Hotels and gun friendliness

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scndactive

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Hotels, and gun friendliness

I was one of the millions that evacuated from the Texas coast, in a hurry I might add.

So i pack up all the guns and ammo along with some other valuables, the wife, the mother-in-law:barf:and 4 kids, and head to the hotel in San Antonio.

Everything is fine until I notice that access to all the rooms it through the lobby (not what i expected) this means everything I take up to my room gets eyeballed by the bitty at the front desk, so I put a few guns in the case I use for my compound bow and had to make a few trips. I got a few looks as to why I am carrying this bow case back and forth between my truck and the room.

Should I have had to do this? If they saw them, who knows what would have happened, anything from police confiscation, to "Its against our policy" maybe nothing, but I dont have the money for legal council if I had gotten in trouble. Is it "brandishing" if I openly carry a gun from my truck into a hotel lobby and up to my room?

I didnt have much time to research or prep for this. and just because its illegale for them to take them dosent mean they wont.

What would ya'll have done differently?

Or am i paranoid?
 
you were smart and discrete, that's always the best solution, better safe than sorry
 
You're not paranoid.

It's best not to advertise that you have weapons. At the very least someone could decide to help themselves to a weapon. At worst you could get a visit from a SWAT team (unlikely).

It's most expedient simply to keep a low profile.
 
I've made the trip between Oak Harbor, Washington and Cheyenne, Wyoming a couple of times, open carrying. I've never had a problem with the standard cheap travellers motels when checking in with my holstered sidearm. Now, if I was moving all my guns into the room with me, then, yes, I would discreetly as possible case them.
 
I have an interesting story related to hotels and guns...

We were staying in a resort in VA beach a few years ago and each room has a safe in the closet for valuables, etc.

We wanted to go down to the pool for a bit so I stuck my carry piece in the safe after testing it to be sure it worked correctly.

Before we left, my wife wanted to put something else in the safe and as she went to open it, it made a funny noise and had some strange code on the info panel. The thing was hosed. It wouldn't open for anything.

So, we called the maintenance dept and waited while they popped it with the special key. Apparently the battery died in the electronic lock. Their security policy required the resort manager, maint guy, and one of the front desk girls present while the safe was operated on. The emergency key is not accessible to maintenance, thus the special procedure and and short wait for mgmt to get there with the key.

I didn't mention ahead of time what was in there...I kinda wanted to see their reaction. While they opened the safe and replaced the batteries, my pistol was in partial view, but still easily identifiable.

Now, only the maintenance guy was really down at face level with the safe, but I could easily see the pistol while standing back out of the way for him to work.

To his and the mgmt's credit, they never once said anything about my firearm being in the safe, nor did I notice any change in their attitude or level of service. They all remained very professional the whole time.
 
Is it "brandishing" if I openly carry a gun from my truck into a hotel lobby and up to my room?
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Technically it would not be brandishing if it's a long arm. Texas has no real laws concerning long arms.
Hotel rooms are considered your residence so you're OK having them in there.

That said, it's gonna attract attention for sure and you may have to try to defend your actions.

Attention from someone that might steal them would be my main concern, more than from law enforcement.
 
I have a HUGE Outdoor Products duffle bag. Good for moving just about anything. Stuff it with clothes, etc., and it becomes a shapeless, innocuous blob, even with a few shotguns in it.:)

Doesn't matter to me if they're gun-friendly. Guns are valuables, and I'd just as soon not advertise to anyone that my room is a bonanza for burglars if we go out to dinner.
 
You're not paranoid.

It's best not to advertise that you have weapons. At the very least someone could decide to help themselves to a weapon.
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Ditto.

Since you will be spending a few days in a relatively unsecured area, it's best that opportunists don't know that you have valuables in your room.
 
Maybe use an empty 'golf club bag' or the kind thats on rollers to conceal...when your in uncertainty,be sure you did the right thing especially with what was 'going on'...
 
What did you do with them when you got them to your room? What about the maids ?
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I just put them in the closet(cleared of course) and my wife and I made sure one of us was in the room at all times, we also declined maid service

the mother-in-law:barf:
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Sorry to be off-topic, but that was very funny!
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Ya, I thought so to, however the missus was less than amused.
 
If you have a 2nd person go thru side doors. Most hotels I have been in have side doors you can exit (anytime) but you have to come in thru lobby after 10pm. So you move car/truck to that door and have son/daughter/wife/MIL wait at door to open it when you get there with load of guns. (also often closer to your room) Either that or they have card reader by side doors. (using room key card)
 
In my case its not the management I was concerned with, did a lot of traveling with military shooting teams but when I had to travel alone and didn't have a barracks to go to or a gun room to check them into I had to go into a hotel with my gun box and everybody in that lobby knew I was carrying a mess of pistols and that made me nervous. After that I carried them in my suitcase and my gun case was wrapped up like a FedEx package. Back before everybody got all paranoid about guns my pistol case was sent to Washington DC and I was at Fort Benning waiting for the next relay which was mine and I still didn't have any guns. Taxicab showed up with them just as it was time to go up for my relay, talk about the nick of time. After that I carried my case onto the plane and let the pilot stow it in the cockpit and the stewardess would hand it to me as I deplaned. I miss those days. At least with the rifle matches I was always able to camp out at the range and the long guns slept with me. Especially after the bear ransacked my camp and my dog who was laying next to me in the tent never made a sound. So much for security.
 
My Dad and I went to hunt pheasants in South Dakotaa few years ago, and the hotel clerk was rendered almost speachless when we brought our hard cased shotguns into the lobby to check in. Unknown to us, she called the security guard when she went into the back room. Fortunately he was a moonlighting cop and knew that we had done nothing wrong, and were just hunters. After that incident, I now take them in a side door after check in.
 
when we stay at hotels and bring long guns i bring a kids type blanket to deflect notice.

something like a pooh blanket or power rangers, nobody gives you a second look.
 
I have never seen a No Gun sign on a hotel door and I stay in hotels 120+ nights a year, including Doubletrees.

If I am paying rent, it is my residence for the night and it will be in the room with me.
 
I once stayed in a hotel that was full of FBI agents. Most of them were terrible about keeping their weapons concealed and anyone who paid attention would see them printing or peeking out from under short sweaters (for the women).

The hotel was NOT happy. Many customers complained/commented to the front desk about all the armed people running around. Some were wondering if they were safe staying there, others just had the wiggens because they came from anti-gun states. One of the maids also freaked out when she went into a room and "found" an agent's Glock 22 sitting on the desk.
 
__________________
I have never seen a No Gun sign on a hotel door and I stay in hotels 120+ nights a year, including Doubletrees.

If I am paying rent, it is my residence for the night and it will be in the room with me.
__________________
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I stayed in the Austin, Tx Doubletree a number of years back. It most definately had a sign prohibiting firearms in the hotel. My briefcase was with me each time I entered or exited.
 
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