ScottDLS wrote:Handguns are not illegal in Texas hospitals unless hospital is privately owned and properly 30.06 posted.
I wanted to correct this misstatement first, then answer the question as I see it. Handguns and hospitals is a very gray area, though the above situation is one of the two clear answers. Private property and properly posted means no guns, regardless of type of business, including hospitals. By the same token, any hospital that is not a school and does not have proper 30.06 signs posted is clearly not banned.
But other situations are not nearly as clear. What about private hospitals that are also schools? Say Baylor School of Medicine as one example? In this case, a strong argument can be made that it is banned as a school premises without the need for the 30.06 sign? Of course, the same argument goes for government owned hospitals that are also schools - they may be banned without the need of a 30.06 sign. They other gray area is the publicly run hospitals that are not schools? Can they be banned by posting 30.06? There is the argument that they are government property, so the 30.06 sign cannot be valid. But there is also the argument that if the sign is posted, you get charged with violating 46.035, not 30.06. There is some disagreement on the forum as to this, but I do believe you would be charged.
So, other than the first two scenarios I mentioned, hospitals can be a very gray area. Be careful.
Now, as to the original question. The sections on carrying at hospitals and other properties that are posted only apply to people with handguns who are carrying under the authority of their concealed handgun license. Anyone can carry a rifle or shotgun there, either openly or concealed (though I would think open carry of a long gun would cause a little commotion). Other people can legally carry there also, with concealed or open handguns. For example, the laws do not stop cops from carrying there, nor do they interfere with security guards. And, believe it or not, the old traveling exception is also there (though convincing the jury you were traveling might be hard).
So, get a legal short barreled rifle or shotgun with a folding or collapsible stock, and you could legally carry it into the hospital concealed. And this would be true at all times, though it might be easier to get away with in case of disaster.
