I've looked at all the laws I can find, and from what I can see, it is Legal to open carry while driving your vehicle....and I just wanted to tap in, and make sure on that, so, whoever knows for sure, and responds first (As I'm sure there are a lot of you!) I'd appreciate it. Getting ready to start open carrying, since the #*$!@ Liberals won't let me get a CCW out here. Thank god I'm actually from Michigan and just stationed here. Can't wait to get back home where they love guns!
CA Open Carry
- Thread starter bobbarker
- Start date
- Status
Shade00
Member
Methinks this should be in Legal, where it will likely be moved, and there methinks you will find a swift reply.
ylapirrynag
Member
From what I understood reading the laws is open carry is illegal (I don't drive so I didn't pay any attention to any thing had to do with driving).
Quiet
Member
Go to www.opencarry.org for information pertaining to open carry.
They have a CA section.
They have a CA section.
Quiet
Member
In regards to open carry in CA...bobbarker said:
LOADED OPEN CARRY is limited to areas of unincorporated territory where firearms discharge isn’t illegal.
UNLOADED OPEN CARRY (Firearm in belt holster, full magazine in holder on belt) by a law abiding individual is legal anywhere a firearm is not otherwise prohibited by law or by PC 171e definition of a loaded firearm.
You also can not carry an unlocked, unloaded firearm within 1000 feet of a K-12 school. CCW permit holders are exempt from this. So, if you drive around doing unloaded open carry, you can not legally drive within 1000 feet of a school. It's a felony if you get caught doing so.
loop
Member
The law in Calif. is very strict. While driving ammo must be locked separate from gun. If you don't have a trunk lock the mag, ammo and gun individually.
Not hearsay, been there, done that.
Not hearsay, been there, done that.
Harley Quinn
Member
Bob, don't open carry in CA. Don't carry concealed either unless you have a permit. 
If you are going to have a firearm in your car have it locked in a proper case.
Ammo should not be within arms reach.
I'll say best to keep it in the trunk.
If you are going to have a firearm in your car have it locked in a proper case. Ammo should not be within arms reach.
I'll say best to keep it in the trunk.
Last edited:
It's not hearsay, it's bull****.
From the California Highway Patrol website:
http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html#05
When will people who don't know about them, stop posting about California gun laws?!? Every single thread about this stuff has one or more major errors posted by people who claim to know what they're talking about. Please... You're not helping anyone.
WRT Open Carry...
It is specifically illegal to carry a loaded firearm in a place where it is not legal to shoot it. "Loaded" means any ammo is chambered or in a magazine, clip, etc. attached to the firearm.
See http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/dwcl/12020.php for the laws.
Section 12031:
Section 12031(g):
It is legal to carry a loaded firearm when hunting, and under other limited and specific conditions, even within city limits, if, say, hunting is legal within city limits. However, in general, open carry in a populated area is illegal. See the web site linked above for details.
It is specifically illegal to carry a loaded firearm in a place where it is not legal to shoot it. "Loaded" means any ammo is chambered or in a magazine, clip, etc. attached to the firearm.
See http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/dwcl/12020.php for the laws.
Section 12031:
Section 12031(g):
It is legal to carry a loaded firearm when hunting, and under other limited and specific conditions, even within city limits, if, say, hunting is legal within city limits. However, in general, open carry in a populated area is illegal. See the web site linked above for details.
The Bushmaster
Member
In California it better be in a container, locked and in the trunk. The ammunition in another box and away from the gun (that is cased, locked and in the trunk)...I just escaped from there...
hill billy
Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
- Messages
- 61
Can you show me anywhere in the Ca penal code where it says it what distance either the ammo or gun must be from the driver?Harley Quinn said:
This thread is a good treatise on the subject.
http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=97428&page=2
edrice
Member
The Center of Mass In-Car Gun Safe is a good solution to the locked container problem and they are not very expensive at all.
http://www.center-of-mass.com/
Ed
http://www.center-of-mass.com/
Ed
Harley Quinn
Member
I believe others have covered it, the locked case is the best thing going. If no case (locked) it should be in the trunk. If you have a pick-up truck, you could get into trouble if you have not got an area to lock it up in. Glove is not acceptable as a general rule, the LEO in charge might allow it being a pick-up though. Most who have pickups have tool carriers and they usually lock it up in that compartment.
Many times some of the stricter laws are not enforced on people who have good Id and are not criminals, much of the time it is up to the arresting officer and "extenuating circumstances" that get you into trouble.
Never carry ammo in a car (unlocked) as far as I am concerned, unless you have a ccw.
For example, I go to a gun range in Northern CA, their rules are no loaded guns, no ammo in the same carrier with the pistol. That means LEO also, there are several LEO that came into the location who would not heed the rules they are no longer allowed to shoot at the range
You walk in "ccw" and you get one warning, not to carry in the location loaded, next time you are not allowed to shoot there anymore.
One day I watched a guy come in with his revolver in a holster loaded. I caught (saw) him before he got to the desk, told him to unload it or he would not be allowed to shoot. New sign was posted. No loaded guns, that means you!
They are strict. In Sacramento city limits, to buy ammo you have to sign for it, give a thumb print, and have valid photo ID. Strict enough for you
They photocopy the ID to the sales slip for their records.I have never been able to find a law that states this.
That's their safety rule, not the law.
The law includes exceptions to prohibitions against concealed carry as well as carrying a loaded firearm at a shooting range, as well as, with some restrictions, to and from it.
See 12025, 12026.2 and 12031 here: http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/dwcl/12020.php
A business has, and should have, the right to make its own rules for safety. The law and their policies can be totally different.
I'm not advocating doing anything dumb, unsafe or illegal. There's no need to make an example of yourself, either. But again, see the CHP FAQ above.
Last edited:
hill billy
Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
- Messages
- 61
Harley Quinn, I understand how you feel. I have a single cab toyota truck with no tool box. A locked case sitting on the passenger seat is legal under the law. There is NO part of the law that states how far from the driver a locked case must be. A guy I know carries loaded magazines in a backpack with guns in locked soft cases in the back seat of his four door pickup. He has been stopped and verified that what he is doing is legal. I know experiences may vary by location but the state law says this is legal.
edrice
Member
hill_billy said:
Well, not only that, you could have a four-seat cab, filled with four bodies and anywhere in the cab is within arms length of someone. Arms length wouldn't be driver-specific, giving reaching privileges to passengers and not the driver.
I frequent an indoor shooting range that is also a training range for the poice dept. On those occasions, I use a locking pistol case inside a soft pack and carry the ammo in the same pack. No problems.
Ed
hill billy
Member
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2008
- Messages
- 61
a zippered bag with lock on it. I use these for my "locked case" on all my guns.
edrice
Member
Yeah, when I said "locking case" I meant a soft zippered case, but my mind was zoned out.
I also have the Center of Mass metal locking case for continuous transportage and for when I'm not in the Tundra.
Ed
I also have the Center of Mass metal locking case for continuous transportage and for when I'm not in the Tundra.
Ed
.38 Special
Member
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2006
- Messages
- 7,371
As a fellow Californian who is intimately familiar with our laws, I'd recommend you folks listen to Bear when he writes on the subject. I haven't seen him wrong yet.
Of course, the old saw about attracting more flies with honey than vinegar does come to mind...
Of course, the old saw about attracting more flies with honey than vinegar does come to mind...
Yesterday 08:56 PM
bobbarker wrote:
Bob I urge you caution. You might take a look at page 36 of:
http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/forms/pdf/hscsg.pdf
It seems to me having a loaded firearm on your person without a CCW in an automobile, even while out hunting, or in your vehicle, is bad news in California. I would sure be inclined to rely upon the California Department of Justice before relying upon the opinion of a bear, or .38 special, opinion expressed on the internet. Have you contacted the California DoJ on this matter yet ?
bobbarker wrote:
Bob I urge you caution. You might take a look at page 36 of:
http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/forms/pdf/hscsg.pdf
It seems to me having a loaded firearm on your person without a CCW in an automobile, even while out hunting, or in your vehicle, is bad news in California. I would sure be inclined to rely upon the California Department of Justice before relying upon the opinion of a bear, or .38 special, opinion expressed on the internet. Have you contacted the California DoJ on this matter yet ?
RE hill billy's use of a zippered bag for meeting the California requirement, I'd exercise caution.
From page 29 of:
http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/forms/pdf/hscsg.pdf
I suggest contacting the California DoJ rather than relying upon internet opinion.
From page 29 of:
http://caag.state.ca.us/firearms/forms/pdf/hscsg.pdf
SAFETY AND STORAGE DEVICES
If you decide to keep a firearm in your home you must consider the issue of
how to store the firearm in a safe and secure manner. California recognizes
the importance of safe storage by requiring that all firearms sold in California
be accompanied by a DOJ-approved firearms safety device or proof that the
purchaser owns a gun safe that meets regulatory standards established by the
Department. The current list of DOJ-approved firearms safety devices and the
gun safe standards can be viewed at the following DOJ website:
http://www.ag.ca.gov/firearms/fsdcertlist.htm.
There are a variety of safety and storage devices currently available to the public
in a wide range of prices. Some devices are locking mechanisms designed to keep
the firearm from being loaded or fired, but don’t prevent the firearm from being
handled or stolen. There are also locking storage containers that hold the firearm
out of sight. For maximum safety you should use both a firearm safety device and
a locking storage container to store your unloaded firearm.
Two of the most common locking mechanisms are trigger locks and cable locks.
Trigger locks are typically two-piece devices that fit around the trigger and trigger
guard to prevent access to the trigger. One side has a post that fits into a hole
in the other side. They are locked by a key or combination locking mechanism.
Cable locks typically work by looping a strong steel cable through the action of
the firearm to block the firearm’s operation and prevent accidental firing. However,
neither trigger locks nor cable locks are designed to prevent access to the firearm.
Smaller lock boxes and larger gun safes are two of the most common types of
locking storage containers. One advantage of lock boxes and gun safes is that
they are designed to completely prevent unintended handling and removal of a
firearm. Lock boxes are generally constructed of sturdy, high-grade metal opened
by either a key or combination lock. Gun safes are quite heavy, usually weighing
at least 50 pounds. While gun safes are typically the most expensive firearm
storage devices, they are generally more reliable and secure.
Remember: Safety and storage devices are only as secure as the precautions you
take to protect the key or combination to the lock.
I suggest contacting the California DoJ rather than relying upon internet opinion.
Harley Quinn
Member
Armed Bear, Might not be a law, but with Grandkids and common sense that is the way I think it should be done.
I had mentioned:
This has gotten away from OP's thought about open carry in CA. Best not to do that IMHO.
- Status