“Officials in Pennsylvania say guns will be banned at this year’s Bloomsburg Fair,” nbcphiladelphia.com reports. “Bill Barratt, Bloomsburg’s superintendent of police and parking, says the ban is intended to assure the safety of people attending the Sept. 21-28 event.” Skipping down a couple of lines . . . “Barratt said he couldn’t recall any instances of gunfire at the fair, although there have been a few stabbings.” Need I say more? Only this: “Barratt said he expects some criticism but decided on the ban after consulting with state and federal officials.” Who warned him not to infringe on Americans’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. Or not. OK, and this too: “He told The (Bloomsburg) Press Enterprise that a domestic argument or a misfire could harm bystanders in the expected crowd of 80,000.” Damn misfires! [h/t RD]
Bloomsburg and Barratt? Is this a joke?
So what kind of Gun-Free-Zone will it be?
Will there be limited entry and exit points with weapons checks at every entry point, and will there be sufficient armed police to protect the visitors should violence occur? This is a violation of our rights, but acceptable.
Or will there be several unsecured entry and exit points, and not enough police patrolling the grounds? This is just completely unacceptable, because it leaves the visitors/customers completely undefended.
What he said.
No one has asked or addressed the most important question. Is this fair on private property or government property? If its on government property then preemption applies.
Yeah, if the town of Bloomsberg (It really is the only chartered Town in PA) owns the fairgrounds then statewide preemption applies and they can’t ban firearms. Now, if the fair organizers are not a government entity or a municipal authority then they can put the rule in place. It’s going to be interesting to see where this goes.
Preemption technically applies if it’s public property. If they defy it, my understanding is the aggrieved party can take it up with our State AG, former Hillary Clinton groupie, arch-Prog, and Bloomberg supported Kathleen Kane. There hasn’t been a test case since she was elected, but I have my guess as to what would happen.
There is a test case right now, going on Erie, PA over the no guns in parks ordinance.
Thanks, I’ll look that up. I’ll be very interested to see what happens.
The Bloomsburg Fair is on private property and the Fair board isn’t government affiliated. For some background, the fairgrounds are also fenced in and because of admission prices, entry and exit is relatively tightly controlled. No frisking or metal detectors though, so it’s hard to take something as superfluous as this too seriously.
As a local, this is a bit surprising. I don’t necessarily like having my fair associated with a gun ban, even one that in reality carries no weight of the law. I’m more unnerved by how far this is blown out of proportion. It’s private property and it’s their prerogative, just like it is if you go to an Eagles game or concert. Not that I’d make the same decision if I were the powers that be, but still, it’s not exactly uncommon.
Dont care not going. We can open or CC at local carnivals.
I was born one town over. Makes me sad to see progressive nonsense in the heart of PA.
Yeah if its anything like Ohio they can’t stop concealed carry on the fairgrounds, except in the buildings.
At the state fair, there were no weapons signs at all entry points and metal detectors. But when I asked a state trooper, he conceded the truth about CHL law.
Just Dont Go! Save the money for Ammo!
So the cops won’t have guns at the fair either?
Think of the dogs!
I wouldn’t go regardless but I’ve carried lots of place with those signs up. They’re not frisking me at the door or anything and i wouldn’t expose it unless the SHTF so whatever. So in any any given gun free zone its me and my heater and the criminals with theirs.
The sign should say no guns allowed if your iq is below 90 or your a liberal and can’t manage your urges.
I agree. It’s not really a ban.
It’s a ban for those who are peaceful, competent, and willing to follow signs.
For the violent, reckless, or those who can really conceal and won’t give up safety because of irrational signage, there is no ban.
If bans actually existed, all weapons on the continent (including those of state employees) could be banned and (maybe) fewer deaths would occur. The point of acknowledging the legitimacy of concealed carry is that a complete ban is not attainable, so defensive weapons are useful. If that is the case in a grocery store, why is it different in a fair? (No, I don’t think that one gunman would cause dozens of others to start mindlessly shooting in a circle, killing each other. Several shots, if not one or two, by the nearest person with an advantageous position, unlikely to hit a bystander, can stop a threat in seconds.)
TTAG needs to start using another term or putting qualifications on the word “ban”, etc.
I’ve always wanted to post a sign that says:
“Weapons Prohibited:”
“for the mentally impaired, those under the influence of substances,”
“children under 12, or those with violent tendencies or intentions.”
Maybe the list could use some tweaking, but the point is that such a sign would do absolutely nothing, except to make it clear that weapon prohibition signs in general do absolutely nothing.
They banned guns because there were stabbing. Will they ban knives if there are shootings?
there will be 80,000 unarmed people at the PA State Fair… crisis begins in 3…2..1
“Barratt said he couldn’t recall any instances of gunfire at the fair, although there have been a few stabbings.”
So will they ban knife carry?
Are you sure that this town is called Bloomsburg and not Doonesbury?
Question from a non-PA resident: do gun-free zone signs carry weight of law in that state (assuming no preemption, e.g. on private property)?
They can ask you to leave and if you don’t comply, you get charged with tresspass
Anybody check his bank records lately. I mean who is he brown nosing. Bloomberg himself?
are they saying that vendors at the fair cannot carry a firearm if there licensed to carry because alot of money is carried out of there each night as vendors leave the grounds also can you still sell knives at the fair i’m a vendor and half my inventory is cutlery ! i got no notice from the fair board about not being able to sell knives !
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