Legal Weapons and Overlanding

[Kevin108]

I have my VA resident permit and UT non-res. This combo allows for carry in 39 states. I carry wherever legal. I do so simply to be prepared. I wear a seatbelt even though I don't anticipate a crash. I have an in-vehicle extinguisher even though I hope to never deal with a fire. I keep an inReach on my belt when I'm out alone, though I never want to send an SOS. Like the shovel I bring to the beach or the socket set I take everywhere, a gun is just a tool. It's better to have it and not need it than need it not have it. Fortunately nothing on two legs or four has ever given me pause during our adventures.

I am a proponent for national reciprocity. You don't drive to a neighboring state and worry whether you're driving illegally. You should not have to worry if you're carrying illegally, either. It confounds me that, should I drive past an invisible line here in my home state and find myself in Maryland, I've now become a criminal. But maybe I don't even realize I'm into MD and continue driving. In short order, I cross another invisible line and enter DE. Now I'm a good guy again. The same guy with the same gun in the same holster is is considered law-abiding in 78% of states. Why not the other fraction?

 

[Quicksilver]

Well said.

 

[Craig M]

National reciprocity would be awesome. I only have my home state but have thought about getting a UT license, mainly so I can pick up WA where I have family, but I just don't travel there much (once every few years) so haven't bothered.

Not sure why WA doesn't offer reciprocity for Texas. Our issue standards are higher and we recognize theirs.. Purely political I'm assuming..

 

[The Klumps]

You really have to read the fine print on some of these nonresident permits.
Utah for example won't issue their non resident if you don't have a permit from your home state.
It can get pretty muddy.


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[Grevlin]

Outside my house, I have a concealed sidearm on me at all times - where it's legal. It's a Kimber Pro Carry II 1911 in .45acp with some 'smith upgrades to trigger and hammer, XS Big Dot sights, VZ grips, and upper assembly has the Severns Hard Hat finish. (frame is aluminum) Been carrying it for years and I'm wicked accurate with it. Couple of extra mags in front support pocket and a go-bag "laptop" bag behind my car seat with 4 more mags.



On occasion, I will also have my AR-15 pistol in the vehicle. Loaded and concealed. As a pistol, it's covered by my ccw permit.

Mossberg pump 12 if going anywhere with larger 4-legged possibilities. Loaded with PDX segmented slugs. 7 in the tube and 7 more on velcro side saddle.

 

[QCNR]

Hmmm, being well versed in the use of firarms and living in Norway where use is not frowned upon but you can't
carry one in public (unless to or from a range), and having travelled to several of our planets different regions, I am quite mystified
by the fact that people go on Overland adventures, but feel the need to carry firearms for security.
So I am very curious, out of all those that have replied how many of you have carried firearms and needed to use one,
for security purposes?
Because are there that may real threats in the USA, or is it simply against potential perceived threats?
It sounds to me a bit like someone going on holiday to the Carribean and not swimming in the sea, because there are sharks.
yet statistically you are more likely to suffer a fatal accident traveling to the carribean than a fatal shark attack whilst swimming in the sea.

 

[Kevin108]

There are places in the US where threats are elevated, but those are typically populous cities that deny citizens the legal right to armed self-defense. It sounds ironic at first, but upon looking into things, you begin to understand that criminals are opportunistic and prefer soft targets. Carrying a gun and displaying some situational awareness makes you significantly less likely to become a victim.

But hanging a small, lightweight tool from your belt that has the potential to save your life or that of a loved one seems like it shouldn't warrant a second though. It's there if you need it and causes no inconvenience if you don't. You carry a gun for the same reason you wear a seat belt, own a fire extinguisher, or have a first aid kit - you hope to never need to rely on these things to save your life, but what if you do? You can't do so if you've not brought one along.

But you are right about statistics. We're more likely to die of heart disease, an automobile accident, or medical malpractice than from being shot. Still, I see no reason not to influence the things upon which you can affect your odds of survival.

 

[RockyMountaineer]

Hmmm, being well versed in the use of firarms and living in Norway where use is not frowned upon but you can't
carry one in public (unless to or from a range), and having travelled to several of our planets different regions, I am quite mystified
by the fact that people go on Overland adventures, but feel the need to carry firearms for security.
So I am very curious, out of all those that have replied how many of you have carried firearms and needed to use one,
for security purposes?
Because are there that may real threats in the USA, or is it simply against potential perceived threats?
It sounds to me a bit like someone going on holiday to the Carribean and not swimming in the sea, because there are sharks.
yet statistically you are more likely to suffer a fatal accident traveling to the carribean than a fatal shark attack whilst swimming in the sea.

Being an eagle scout the Boy Scout moto is turned into my mind, "Be prepared". It isn't about real or received dangers rather about philosophy. I don't know what challenges the world will throw at me 5 minutes, 5 days, or 5 years from now. But I do know I am much more likely to weather the storm if prepare for it. And a gun is much like a parachute. I most likely will never need it, but if I should I ever need one and don't have it I will never need it again.

Also guns are a recreational item. And in the US we shoot stuff on undesignated ranges (private property and public land alike)

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[Overland Omnivore]

I must say this without blame and in full support of your right to bare arms... at an overland event this weekend I witnessed the most deplorable incident and flagrant disregard for other people's safety I have seen in a very long time. One of the people who was participating in the event left a loaded handgun on their bumper with children around. If that wasn't bad enough they forgot about the gun and took off on a trail ride and the gun fell off the bumper into the grass where children were playing. This was not noticed until we return from the drive. My own children were at this event. The gun was found by an adult who had no experience in handling a fire arm and was waving in the air asking who it belonged to and pointed directly at me and several others. First if you were not responsible enough to not keep your weapon on your person at all times you should not be carrying it at all. if one of the very small children there had found the weapon (which was near a playground) in the grass a great weekend could've turned out bad. I felt so uncomfortable with the situation and the lack of responsibility and the lack of response from other Overlanders, that I left early with my children and this is at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. If this kind of irresponsible behavior happens in the afternoon when people are sober I was afraid that given any kind of alcohol or heated discussion things could've turned out ugly. If you are not responsible enough to carry firearms property and to secure it properly when it is not on your person in my opinion you have lost your right to bear arms. Firearms have no place in the hands of the irresponsible and those that do not confront this are just as guilty . This person should have been asked to leave the event immediately for endangering the lives of the participants.

 

[Craig M]

Wow, that's pretty ridiculous and completely unacceptable. At a bare minimum that person should have been asked to disarm and lock it up since he clearly wasn't responsible. If he refused I would have asked him to leave, or would have left myself as you did. This is also a good example of why it is important to teach firearm safety to kids (and adults, for that matter) even if they don't own or plan to ever own a firearm.

I rarely ever remove my firearm from my holster with others around, unless I am preparing to shoot and follow all of the standard 'rules'. When I do need to disarm for some reason (changing clothes, adding layers, relieving myself) I typically remove the entire holster with the firearm in it. And if it will not be within arms reach 100% of the time, it will get locked up immediately.

 

[Lexuswoobie]

That depends. Until the castle doctrine change a few years ago, even in Texas it would have not been legal to carry a bat as a means to use for a club. Although perfectly legal to carry a bat for means to use as a bat. Pedantic yes, but an important distinction if you are stopped and asked about it. The cause being that a club was not legal to possess on or about your person and that there had been previous case law in which a bat was ruled an illegal club. In those cases, that I can recall, the bat was used in aggravated assaults and in turn ruled an illegal club; however, that laid the groundwork for bats to be ruled as a club.

Point being be careful. "May I search your car?" "No thank you." After a decade of active law enforcement I'll tell you that if I was going to search your car I had PC built, if I asked you then I was just playing the game leading up to you being placed in handcuffs. If I didn't ask you and you were going to be searched, then a couple more units would roll up and you'd be in handcuffs. If we ever have the chance to share a beer around a campfire I can tell you some funny stories along those lines, but that's for later.

If you are gonna carry a bat in your vehicle, ALWAYS carry a glove and ball with it. Credibility in your story needs a foundation.

 

[Lexuswoobie]

Ohh so nice! Nothin finer than P226. That a Trijicon you sportin there?

Only thing beats a P226 is a P220

 

[Warren Wilson]

Eighteen pages of firearms discussion and barely a hint of discourse? I think I will enjoy this forum quite a bit.

If any are interested, I'm an LE and citizen firearms instructor whose become addicted to attending classes on the topic. I've been carrying legally for 21 years. I have a few classes I've gotten certified on carrying concealed. If I can be of any help, please don't hesitate.

 

[The Traveling Shepherd]

I only travel in states with reciprocity with my states CPL.

 

[Thatredfj]

I have the luxury of having fully locked and sealed cabin. That being said I have a holster up front by my right leg for my EDC .45 And a locking mount for a rifle or shotgun on the back of my rear seat. I always went for locking systems just because I get paranoid about someone popping the window and getting ahold of one of them.

I would say its somewhat for protection on a everyday carry situation but out overlanding its less about that and more about fun if I can plink around somewhere that I end up. I have also flown with firearms many times on hunting trips and competitions with generally little to no problems.

I grew up in a place where everyone had a gun in their truck/ rig. Its something that I have done even before overlanding and well before I moved to a more urban/ suburban area.

 

[JLangsdorf]

I am one who has owned guns since I was nine. When I was an AF pilot, there was always an accurate S&W 357 in my vehicle, to take if we ever got deployed. The AF issued truly crappy .38s to pilots. More history. My first "real" gun was a youth sized, single shot 20 ga. shotgun. I had no idea where it had gone until my last visit to my family home in Minn. and my younger brother brought it out to the trap range. My sharp shooting nephew shot 23 of 25 with that full choke, short-stock single shot. I was impressed!

 

[Overland Omnivore]

I'm encouraged by all the positive discussion surrounding firearms safety in this group and hope that my situation is not repeated. I never have felt the need to carry a gun but I would never tell someone else not to carry, it is your constitutional right, but for the sake of public discourse, if you were approached by someone that felt uncomfortable about your unintentional mishandling of a fire arm, what would your reaction be?....

 

[The Traveling Shepherd]

I'm encouraged by all the positive discussion surrounding firearms safety in this group and hope that my situation is not repeated. I never have felt the need to carry a gun but I would never tell someone else not to carry, it is your constitutional right, but for the sake of public discourse, if you were approached by someone that felt uncomfortable about your unintentional mishandling of a fire arm, what would your reaction be?....

I simply would, and have said "it was nice meeting you we have some things we need to get done"
I'm writing this from the point of view that someone is being unsafe around me.
No need to be confrontational or rude, there's no reason to impose your [[[feels]]] on someone by telling them . Chances are you won't change their behavior anyway. There's been a recent line of thinking that people who dislike firearms should call the police if they see one because they "feel unsafe". This is a political motivation and has little to do with actual safety and those people should be told to have a nice day and be sent on their way. On the flip side of that is someone thinks they're Jonny Ringo on a bender it might be time to make a call.

There's no reason to be around someone being unsafe with a firearm anymore than I would be around someone being unsafe with a chainsaw or a car.

1. All guns are always loaded. (Treat them so!)
2. Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target (and you have made the decision to shoot).
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

 

[Jeepney]

I'm encouraged by all the positive discussion surrounding firearms safety in this group and hope that my situation is not repeated. I never have felt the need to carry a gun but I would never tell someone else not to carry, it is your constitutional right, but for the sake of public discourse, if you were approached by someone that felt uncomfortable about your unintentional mishandling of a fire arm, what would your reaction be?....

Honestly, if I was the type of person that was irresponsible enough to how you described your experience, i am probably the type of person who'd be offended for calling me out on it.

Personally though, I know that not a lot of people is comfortable around guns. So I personally keep it out of sight at all times outside of my family. If I get called out on 'having a gun' then that's poor job on me concealing it, and i see no point in arguing my constitutional right -- it's not like i'm gonna change their mind.

 

[Edward Gentle]

We usually always have something with us when we're out and about on the trails. It's not so much the 2 legged threats that worry us around here, although it can happen, but the 4 legged and slithering types that cause us the most trouble. Pretty much got to be ready for any situation.