Sovereign Center in Reading......Whoa!

[ShooterInPA1]

Attended a show at the Sovereign Center in Reading last night....never was there before. The area is absolutely horrible......every person walking down the street and driving by looked like a thug. And whaddya know......once we arrived at the Sovereign Center there was a "No Firearms" sign! Am amazed that they actually disarm LTCF carriers in this area when they are the most law-abiding citizens out there and any criminals going in will not disarm as it did not appear there were any security devices which would indicate a firearm.

I now carry 24/7 and felt absolutely naked in this area. Will never go there there again with this policy in place and will email the Sovereign Center to let them know.

ETA: The show I attended was Cirque du Soleil.....every other time I have attanded a show of theirs, they usually have the big tents in the parking lot, and so the "No Firearms" rule shouldn't come into effect. This was the first one which was indoors.

[556slinger]

Attended a show at the Sovereign Center in Reading last night....never was there before. The area is absolutely horrible......every thug walking down the street and driving by looked like a thug. And whaddya know......once we arrived at the Sovereign Center there was a "No Firearms" sign! Am amazed that they actually disarm LTCF carriers in this area when they are the most law-abiding citizens out there and any criminals going in will not disarm as it did not appear there were any security devices which would indicate a firearm.

I now carry 24/7 and felt absolutely naked in this area. Will never go there there again with this policy in place and will email the Sovereign Center to let them know.

I totally feel your discomfort, I carry any time I leave my house and stay away from "no firearms" businesses except for hospitals and post offices. I even go as far as calling before i enter to be sure i am / am not welcome which gets kind of aggravating at times. I always OC around the Thugs, they quickly switch up their hard ass swagger

[ShooterInPA1]

I totally feel your discomfort, I carry any time I leave my house and stay away from "no firearms" businesses except for hospitals and post offices. I even go as far as calling before i enter to be sure i am / am not welcome which gets kind of aggravating at times. I always OC around the Thugs, they quickly switch up their hard ass swagger

I contacted the Sovereign Center letting them know I would not be attending any future shows at their center and would let others know my experience/feelings on the subject.

Disarming the most law-abiding group in the country is pure insanity when the criminals will always have weapons.

[JohnKos]

I carry there every time I go. Oh... and.. uh.. What signs?

[Pro2A]

Attended a show at the Sovereign Center in Reading last night....never was there before. The area is absolutely horrible......every person walking down the street and driving by looked like a thug. And whaddya know......once we arrived at the Sovereign Center there was a "No Firearms" sign! Am amazed that they actually disarm LTCF carriers in this area when they are the most law-abiding citizens out there and any criminals going in will not disarm as it did not appear there were any security devices which would indicate a firearm.

I now carry 24/7 and felt absolutely naked in this area. Will never go there there again with this policy in place and will email the Sovereign Center to let them know.

ETA: The show I attended was Cirque du Soleil.....every other time I have attanded a show of theirs, they usually have the big tents in the parking lot, and so the "No Firearms" rule shouldn't come into effect. This was the first one which was indoors.

I tend to ignore those signs as they hold no legal water in PA. If you get asked to leave though you can be charged with tresspassing if you don't.

[ChamberedRound]

I tend to ignore those signs as they hold no legal water in PA. If you get asked to leave though you can be charged with tresspassing if you don't.

This is off-topic, but I'm posting to prevent the spread of a slight mistruth on this issue. Signs DO have weight. GunLawyer has posted ad nauseum about this. Here's a few:

http://forum.pafoa.org/general-2/297...tml#post393217
http://forum.pafoa.org/concealed-ope...tml#post339576
http://forum.pafoa.org/concealed-car...tml#post592621
http://forum.pafoa.org/concealed-ope...tml#post351331

While you can't be prosecuted for violation of any gun law (as there is none as it pertains to this situation), you can be prosecuted for trespass or defiant trespass. AND (here's the rub), the charge could come even without the property owner or their agents directly confronting you, because it could be argued that the sign was your notification.

That's not to say this will happen, but it's also not true to say that signs hold no legal weight at all, and that you can carry somewhere that there's a sign with impunity unless a landowner/manager/etc. tells you to leave. There's rarely any absolutes in life, and this situation is no exception.

Back on topic, I took my son last winter to a Globetrotters game at the Sovereign Center. It was pretty scary, and I will think twice about going back there.

[mrjam2jab]

I havent been there since 2006...and dont recall seeing any signs...but didnt really look either...guessing not "seeing" the sign is not a defense?

[RoyJackson]

Concealed is concealed...
If it came to the point you needed a self defense weapon, a trespassing charge would be the least of one's problems.
I don't go to those type arenas often, but when I do, I don't read any signs, period.

[ShooterInPA1]

Concealed is concealed...
If it came to the point you needed a self defense weapon, a trespassing charge would be the least of one's problems.
I don't go to those type arenas often, but when I do, I don't read any signs, period.

That is a habit I am going to start. Forcing people to go unarmed in a bad area is unfair to law-abiding citizens.

[JohnKos]

I go to a lot of concerts and Royals games, usually parking a block up from the Center on the street. Never had a problem or seen anything to put me ill at ease. Not saying I don't keep both eyes open. Now go another block over to Franklin St... well things might get interesting then.