Beaufort County to post statutory signs banning concealable weapons inside county public buildings

Beaufort County Council voted Dec. 8 to direct the county administrator to post statutory signs at county-owned public business and recreation buildings informing the public that concealable weapons are prohibited inside those buildings, a step county counsel said is required for local enforcement.

County attorney Brian Hobert reviewed state law and told council that the statute forbids bringing concealable weapons into a public building only if the statutory sign is posted at each entryway; the sign is a precondition to sheriff enforcement of the concealable-weapons prohibition. Hobert urged placing signs at administrative buildings, recreation centers, libraries and other public-service locations where people come to do business with the county.

Council members debated enforcement practicality and scope. Councilman Cunningham said he worried about enforcement and staff safety unless security screening were added at every building entrance, while others argued posting the sign is an appropriate first step and that many county libraries already display the notice. Several members suggested starting with facilities where the public consistently transacts county business and with recreation centers that host children and seniors.

The motion to instruct the administrator to post the signs at county-owned public business and recreation facilities passed on a roll-call vote: Glover: yes; Dawson: yes; Reitz: abstain; Passamont: yes; Lawson: no; Cunningham: no; Brown: no; Bartholomew: no; Vice Chair Tabernick: yes; Chair Howard: yes. The clerk recorded five yes votes, four no votes and one abstention; the motion passed.

Why it matters: Under current state statute the sign is the mechanism that allows local law enforcement to take enforcement action for a concealable-weapon violation inside a public building. Posting the signs does not itself create a new criminal prohibition beyond state law, but it enables the sheriffs office to act where the signage requirement is met.

What comes next: Staff will compile a list of county-owned public business and recreation buildings where the signs will be posted and return details to the council; any ordinance-level change to extend prohibitions onto county property outside buildings would require separate action and coordination with the sheriff's office and a legal review of state preemption.

Representative quote: "If you're on the property outside the building, you could pull the gun out," the county attorney said, noting the statutes reach is limited to buildings unless the council chooses to pursue an ordinance.

The councils action was limited to posting signs consistent with the statutory text; broader proposals to expand prohibitions on county property or add security screening were discussed but not adopted at the meeting.