Houston Zoo reinstalls signs prohibiting guns

[SecularMotion]

HOUSTON -- The Houston Zoo has reinstalled signs that prohibit carrying firearms into the zoo, three months after they were removed due to threat of legal action.

The Houston Chronicle reports Attorney Edwin Walker with Texas Law Shield sent a demand letter to the Houston Zoo, its corporate entity and the city's parks and recreation department on Sept. 3 asking they take down all guns-prohibited signs at the zoo.

Once the signs were removed, zoo staff said they would consult with lawyers about what their next step should be.

Houston Zoo spokeswoman Jackie Wallace said the signs were put back because the zoo is an educational institution that exempts if from being forced to allow firearms within its gates. Wallace said the zoo has an Education Department that employs 17 professional educators.

http://abc13.com/news/houston-zoo-reinstalls-signs-prohibiting-guns/1100428/

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Who the FUCK would sue a zoo to...

let them carry their guns in there?

There are times when it's not a gun, but a horsewhip that tempts me...

[Hoppy]

2. The answer is, "assholes."

[Duckhunter935]

4. 3 months with no signs

Must have been daily bloody carnage there I assume.

[Eleanors38]

5. Do they search a Kangaroo's pouch?

[Lizzie Poppet]

6. That's their right. I honor such signs, despite there being no legal obligation to do so.

With certain exceptions (usually part of federal law or explicitly stated in Oregon law), "no guns" signs carry no force of law here. All they can do, if the believe you to be armed, is ask you to leave (and that does have force of law behind it: if you refuse, you're guilty of trespass).

But I respect the right of the person in charge of the property to make that request, and I honor it. I (very) rarely make an exception if I happen to be out on a multi-stop errand running trip and unexpectedly encounter such a sign at one of my stops. I won't stash my weapon in the car (even if it's out of sight, that's just not proper weapon security), and if I'm clear across town and the errand at the "no guns" business is urgent, I occasionally just go with "what they don't know won't hurt them."

Not often at all, though. I really do consider this to be the right of the business owner/manager.

[Hangingon]

7. That certainly works for private property but the zoo is public property.

I would like to see the suit test this. It might be possible for the educational areas - classrooms and school demo areas - to be gun free while permitting carry in the rest of the zoo.