If my tenants have children. If my tenants drink and regularly get drunk. If my tenants have some domestic violence at home. Then I urge my tenants to lock up their gun, unloaded. Take a firearms safety course. And sometimes remove the gun from the property, if it's a multi-family property. In a single house, I am less strict.

Why would you impose such an a dangerous restriction on people? What gives you the right to dictate to someone whether they can defend themselves or not. Or the right to deny someone their civil rights? That is just plain ignorant. Are you going to provide security for all your tenants? Will your insurance cover you when you cause them to get killed?

A business is private property. Your tenants leased premises are THEIRS, not yours. And any business that discriminates against gun owners is no different than one that refuses entry to gays or blacks. It is discrimination against a select group.

Jay,

Some words on a paper will not stop a red-blooded American gun owner. They know their Constitutional rights.

Just thinkin', I wonder if you could be fined for having this policy in print.

To enforce this I would guess you'd have to start with a question on the application.

Note to self: ANOTHER reason to not knock on doors for rent!

(See Mike Butler's post from a few days ago. 2nd LL in Louisville shot by resident.)

Here is a recent and interesting news item on this topic -

Judge backs Rockland landlord that threatened to evict gun-owning tenant

www.pressherald.com/2016/05/12/judge-dismisses-gun-rights-suit-against-property-owner/

Brad, I believe those constitutional rights also include property rights and freedom of contract ;)

I would never prohibit firearms. They are the best way to protect oneself, and the great equalizer. I actually prefer my tenants be able to protect themselves. The tenants even do target shooting on one property that has the land and area to support it. A number of my tenants are hunters, both archery and gun, so of course they have firearms.

My daughter will be taking her shotgun when she gets an apartment and hopefully she will have a pistol permit by then (since NY is not a right to carry state)

I've said it before, but I'll repeat:

I'm happy to reside in a pro-firearms state.

I don't know if my tenants have firearms, I don't ask. It would embarrass them to say they don't have any, so I just assume they do.

Several of the people I attend church with, men and ladies, CCW to church (and most everywhere else).

It might be our 'constitutional rights' to carry but it's perfectly legal to tell someone they can't carry on your premises. Restaurants, stores, etc. do it all the time?

Jay,

If I would not permit fire arms in any of my NWPa homes ...... NO ONE - but NO One would be left to rent too.

The first day of deer season should really be a state holiday (along with trout - of course).

I am not sure what part of the state you are from, but I am guessing it is an urban center.

We do have a house rule that you SHOULDN"T discharge weapons inside your home. Then again, we intentionally say Shouldn't too.

On another note about PA. Did you hear that our governors mansion caught fire last night and burned all the way down too its axles.

Would not go over around here - our legislature just voted to allow concealed carry without a permit by anyone legally allowed to own a hand gun.

Of course, I live in a, "sounds like he needed killin" area.

Barb, I think it instructional to go back 20 years and read the anti gun rhetoric that was presented during the c c w debate. Predictions of increased shootings, increased danger for our citizenry; in fact a huge drop in shootings occurred, violent crime dropped.

The same arguments are now presented in opposition of constitutional carry.

Jay----It is still my constitutional right and any American's right to own a gun, unless you're a felon.

Sad story here in Golden, CO this last week---some drug dealers/drugged out crackheads decided to rob a resident's home who they thought had drugs/money in the home---they had the wrong address---knocked on the door--wife opened the door, they bust in--wife runs downstairs with her two little girls--husband grabs a kitchen knife--stabs one of them--they jump husband and start stabbing him---wife calls 911 from the basement. Husband was in the hospital in critical condition according to last news story. They got one of the punks--others still on the run.

My advice--don't open the door to strangers---Get a gun, learn how to use it.

My area has turned over in the past 40 years from being rural to highly suburban. Big anti-gun mentality. When I went into a sfh for maintenance, I saw a rifle in a case that was propped against the wall under a windowsill. I didn't blink - my tenant has a freezer full of deer meat, and I grew up where waking up one morning in November to see a dead deer hanging from the tree outside your window didn't even make you look again.

Interesting that all of you are so pro gun. I am but excluding my tenants for the reasons already mentioned. I would love to hear from inner city/ ghetto landlords in Detroit, Chicago, Bronx, Brooklyn, Los Angeles

We have a 22 propped beside our back door. We do it to get rid of the woodchucks that pop up in our three acre yard. I understand that having that large of yard isn't the norm in a large city.

Folks in bigger cities are also allowed to own fire arms.

I applaud ALL that do - IF they are doing it responsibly. Hunting is a responsible way of using a gun.

With you being located in a larger city, I can understand that concern about guns. But this all comes down to responsibility. If you are disclosing that you do not trust your tenants, then you don't trust the customers YOU selected.

It seems like you are a bit concerned about your safety. Have you considered either selling that specific unit?

Who fault is it that dope smoking, hand gun hauling law breakers are attracted to this specific house that you own?

Trust and responsibility go along way. You are trusting your tenants with a valuable asset of yours. You are also responsible for teaching your tenants to be the role models that you want.

The Second Amendment forbids the FEDERAL GOVT from infringing on the right of the People to keep and bear arms. It does NOT forbid the States and LOCAL guvmints from infringing.

I won't get into the "collective right" vs "individual right" discussion that Heller resolved. All because of those stupid words about a well-regulated militia.

However, for many years, there was debate as to whether the 14th Amendment incorporated the Second Amendment, which would make the Second Amendment binding on the States (and on local guvmits). McDonald, in June 2010, was the first decision by the Supreme Court that held that the Second Amendment was incorporated into the Fourteenth and was binding on the States and locals.

Now, despite Heller and McDonald, the f$%^en idiots in guvmit still don't understand those simple words "shall not be infringed."

However, for this thread, the whole point is that I, as a private citizen, am not bound by the Second Amendment. I can prohibit people from carrying firearms on my property. That does not violate the Second.

There have been recent court cases discussing whether Public Housing can ban firearms. This seems clear cut to me -- Public Housing Authorities are guvmit, against whom the Second-Fourteenth Amendments apply. But just as other Second Amendment cases are decided seemingly without regard to those four simple words -- "shall not be infringed" -- these clear cut cases are twisted and distorted.

But we, as private LLs, have every right to ban firearms. Whether we should or not is completely different question.

We do not have the right to prohibit women tenants from voting, because of a whole other set of rules, which I do not have the stomach to address now. Suffice it to say that the dam guvmit has imposed illegal prohibitions on private citizens against discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, national origin. and now, trying to extend it to transgender bs.

If you ban their guns and something happens then you are liable. If they are mugged or robbed you can be/should be sued. When you take away their right to a gun then you are responsible for the security.

Jay you wanted to hear from someone renting in the inner city. I have a couple units are in the slums of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has several shootings a week. Black lives only seem to matter if white people are involved, 90% of Pittsburgh murders are committed by black on black.

Showing a gun or even pretending to have a gun in those areas can get you shot in the back. I don't carry a gun, I don't own a gun and I don't try to prevent or encourage tenants from owning. None of my business unless they pull it out and waive it around or commit a crime. If they do I start eviction. For my safety, I use common sense and pay attention to what is going on around me. I don't turn my back to someone on the street, if shady deals are going down I leave the area, I don't go into bad areas at night and I require rent to be mailed or electronically transferred. With just common sense I don't have problems.

Allin, as to your assertion that if you forbid guns on your property, you are liable if something happens: that is so naive and foolish. You can be sued, but any of us can be sued for anything!

In order to prevail in such a lawsuit, the disarmed tenant would have to prove that he was disarmed by your policy and that had he not been disarmed by your policy, the outcome of the criminal incident would have been better for him. And that would be very difficult to establish. Maybe if he had a gun, he would have been disarmed by the criminal and killed. Maybe if he had a gun, he would have shot an innocent bystander. And how does he prove what the outcome would have been?

"80% of my tenants smoke marijuana, many are felons, and I would feel less comfortable in general knowing they possess firearms"

Jeffrey,

INTERESTING article!

Maybe the resident should have claimed it was a "comfort gun".

BRAD

Wow! Thank GOD I don't live in PA or Com miefornia.

In fact tonight I am in the second most gun friendly state, the beautiful state of Utah, so that I can renew my UT firearm instructor license. We have to take continuing education.

I have, hmmm, let's see, six or seven pistols, I lost track, and a rifle, about 950 rounds of ammo with me. Cause you just never know. (OK, really because we are shooting a bunch at the range tomorrow.)

Then on Sunday we are going to try hiking up the Narrows in Zion if the water isn't too deep. I will be carrying a pistol in my pack. In case someone breaks a leg wading up the river we can put them down humanely. ;-)

Want to know why Utah never has a school shooting? Because they can carry guns in schools here.

I drove through Las Vegas, shooting capitol of the West on my way today and past "Bunkerville" of the infamous Bundy/BLM standoff. I also hold a permit in NV. And as usual I had people call me in Vegas after seeing my truck signs.

People are fed up with crime and with being victims. They are arming themselves. I will never be a victim, because "I" am the most dangerous person most criminals will ever encounter. So they leave me alone.

It doesn't matter what the Constitution or law says - infringing on anyone's right to carry or to defend themselves, OR their property or effects is simply, unAmerican.

We don't carry guns to hunt. We carry to stop crime against us, and if necessary to stop an out of control government. Denying people that right is wrong.

BTW I will get off my soapbox for a minute.

Jeffery and Mike are right. The courts have unfortunantly and wrongly held that property owners can restrict guns, but not government housing (if I understand correctly) because the Constution is a restriction on govt, not people.

However to me ALL discrinimation is wrong. Whether against black or gay people OR gun owners. Either we are ALL equal or america fails.

Also Gevans, a friend of mine is a pastor and gun instructor. I will laugh if some fool tries to rob their offering plate, cause probably twenty of his parishoners will pull on him.

Another LL trying to be police. Next thing you won't allow unmarried persons to co-habitat.

What makes a person a criminal is they choose not to obey the laws.