Transporting on Motorcycle in Cali

I've been dancing this around my brain for the last week or so. I'm in Kings county and figured I'd put the magazine in my pocket, the cartridges in the left saddlebag and the handgun in the right bag.

It would have to be completely concealed to carry on a bike. Common sense would say you wouldn't want some bad guy types eyeballing the nifty lever action slung over your shoulder or 1911 bungee'd to the sissy bar.

On the other hand, this is California we are speaking of, common sense is elusive. Better get something in writing from several of your local law enforcement types and the DOJ.

Maybe a note from Mom.

Vick

i ride and i wouldnt do it,,,unless it was a winchester 30-30 and i had a leather holster to stow it in,,,that would look kinda cool on your steel horse.

I just escaped PRK & I ride

DO NOT LOAD THE MAGS!

loaded mags = loaded gun! double plus un good!

I had a gallati case & the only problem was wind, afaik IANAL it's perfectly legal to put them in a case or even open carry...but I bet open carry would get you pulled over so invest in a good case.

it's legal to carry rifles as long as they are not loaded and loaded mags equal loaded gun (in CA)

fyi

I carried sans ccw all the time & never had a problem, I even broke lots of speed laws and got tickets while packing and they never knew.
but I was packing a glock, much easier to conceal then a shotgun.

The easiest way would be to put the weapon into a locked hard case and to have the magazines and ammo in a seperate container.

Things used to be a lot simplier in California:

In Texas,

I just bungie it to the sissy bar......surrounding drivers are REALLY polite..............chris3

c_yeager, wow. When was that photo taken? Those cars look recent.

Just for fun, get a replica and carry it openly it on your bike for a few trips and see how the LEOs react.

Desertdog said:

Just for fun, get a replica and carry it openly it on your bike for a few trips and see how the LEOs react.

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They can (and will) still arest you for some variety of "alarming the sheep". In states without explicit open-cary laws this is how they bust people who try it.

Im not sure when or where the picture was taken, it illustrates an amusing point though. There was a time in California where open carry of a long gun was perfectly legal, the "Hells Angels" used to transport long guns for target shooting in the exact manner as shown in the picture. The "Black Panthers" used to march in the streets with long guns. Both of these situations ultimately led to California getting all freaked out and introducing their fancy gun control.

Get a takedown weapon, (Like a '97 Winchester, '93 Marlin, or Kel-Tec SU16CA.) Or you can get a Guitar Gig bag or buy a case that doesn't have some pastoral hunting scene on the side, (That screams "GUN NUT" here in Sheeplefornia.) Go to Guitar Center or your local music store and put stickers on the case that say things like Fender, Gibson, Marshall, Peavey, Ernie Ball, etc. (Maybe some band stickers too.)

Personally I just take the cage when I shoot the long guns, mainly to avoid the hassle.

Rifles/shotguns and a motorcycle

A soft bass-guitar case with backpack style straps is the way to go. A rifle shaped bag may attract too much attention and a rectangular rifle bag with only one strap gets too fluttery at freeway speeds, unless you use a very short one for a carbine or shotgun with the barrel off.
I suggest a bass case, as they are a bit longer than guitar cases and built to carry a heavier load. Measure the over all length the longest rifle you will be travelling with, and go to your local Guitar Centre or such and check out their wares. I use a Roadrunner case; it is well padded, and has a few Velcro inserts that help to keep the rifle from shifting, or to keep two from banging into each other. A small lock will keep the zippers from opening unexpectedly, and keep it legal if you decide to bring your EBR to the range. I did one trip of about 150 miles each way with my case and it worked like a champ.



http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Accessories?sku=541330

SHOTGUNS AND RIFLES

Nonconcealable firearms (rifles and shotguns) are not generally covered within the provisions of California Penal Code section 12025 and therefore are not required to be transported in a locked container. However, as with any firearm, nonconcealable firearms must be unloaded while they are being transported. A rifle or shotgun that is considered an assault weapon in California must be transported in accordance with Penal Code section 12026.1.

REGISTERED ASSAULT WEAPONS

California Penal Code section 12285(c)(7) requires that registered assault weapons may be transported only between specified locations and must be unloaded and in a locked container when transported.

The term "locked container" means a secure container which is fully enclosed and locked by a padlock, key lock, combination lock, or similar locking device. This includes the trunk of a motor vehicle, but does not include the utility or glove compartment. For more information, refer to California Penal Code Section 12026.1.

From the SHOT show:

Having lived in CA for years. I can almost "guarantee" you'll be pulled over if it even remotely appears that you are carrying ANY type of weapon. The laws in CA say one thing on the books ... and they are often interpreted in an anti-gun fashion. ESPECIALLY in LA and Orange County.

I have had friends put on the ground in OC and guns confiscated when carrying open in legal areas. yes, they were ultimately proven "right", but getting the gun back was going to cost 5X the value of the gun. They let the OC sheriff dept. keep 'em.

While this was a number of years ago, my advice is don't carry on a motorcyle...

An idea. If all 2A and just "stick it to the cops" motorcyclist would mount an enclosed gun case, but no guns, on their motorcycles then the cops could be left with egg on their face if they stop you to check what you are carrying.

I know of no law that says you cannot carry a gun case.

Desertdog said:

An idea. If all 2A and just "stick it to the cops" motorcyclist would mount an enclosed gun case, but no guns, on their motorcycles then the cops could be left with egg on their face if they stop you to check what you are carrying.

I know of no law that says you cannot carry a gun case.

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Good idea. Maybe I should ride around with something perfectly legal in my gun case, like articles about Ruby Ridge, reprints of the 4th amendment, etc, etc.

Good idea. Maybe I should ride around with something perfectly legal in my gun case, like articles about Ruby Ridge, reprints of the 4th amendment, etc, etc.

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Or maybe a copy of the constitution with the 2nd Amendment highlighted.

Just carry it in a LOCKABLE case. Ammo in a seperate (preferably equally lockable) container- a hard-case saddle bag is acceptable if it locks.

crashm1 said:

That's a damn fine motorcycle there No Brakes. I have a 2000 X1 and am really tempted to get a Ulysses to join it. Oh yeah the gun case looks okay too .

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When I came home from OEF, I bought my first bike. It pained me to not buy American, (I had been eyeing the XB series,) but I couldn't justify the $4k extra for the Buell vice my Suzuki SV650, (Least not for a first bike,) But 4 years later, the Suzi is getting a little long in the tooth, and I use my bike for my work, so the "Buellyses" is looking like a real good alternative.

Not a true dirt bike, but probably not a horrible BOV either.

And no, the gun case doesn't hurt at all.

I've only ever "carried" my O/U on the bike, going to and from trap or clays. And all I did was bungie the case to one side, with shells in the bag on the other (helped with balance)...

Now, I actually do the opposite of what many here suggest: I carry a guitar in a gun bag (a Steinberger in the soft case from my Cx4 Storm). I've NEVER gotten so much as a second look from a cop ('course, I'm in WI)...

I carried in a gun case

a big galatti gun case, it looked like I was carrying a gun and in fact I was carrying two of them, an m1 carbine and a camp carbine, I carried all through San Francisco and down the highway to both lake chabot and jackson arms shooting range ...on my motorcycle, I lane splitted with my guns went past CHP and local cops, did 10 miles over the speed limit and they didn't blink.
if your legal your legal...period!
If you mags are not loaded (or locked in a seperate container as noted earlier)
If I wasn't carrying my carbines the I allways packed my glock, with one in the pipe.
I talked to a SFPD pal about it and he said "if I need to use it then just split after, if you have time police your spent brass"

I guess NorCal is different then SoCal