Is prohibiting tenants from keeping guns on an owner’s property considered discrimination or an infringement of there Second Amendment rights? Survey says……No! With all of the news about gun control over the last few months and the current progress towards tightening up the background check requirements for purchasing guns in the Senate, I decided to do a little internet search.
Please, anyone, correct me if I’m wrong on this topic but everything I read on the internet, which we all know is full of only factual information, said that it is within a landlords rights to keep their property free of firearms. I was a little surprised and I wonder if there will be any liability or lawsuits that will stem from a landlords decision to prevent guns on their property.
I came across all sorts of information, mostly from the gun enthusiast side of the spectrum. They were touting that if you disallow tenants to possess firearms on your property you are setting them up for robbery or other violent offenses because they would be defenseless and a sure target for criminals. I suppose that could be a valid point, particularly if the property is in a high crime area. A large apartment complex would have the most opportunity for the word to get out that it is a gun-free zone and could potentially have an increase in criminal activities.
On the other hand, keeping guns from a property would ensure that a gun does not get into the hands of someone it should not. For example, a child could not snoop through there parents closet and come across an unlocked firearm. A thief could not burglarize a property and steal guns. A mentally unstable person could not come across the gun. A good gun safe could also prevent those things from happening.
I consider myself a person for “Rights” I respect a property owner’s rights as well as a gun owner’s rights. Would or have any of you landlords out there employed a No Gun policy for your properties? I also welcome any other thoughts on the topic.