I was concealed carrying a few days ago while running errands when I remembered I needed to stop at the bank. I had my concealed carry gun on me and wondered whether or not I was allowed to walk into the bank with it. This prompted me to do some research and find out for sure. Let’s talk about what is allowed when it comes to concealed carry in banks.
By Federal Law concealed carry in banks is allowed. Although states have the authority to pass laws from a state level to disavow concealed carry in banks. According to the law center database, Montana is the only state that prohibits concealed carry in a bank, credit union, loan institution or similar business regardless of whether a person has a permit.
What to Look for to Ensure You Can Conceal Carry in a Bank
- Bank Rules
- Conceal Carry Permit
- State laws
Few states outlaw concealed carry in banks by law, but it is important to be aware of other factors that may prohibit you from conceal carrying in a bank. Federal law may not prohibit concealed carry in banks, although other factors may. By being aware of these other factors you can ensure you are abiding by the law and avoiding legal trouble.
What to Look for to Ensure You Can Conceal Carry in a Bank
Criminals won’t watch out for laws to follow when entering banks. But for the law abiding citizen, there are key things to watch out for to ensure you are in the clear to conceal carry in a bank.
Bank Rules
Montana is the only state that does not allow concealed carry in banks from a state level law. Although there are other ways banks can prevent conceal carrying in there banks. Banks are private property. What this means is that banks can make their own rules as to conceal carrying. This is often done by using signs around the bank location. Banks post signs around the location to inform people that firearms are not allowed.
When going to your bank, be sure to keep an eye out for signs in the bank parking lot stating firearms are not allowed. This can be tricky as it is easy to miss the sign and conceal carry into the bank anyways. But banks are often good about putting the signs in visible places often seen by customers.
Conceal Carry Permit
Some states do not require a permit to conceal carry. Although some states require a permit to conceal carry. Conceal carrying within your states laws is important to ensure you are legally carrying in a bank. For example, if my state requires a permit to concealed carry and I don’t have one but conceal a firearm in a bank, this would not be legal.
Know whether your state requires a concealed carry permit or not. Below are states that do not require a concealed carry permit:
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky (as of June 2019)
Maine
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming
Some of these states have special rules. For example, New Mexico only allows concealed carry if the weapon is unloaded. In Montana, concealed carry is only allowed outside of city limits.
State Laws
I used to live in Idaho where I would go shooting often and conceal carry. After moving out of state from Idaho, I wasn’t sure if I could conceal carry in a bank. After some research I found useful tools to help me better understand my new state laws. Mic.com has a tool that helped me better understand my state laws and whether I can conceal carry in a bank.
Sometimes I forget that state laws change from time to time. I have found it is important to somewhat frequently checkup up on laws to ensure there was not a new law past that no longer allows me to conceal carry.
Risk of Conceal Carrying in a Bank
Once you know you can legally conceal carry in a bank, it is important to know that you know how to conceal carry. Some people argue that concealed carrying in a bank does more harm than good. Having a weapon in the bank runs the risk of a weapon misfiring or someone seeing the weapon and panicking. Some may argue there isn’t a need to conceal carry in a bank. In fact, bank robberies are not a common crime in comparison to other crimes. Banks often have employees and tenant spread throughout the bank. If a robbery were to happen, patrons with concealed firearms run the risk of missing and hitting employees or customers.
Although bank robberies are not common, who is to say shootings or robberies are common? You never know when they are going to happen. If the law allows carrying on the premise, sometimes it is better safe than sorry.
Protection
If you have a decent bank, it is probably federally insured. So you don’t have to worry about losing your money if the bank gets robbed. Although most often Bank Robbers not only target the bank, but target customers to rob them of their belongings.
By leaving your handgun in the car, you may leave yourself vulnerable to would be robbers. Having a handgun mat leave you with a difficult decision as to whether to react or when to react.
According to Guns.com, the South Porte Bank of Marion started allowing employees to concealed carry if licensed. This change was in response to bank robberies in the area. The bank even put up a sign reading, “Protected by Smith and Wesson.”
Another example of this is In September 2015, according to the Detroit Free Press a man robbed the Citizens Bank of Warren, Michigan and was shot three times by bank patron Ruben Kendrick.
Sometimes criminals can be deterred when knowing locations conceal carry or have extra measures for security. I personally keep signs at my house displaying that the house is monitored by security cameras and a system.
Concealed Carrying in a Bank
Concealed carrying in a bank is no joke and can affect the lives of other people. Many times people wonder what is and isn’t allowed when it comes to concealed carry in banks. It helps to be aware of your state laws, and local banking rules/regulations. If you really want to conceal carry in a bank that doesn’t allow it, you can always choose to take your business to another bank.