Arizona FlagIn preparing for a trip to Arizona in the not too distant future, I reviewed the prohibited carry rules at HandGunLaw.us. We wouldn’t want to unwittingly be in violation of the law, so I thought it would be important to take a look.

Here’s the prohibited places:

Places Off-Limits Even With A Permit/License

Prohibitions on carrying firearms in these venues apply to both open and concealed carry.

  • Any establishment or event open to the public where the operator makes a reasonable request for you to give them custody or remove the weapon from the premises. A sign would qualify for such request. By law, cities and counties are required to offer on-site storage if they ban weapons but not all are in compliance.
  • The grounds of any school, other than the parking lot. In order to be legal in the parking lot the weapon must be unloaded, and, if left in an unattended vehicle, such vehicle must be locked and the weapon out of sight.
  • Commercial nuclear or hydroelectric generating stations.
  • Polling places on Election Day.
  • Correctional facilities (this includes the parking lot of such facilities).
  • Game refuges (except during an authorized hunt).
  • You can take a firearm onto school property if you follow the procedure below.

You are an adult in a vehicle and the firearm is unloaded before entering school grounds. Furthermore, if you must exit your vehicle, the firearm must remain unloaded and be secured (locked) within the vehicle, out of plain view (ARS 13-3102.I.1) Use caution and common sense if you must exit the vehicle with a firearm to secure it in the trunk (avoid causing a potentially serious disturbance)

One of our new Arizona friends told us that you could not carry within 1000 feet of a school. Since there are several schools in town (2 on a major thoroughfare) that worried me. I’m relieved to see that the rules won’t affect walking or driving past a school.