Clarion attorney William Strong filed the lawsuit in Clarion County court on behalf of Stanley R. Switzer, of Sligo, and John V. Minich, of New Bethlehem.

Switzer and Minich tried to enter the county courthouse Jan. 30 "while in lawful possession of a valid concealed weapon," the lawsuit said. But the Clarion County men were turned away when they refused to go through a metal detector and submit to a hand search, the suit said.

The county commissioners in December adopted a stricter security ordinance prohibiting weapons at the courthouse and other county buildings. It also requires all visitors to be screened before they enter certain county buildings.

Strong wants the county to scrap the ordinance.

A ban on weapons at county buildings violates the Second Amendment because it infringes on the men's right to keep and carry firearms, the lawsuit said. The men also say the metal detector and searches violate the Fourth Amendment because they amount to unreasonable searches.

The county's attorney, H. Ray "Terry" Pope, did not immediately return a telephone message .

The county, three commissioners and a sheriff are named as defendants in the case.