Do you bring a long gun when you travel?

[Ignition Override]

Warp: No official source, other than a few posters' claims that this is the law back home in TN, or across the line in MS. Or at least that was my impression.

If it Is allowed in the overall Memphis area or Shelby County TN (Desoto County in n.w. MS), then how do we know that it would appear legal to an LEO during a traffic stop, if anybody were to spot a loaded SKS rifle in the trunk?

 

[Warp]

Warp: No official source, other than a few posters' claims that this is the law back home in TN, or across the line in MS. Or at least that was my impression.

If it Is allowed in the overall Memphis area or Shelby County TN (Desoto County in n.w. MS), then how do we know that it would appear legal to an LEO during a traffic stop, if anybody were to spot a loaded SKS rifle in the trunk?

There may be something to that...not sure (except that it appears it certainly won't matter any more as of July 1) if it applies to those with a carry license recognized by TN though.

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/tennessee.pdf

Notice: Until 7/1/2014 It is illegal to carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle without a valid permit/licenses to carry. Beginning 7/1/2014 if you can legally possess a firearm then Section (e) below becomes law on that date and if you can legally own a firearm and in a privately owned vehicle you can carry without a permit/license.

39-17-1307. Unlawful Carrying or Possession of a Weapon. —

(a) (1) A person commits an offense who carries with the intent to go armed a firearm, a knife with a blade length exceeding four inches (4), or a club.

(2) (A) The first violation of subdivision (a)(1) is a Class C misdemeanor, and, in addition to possible imprisonment as provided by law, may be punished by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500).

(B) A second or subsequent violation of subdivision (a)(1) is a Class B misdemeanor.

(e) It is an exception to the application of subsection (a) that a person is carrying or possessing a firearm in a motor vehicle if:

(1) The person is not otherwise prohibited from carrying or possessing a firearm; and

(2) The motor vehicle is privately-owned.

39-17-1308. Defenses to Unlawful Possession or Carrying of a Weapon. —

(a) It is a defense to the application of § 39-17-1307 if the possession or carrying was:

(1) Of an unloaded rifle, shotgun or handgun not concealed on or about the person and the ammunition for the weapon was not in the immediate vicinity of the person or weapon;

 

[HexHead]

In TN, if you posses a HCP, you may carry a long gun in your with a loaded magazine in it, as long as the chamber is empty. After July 1, a loaded gun may be carried in the vehicle by a person without a HCP. However, if you have a HCP, the chamber of a long gun must still be empty as the HCP law wasn't revised with this new law.

Btw, as of July 1, TN basically has no more knife laws regarding blade lengths or automatic opening knives. That whole "intent to go armed" stuff regarding knives no longer applies.

 

[taliv]

yep, slowly but surely making great progress here

 

[JVaughn]

Almost always. I have a storage case rigged up under my backseat for just such a purpose. My 30-30 stays back there most of the time.

 

[Warp]

In TN, if you posses a HCP, you may carry a long gun in your with a loaded magazine in it, as long as the chamber is empty. After July 1, a loaded gun may be carried in the vehicle by a person without a HCP. However, if you have a HCP, the chamber of a long gun must still be empty as the HCP law wasn't revised with this new law.

Btw, as of July 1, TN basically has no more knife laws regarding blade lengths or automatic opening knives. That whole "intent to go armed" stuff regarding knives no longer applies.

That's good to know. That is what I thought...and what I have done more times than I can count. (as a general rule I keep long guns in 'cruiser ready' condition at home and in the vehicle)

 

[22-rimfire]

In TN, if you posses a HCP, you may carry a long gun in your with a loaded magazine in it, as long as the chamber is empty. After July 1, a loaded gun may be carried in the vehicle by a person without a HCP. However, if you have a HCP, the chamber of a long gun must still be empty as the HCP law wasn't revised with this new law.

Btw, as of July 1, TN basically has no more knife laws regarding blade lengths or automatic opening knives. That whole "intent to go armed" stuff regarding knives no longer applies.

I was under the impression that loaded long guns were a "no no" inside a vehicle. Maybe that is changing now in TN. But in general, it is not legal to have a loaded long gun inside your vehicle. It goes back to the hunting laws and poaching wild game. Will have to check into this, although carrying a loaded long gun in my vehicle (on public roads) is not high on my priority list.

 

[we are not amused]

I use to take my mini-14 with me to Colorado on trips out there, and I would often swing through Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Not for self defense, but because there are some really good places to shoot out there, and friends to do it with. That is pretty much out of the question now because of all the Democrats in Colorado. According to the news, I can't even borrow one of my friends guns out there!

 

[Ignition Override]

Thanks very much for the details on TN laws and imminent changes. No more putting off acquiring the TN CHP would be a nice bonus.

That money was spent on extra reserve ammo (can't imagine why).

 

[JTMcC]

Well sure we do. I live in AZ as well, but nowhere close to the big city.

I've got a slick little Timberwolf carbine in .44 mag and it's really handy. Otherwise I think a decent .44/.357 mag lever would be happy. Or anything else that fits your bill.
Sometimes I have an old M-1 in the truck, a lot of times a M700 or an Enfield SMLE or whatever.

You'll likely never run into tweakers, large wild dogs, or rabid coyotes in your trips.....butcha just never know. Some people do.

Having & not needing beats not having : )

Never know when you'll stop and picnic close to a prarie dog town too.

If I lived back east I'd have to adapt, I travel across the US and it can be a chore to understand everbody's stupid laws.

Pack whatever firearms makes you happy is my motto, who cares what a bunch of annonomous internet posters say.

JT

 

[sauerOFkraut]

I do have a mossberg atr .308 in my car at all times.

 

[Elm Creek Smith]

I have a safe in the extended cab area of my pickup truck. My Mini-14 rides there with a number of magazines. "Ah, but what if your truck is stolen?" They'd have to find the remote fuel shut-off. If we're going camping, a scoped .22 rifle is in the safe, too. Our BOBs and my truck bag are always in the cab, too. Traveling in the Rockies, I usually have snowshoes in the truck as well. (I've seen passes close due to snow in July.) Then, there's my regular carry guns and my wife's gun. Our handgun licenses are good in every state to which we intend to travel.

 

[9mmfan]

I do not. Unless I am traveling somewhere I can shoot one. Then I take several.

 

[SwissArmyDad]

Folks can rationalize the answer either way to suit their circumstances, feel free to make your own choice, but the size doesn't have to be an issue. I took a beater model 12 Winchester and cut it to 20", had sights and sling installed, and had a case made when taken down. It isn't a pain to take into rooms, I lay it on top of my black overnight duffel and it pretty much disappears when carrying it.

I always have a rifle in my truck, the shotgun is just handier when travelling to take in and out of rooms. Not being much of a shotgun fan for much of anything, I'd happily use a takedown Winchester 94 as a travel gun. I'm trying to figure out a decent way to make a folding stock....

Love your Winchester model 12. Honestly, that is exactly the type of travel gun I have been thinking of. I'm in a state where i am not able to get my ccw and as such, have considered for a long time a setup that would allow discreet, legally unloaded carry of a longarm to the places I frequent where i would want a firearm.

 

[skoro]

Nope. Too unwieldy.

 

[Sarge]

Haven't read thru all of this, but I ALWAYS carry a long gun when traveling, in addition to my Browning HP!
I live in Colorado and your vehicle is considered an extension of your house, thus it is impossible to be charged with carrying concealed regardless of where or what the gun is. The only restrictions are fish & Game rules that prohibit having around in the chamber of any long gun.
Since I often carry a Thompson SMG I don't have to worry about that as it fires from an open bolt so the only time there is a round in the chamber is at the moment of firing. My other "normal" carry gun is a CAR 15, the SMG version of the M 16.
I do a lot of traveling, but do try to stay out of some states whenever possible. If not possible I still carry!!!
Sarge

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I bring a pistol. If some social shooting on the trip will be involved I will bring the appropiate long arm. If I ever got ambitious, I'd likely bring a SxS shotgun (in addition to the pistol) as it would break down nicely for trips.

 

[1-1 Banger]

I always have a long gun of some sort with me, it stays in the truck though. Used to carry a folding stock AK, stock folded, stored muzzle down leaning against the center console and rested on the passenger seat so that I can grab it as I'm bailing out the driver side door, then I figured out that the odds of some craziness requiring me to dip set out of the truck with it were pretty slim. It stays under the back seat now, if it goes at all. These days it's usually just my 45-70 stored in the same way on the off chance that there's some type of critter worth shooting.

 

[riceboy72]

I just thought about all the long day trips and extended road trips I've done over the years and to this day and I cannot recall a single time I've ever brought a long gun along. Short of me going camping with plans to shoot, I probably would not.

At best, I may bring a second gun with extra ammo and mags, but I can't see working a long gun into my road travels.

 

[Malamute]

Originally posted by SwissArmyDad


Love your Winchester model 12. Honestly, that is exactly the type of travel gun I have been thinking of. I'm in a state where i am not able to get my ccw and as such, have considered for a long time a setup that would allow discreet, legally unloaded carry of a longarm to the places I frequent where i would want a firearm.

The beginnings of the model 12 project was travelling through Canada to Alaska. Hiking in several places that it wasn't practical to carry a long gun, (sort of civilized, though had bear warning signs up), and carrying my Randall knife didn't seem all that comforting. I figured a shotgun taken down in a day pack was better than a long gun a mile or more away in a vehicle. One place in particular bothered me, Liard Hot Springs, as you were pretty restricted in movement, there being boardwalks over marshy ground to the springs. In fact, two people were killed by a black bear there a few years after I last was. It stalked a woman, a man tried to save her by hitting the bear with a stick and it got him also. Someone (tourist) ran the mile or so back to the parking lot and laid hands on a rifle, came back and killed the bear, but too late to save the two people. It was definitely a predatory attack, it was not to be deterred.

http://juneauempire.com/stories/081797/bear.html

If folks choose to not have long guns along, that's their choice. I choose to. Just so long as nobody gets to make that decision for any of the rest of us, I'm OK with that.

 

[Gun Master]

Long Gun Carry

The legality of the carry has me "all tied up in knots" (and "nots").
This is a conundrum of federal, state, and local (municipal and county) laws or Gordian Knots.
We need an "Alexander Blade" to cut through all this senseless nonsense, for law abiding citizens.
"To keep and bear arms" ?
Seems the "bears" are winning. The "keepers and bearers" appear to be losing .
Me no like that !

 

[Malamute]

It doesn't have to be that complicated, you can find out the various state laws, but for the most part, an unloaded cased long gun is pretty safe tp carry about anywhere in the country, though some p[laces don't like black guns much.

 

[Reloadron]

Do you bring a long gun when you travel?

Depends on the road trip. Every year I make a trip down to NC to see old friends. One of the guys has 20 acres and we enjoy shooting so several long guns always make that trip. Last year we had a 45 year Marine Corps reunion in Branson MO and I dragged along a Colt SP 1, M1A and a M1 Garand purely for the sentimental purpose. Every July I try to get back to NYC for a party with old friends on the beach. That trip I won't even bring an empty brass case. I also won't bring a hand gun.

So it really depends on where I am going and why. Unless I have a use for a long gun or reason to bring one along the answer is no, I don't bring along a long gun on road trips.

Ron

 

[gdcpony]

If I am in a Cager (car or truck), yes. If I am on one of my bikes, it is obviously just a pistol. I have thought of mounting a scabbard to the Harley for fun, but until I get a lever gun it just wouldn't fit the image.

 

[Bobson]

I have never even considered it before reading this thread.
I still won't.

However if I traveled in an RV like TMIC, I certainly would. It would likely be a shotty with OO Buck.

Same on both counts.

I've never considered it until now.

Our family vacation travels are by car 99.99% of the time, and there are four of us. Only place there would be room for a long gun would be stowed away in the trunk. I guess if someone starts shooting at me while I'm behind the wheel, and my handgun can't handle the threat, I'm going to be with the Lord. Oh well.

Now if I had an RV? Sure, I'd bring a long gun along.