Beale Street Carry???

[Adam5]

I am heading "home" to Memphis next weekend for a visit and my parents are bound and determined to go to Blues City Cafe that Sat night and walk around Beale St. I have not been there since before I started carrying about 8 years ago, and I have heard that they now block up Beale St and set up metal detectors on weekend evenings. 

 

Can I get away with carrying there, or should I leave it in the car (I hate leaving it in my car almost as much as not carrying)?

 

Thanks,

 

Adam

 

 

[Garufa]

No guns on Beale.  Leave it in the car.

 

If you know the area at all you can park within a block or two and guess what, you'll have a good time and not have any problems.  Just don't go getting shitty drunk and walking a block or two south.

[Guest 270win]

The metal detectors are only up late at night.  Any other time of the day and there are not any metal detectors.

Edited July 19, 2013 by 270win

[Adam5]

I have just become spoiled in GA, where I can carry and have a drink, and no gun signs don't carry legal weight.

[Shorty]

There may not be detectors up but I'm pretty sure most of the bars on Beale are posted.  I've had friends have to ditch their pocket knives at the roadblocks too.

[jbravo]

And I would advise being out of there by 11:00 pm. I haven't been down there in several years, but it was not somewhere I wanted to be late on a Saturday night.

[Erik88]

How can they prohibit carry on a public street? I'm not aware of any law that allows them to do that.

[Garufa]

How can they prohibit carry on a public street? I'm not aware of any law that allows them to do that.

 

There are special laws in place for Beale, like serving drinks after 2 or 3 AM.  I believe, but am not sure, there is some exception for handgun carry.  Not sure if it's nature.

[Adam5]

Knowing my parents (in their 70's), they will want to go and get out early.

I will just lock my Kahr in the car.

[Guest confidence]

How can they prohibit carry on a public street? I'm not aware of any law that allows them to do that.

 

There are special laws in place for Beale, like serving drinks after 2 or 3 AM.  I believe, but am not sure, there is some exception for handgun carry.  Not sure if it's nature.

 

In no case can a local government preempt the state on firearm laws, with the exception of a local government property like a park or city building. If they are truly banning on a city sidewalk (as opposed to a local business' property) then they are doing so in direct violation of state law -- TCA 39-17-1314. Not saying I would want to be a test case. Just saying that they have no legal right to do that. The state preempts.

 

 

TCA 39-17-1314

  (a) Except as provided in § 39-17-1311(d), which allows counties and municipalities to prohibit the possession of handguns while within or on a public park, natural area, historic park, nature trail, campground, forest, greenway, waterway or other similar public place that is owned or operated by a county, a municipality or instrumentality thereof, no city, county, or metropolitan government shall occupy any part of the field of regulation of the transfer, ownership, possession or transportation of firearms, ammunition or components of firearms or combinations thereof; provided, that this section shall be prospective only and shall not affect the validity of any ordinance or resolution lawfully enacted before April 8, 1986.

 

---Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice.---

Edited July 20, 2013 by confidence

[Guest confidence]

Also read this AG opinion:

 

http://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/op/2004/op/op20.pdf

[CQB Elite]

The City of Memphis owns the entertainment district and I believe the BSDC. Beale Street is "historic" as it relates to Blues Music. It's also a major tourist draw for the city. I'd imagine that the city is well within TCA 39-17-1314 based on this alone.
 
 
TCA 39-17-1314
  (a) Except as provided in § 39-17-1311(d), which allows counties and municipalities to prohibit the possession of handguns while within or on a public park, natural area, historic park, nature trail, campground, forest, greenway, waterway or other similar public place that is owned or operated by a county, a municipality or instrumentality thereof, no city, county, or metropolitan government shall occupy any part of the field of regulation of the transfer, ownership, possession or transportation of firearms, ammunition or components of firearms or combinations thereof; provided, that this section shall be prospective only and shall not affect the validity of any ordinance or resolution lawfully enacted before April 8, 1986.
 
---Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice.---[/quote]

[Guest Bonedaddy]

City owns and says no. And don't trust that no one else will be packin', either. There's been a few shootin's down there, lately 'cause those metal detectors aren't in force till the evenin', so the thugs often come hot. No problem for'm to slip out the back door to the South side where most go to, anyway and avoid the fuzz later. The friend of a woman I know who stayed later than everyone else, got raped, sodomized and beaten in her own car just a block from the entrance to Beale St. on the NE side. Watch EVERYTHING like a hawk.

[CQB Elite]

City owns and says no. And don't trust that no one else will be packin', either. There's been a few shootin's down there, lately 'cause those metal detectors aren't in force till the evenin', so the thugs often come hot. No problem for'm to slip out the back door to the South side where most go to, anyway and avoid the fuzz later. The friend of a woman I know who stayed later than everyone else, got raped, sodomized and beaten in her own car just a block from the entrance to Beale St. on the NE side. Watch EVERYTHING like a hawk.

Bonedaddy sums it up pretty good! I'd add one thing- rely on your instincts and common sense to keep you safe, NOT Memphis PD.

[JayC]

There is no law, what Memphis is doing is illegal under current state law, but nobody has taken them to court yet and forced them to stop doing it.

 

How can they prohibit carry on a public street? I'm not aware of any law that allows them to do that.

 

[tnhawk]

And I would advise being out of there by 11:00 pm. I haven't been down there in several years, but it was not somewhere I wanted to be late on a Saturday night.

After the not guilty verdict last week and the recent shootings in memphis, I would not go near Beale St on a weekend night.

[maroonandwhite]

After the not guilty verdict last week and the recent shootings in memphis, I would not go near Beale St on a weekend night.

Sam here. I don't go anyways but def not now. I just don't like going to Memphis much at all anymore. Collierville is about as far as I venture haha.

[Guest 270win]

I would not go to downtown Memphis without a gun.   I'm sure it is illegal for Memphis to try to prohibit carry on a public street, but this is nothing new for Memphis to not follow a law.  The funny thing is Memphis put up the metal detectors late at night only in the past three or four years when carrying in restaurants was legalized.  Memphis was more worried about folks with permits than all the criminals carrying weapons.

 

As long as you don't get there late when they are running metal detectors, they will not know what you have on you.

[Pcdokk]

Beale Street, especially weekend nights is an area I avoid completely. I spent many nights there when I attending UT Memphis but that was many years ago and Memphis wasn't as dangerous as it is now. My advice is go during daylight hours and don't go alone. Ever.