) Defense.--It shall be a defense that the weapon is
possessed and used in conjunction with a lawful supervised
school activity or course or is possessed for other lawful
purpose.

Does anybody know what this means, definitively (what is bolded)?

[max384]

This seems like an issue involving the separation of church and state.




or is possessed for other lawful purpose.



Does anybody know what this means, definitively (what is bolded)?

No one truly knows what it means; it hasn't been fully tested in the courts yet. There has been at least one case (maybe more now) where a man is using that as a defense, but AFAIK, there has been no court ruling yet. Maybe someone else can chime in with an update to that case?

Without any case law, I wouldn't want to test those waters.

[ImminentDanger]

or is possessed for other lawful purpose.

No one truly knows what it means

Actually ---- I KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS! ! ! ! ! !

HOWEVER ----- What we don't know is:

HOW WILL ANY SPECIFIC JUDGE
MIS-INTERPRET THIS LINE!
(For their own purposes)

...

[donm]

If you enter and leave through the church, IMO no problem, assuming your church allows.

I agree that the law does prohibit carry in this case due to the school. School issues aside, unlike some other states a church does not need to "allow" here. Pennsylvania law is silent on carrying in a church so it's pretty much like anywhere else. I wouldn't recommend asking for approval unless you are very sure of the answer, for the same reason that asking at most workplaces is a bad idea.

[Gun]

Without any case law, I wouldn't want to test those waters.

If you had legal waders, you might be safe!