In Virginia it’s legal to carry a gun in church for self defense. It is NOT legal to carry a gun in a school or on school property, or within 1,000 feet of school property.
So, what if a church has a school on its property? Assume they are separate buildings, but adjacent each other.
Would it be illegal to carry in the church because the church is within 1,000 feet of the school? Or would both buildings be considered church property (as opposed to school property) because the school belongs to the church? Or would the church and the school be considered separate entities such that it would be legal to carry in the church, but not in the school?
You have now stepped into the poop pile that laws like this one have created. In several states it is legal to carry in a church that is part of a school IF you are attending services but not at other times like school functions, meetings etc. You need to take a good long hard look at your state’s specific laws on this subject.
Greetings, Garry553, and welcome to the forum. We are glad you found us.
I strongly agree with what Enzo has recommended, including the 1000-foot exclusion zone around the school.
I am in Texas and have looked into this very situation. In my local area, there is no 1000-foot exclusion zone around any restricted areas like banks, school, theaters, etc. I could walk along the sidewalk around one of those establishments and still be legal. Texas law states the private property of the establishment ends at the sidewalk.
On the issue of church/school legality, all the church schools in the area are privately owned by the respective church and are not state property. The permission to carry is granted or disapproved by the church. Most churches in our area do allow concealed carry with permit on all church property including the schools. Constitutional carry (open carry without permit) is generally not allowed.
The 1000-foot exclusion zone is usually a myth in most areas. Here locally, there is a Walmart right next door to the local High School. Walmart sells guns and ammo and is well within the 1000-foot exclusion zone. All around every school in our town are neighborhoods full of private homes, within the 1000-foot exclusion zone. Having a 1000-foot exclusion zone would make it illegal for those legal homeowners to own firearms.
EDITTED: In my original post, I wrote out a comment sounding like the high school sold guns and ammo. This is not the case. I have rewritten it to sound more correct that Walmart sells guns and ammo.
To add complementing both Enzo and Bruce … in some, permission from the parish is required for church carry. If you need permission and get it, get it in writing and keep a copy with you when you attend services.
Seeing some sound advice above. If you do end up conceal carrying there in the end; “If”. Personally, I would not tell a soul that you are actually carrying, not even the priest during confession, pun intended. Kept “on the down low”.
In my area, it is ok to bring a firearm as long as you have written consent… Kind of like dating these days, you have to have consent…
Oddly enough, they frown on you bringing nails to church…
Code of Virginia 18.2 308-1 forbids carrying a weapon on “the property of any child day center or public, private, or religious preschool, elementary, middle, or high school, including buildings and grounds.”
So, I take 2 things from that. First, there is no 1000 foot rule. You are on the property or not on the property. Second, all schools are treated the same. If a church is on the same property as a church school, it is illegal to carry.
