Are federally chartered credit unions considered 'federal buildings' for Concealed Carry purposes in Arizona?
I recently received a question from a CCW permit holder who asked if credit unions, such as Arizona Federal and Desert Schools were considered “federal buildings” when pertaining to firearms. He also wanted to know if there was a difference between stand-alone and in-store branches.I get this question or some variation of it in many of my Arizona CCW courses. Credit unions are federally insured but they are not ‘federal agencies’. Since they are privately chartered financial institutions, it is perfectly legal for you to carry concealed in a credit union office as long as they are not located inside a true ‘federal’ building or a school complex (university, etc.). The other thing you would need to worry about would be whether or not they posted a ‘no firearms’ or ‘no weapons’ notice at the entry, in which case you would be prohibited from carrying legally due to the right of a private property owner to restrict carry of firearms on their premises if they choose.Many people have the same misconception about banks or other financial institutions. Fundamentally, the same rules apply as do with credit unions. Unless they are located on school grounds or in a federal office building, you can legally carry as long as there is no posted prohibition of firearms.