For the knowledgable gun people

tinkerdorabelle

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 7, 2001
Ok I'm usually at the opposite end on these threads about guns, people here may think I don't support but I actually do support gun ownership for responsible, mentally healthy people. (Just believe in intelligent regulations, etc., not going into that here tho lol). We travel in a small RV many times stopping overnight or longer in out of the way places or just boondocking for the night. Out of curiousity was wondering what laws are re traveling with a handgun. Can you go state to state with a locked handgun in your motorhome? Does this vary, meaning some states allow and some don't and you would need to know in advance which states do before going through them? Not something we are doing now but was curious as I have heard varying things about this.
 
You have to follow the laws of each state that you're in and they can vary greatly!

Some states have reciprocal agreements so that if you're licensed in one state you're automatically licensed in another (I know that NH and FL have a reciprocal agreement).

Your best bet is when planning out our route research the laws for the states that you're going through.
 
There isn't a single, consistent law that covers all states. Number one, be certain the gun is not loaded. Number two, be certain to carry your gun permit with the gun. Number three, carry the unloaded gun in a locked case in a compartment that is not accessible to driver or passengers -- absolutely not the driver's console or a glove box.

It doesn't guarantee you wouldn't have legal issues anywhere, but it demonstrates you took best measures to be compliant with laws and were prudent about safety. There may also be issues if your permit is valid at home, yet none of your destinations allow legal carrying of handguns.
 
And depending on your drive you will not only need to research each state but also each county and possibly city. I am pretty sure NYC has different laws than NYS and that may be true of Cook County, IL compared to the rest of the state.

Carrying a hand gun on a road trip is fraught with possible pitfalls so do a lot of research.
 


It sounds like you would keep it locked up for transport so in that case the laws you need to look up are transportation laws, sometimes the carry laws will provide you the answer you are looking for (like a law saying it's okay to carry a gun within your vechcile)
 


It sounds like you would keep it locked up for transport so in that case the laws you need to look up are transportation laws, sometimes the carry laws will provide you the answer you are looking for (like a law saying it's okay to carry a gun within your vechcile)

Which again, is not always the case.
 
Which again, is not always the case.
Yes, that's why I gave an example of having to look at transportation laws as well as carry laws.

But the OPs question is mostly about transportation through a state and not carrying.
 
You have to follow the laws of each state that you're in and they can vary greatly!

Some states have reciprocal agreements so that if you're licensed in one state you're automatically licensed in another (I know that NH and FL have a reciprocal agreement).

Your best bet is when planning out our route research the laws for the states that you're going through.

Perfect response.
 
You might want to consider a long gun instead of a handgun. The laws are usually less strict. Either way, you will have to research each state's laws.

As an aside, having the gun locked and unloaded in one part of the RV and the ammo locked up in another part may help in keeping you from getting arrested but won't do much for self defense.... Unless you plan on throwing the gun case at them. In which case, just carry a large rock with you.
 
You might want to consider a long gun instead of a handgun. The laws are usually less strict. Either way, you will have to research each state's laws.

As an aside, having the gun locked and unloaded in one part of the RV and the ammo locked up in another part may help in keeping you from getting arrested but won't do much for self defense.... Unless you plan on throwing the gun case at them. In which case, just carry a large rock with you.

Even that won’t help in place like NJ, unfortunately.
 
You might seek out websites of groups that hold competitive shooting events and see if they have some recommendations for how to best legally transport a handgun.
 
Unless I missed something I have a couple of questions.

Are you ready to use it and shoot someone? Brandishing a weapon without intending to shoot could very well get the gun taken away and used on you.

Do you already own a handgun ? If not, they are very difficult to hit what you are aiming at without practice.

For self defense the best bet is a shotgun. A 410 or 16 gauge will minimize the recoil. Again, you should practice with it so you know what to expect. My mother kept a loaded 410 under her bed after my father died. My uncle trained her to use it.

As was mentioned, research every state, county, town you intend to pass through for their laws.
 
Unless I missed something I have a couple of questions.

Are you ready to use it and shoot someone? Brandishing a weapon without intending to shoot could very well get the gun taken away and used on you.

Do you already own a handgun ? If not, they are very difficult to hit what you are aiming at without practice.

As was mentioned, research every state, county, town you intend to pass through for their laws.

I second this advice. OP - you really need to do some research on this and the DIS is probably not a good resource for information on unique gun laws between different states. It's complicated.

I also agree w/the question above re: "are you ready to use it and shoot someone?" The decision on whether or not to own a firearm is a very serious matter. You need to research and understand all of the gun laws for each state and, in some cases, county and/or municipality that you will be travelling in with that firearm. Ignorance of the law will not get you out of a legal bind. For example, you can't say "Sorry officer, I didn't know."

For example, in the state of Arizona, where I live, there an entire book which you can purchase that just covers all of the federal & state gun laws that apply to Arizona.

Different states have different laws around stuff like:
  • who can get a concealed carry permit
  • whether or not they will honor a concealed carry permit from another state
  • what the definition of concealed carry is
  • whether or not "open carry" is permitted and what their definition of "open carry" is
  • how you are required to store the gun in your vehicle
  • what types of gun are permitted for average citizens to own
  • whether or not you are required to register the gun in that state
  • what types of bullets are permitted
  • how many bullets the gun is allowed to hold at 1 time
  • where you are allowed to store bullets in your vehicle
  • how much ammunition you can transport in your vehicle
  • how many guns you can transport in your vehicle
  • in what situations you are allowed to use the gun
  • not every state recognizes the concept of "castle doctrine." This is important to research.
  • what the definition of "self defense" is
etc., etc.

At the very beginning, you should do some reading. And you should seriously consider taking an NRA class. They have different ones based on the type of gun (shot guns, rifles, hand guns). Often, 6 out of the 8 hours of an average NRA class is in a classroom in a lecture format and it is all about safety, safety, safety, and laws, laws, laws.
 
It might be easier to get one of these:

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If you choose this option, please take the requisite steps to get a certificate and vest from the internet so that you can attest to your pup being an emotional support animal.

This is clearly an emotional support pup, am I correct?
Absolutely! :thumbsup2
 
Won’t help you right now, but there is a national concealed carry reciprocity bill working its way thru congress that will solve this problem. It will allow you to have one concealed carry permit that will work in all states. Not sure when it will pass.

I have a concealed carry permit in my state. I just research the laws in surrounding states if I will be traveling with my gun.
 

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