Toledo Library board will post signs banning guns

February 20, 2004
Toledo Blade

Pistol-packing library patrons will have to leave their guns in their cars.

The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Board of Trustees voted yesterday to post signs outside the system’s libraries announcing that no firearms can be taken inside its buildings in response to the state’s concealed carry law, which takes effect in April.

Library Director Clyde Scoles said weapons already are prohibited in the system’s libraries, but the board wanted to make sure people knew that the law exempts libraries from compliance with the concealed-carry law.

"We don’t allow weapons anyway - that’s always been a standard operating procedure," he said. "This is just a continuation of what we’ve been about for all these years."

Doug Evans, executive director of the Ohio Library Council, said his organization is recommending that libraries across the state post similar signs.

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He said posting signs will avoid confusion for people who don’t know libraries were exempted from the concealed carry law.

"I think the general public has no idea unless they’ve followed this law through this process that public libraries are exempted," Mr. Evans said.

Mr. Scoles said libraries are gathering places that attract children and families, so weapons should be barred.

Commentary:
CHL-holders are prohibited from carrying concealed firearms into public buildings such as this library, but the law says NOTHING about openly carrying. As we reported last week, these public officials' rush to ban CHL-holders could be illegal, as well as extremely unsafe.

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