What is the legality of carrying pepper spray or a blade into such areas as schools, colleges, libraries, government buildings, etc? Or, at the very least where could I find a summary of these laws?

Well, just for the sake of beating a dead horse...according to the Second Amendment, you *ought* to have the right to bear arms anywhere you [censored] well please, but realistically...<br><br>I would recommend that when entering any of these types of buildings, you pay very close attention to any posted signs. If carrying weapons is prohibited, it will usually be posted in Big Block Letters.<br><br>Just yesterday, I forgot this while entering a traffic court building, and nearly got my ass handed to me by a security guard when I dropped my pocket knife in the bin at the security checkpoint. According to city regulations (supposedly), they could have confiscated my knife right there, but the guard allowed me to go put it in my car.<br><br>Be careful when approaching any of these types of buildings; if they do have a security check/metal detector and they see you turning back, it could raise suspicion, not that police and security people aren't usually paranoid to begin with. The most likely places where they will have these checks (other than transportation hubs) are any courts or other legal buildings, K-12 schools in high crime rate areas (most cities), and police/law enforcement buildings.<br><br>As far as a summary of these laws, the laws and/or regulations will vary at the state and municipal levels, and may be additionally covered by federal laws and/or regulations, so it would be quite an undertaking to produce a summary for any more than one locality.<br><br>Also, bear in mind that even if it is technically legal for a person to bear arms in a particular location, you will generally be at the mercy of the particular security person you're trying to get past, and even if they don't create a legal problem for you, they can usually cause you to waste a lot of time or obstruct you from accomplishing what you need to get done in the building you in or trying to enter--which can be just as bad, if not worse.