Question on traveling to California for a vacation

[danez71]

Why do I feel the need to bring along a firearm? We travel in a camper van and camp out here and there as we move along (along with staying in hotels, Air BNB, etc). We are traveling down through Utah and Nevada to CA and then back again. I don't really want to be in the middle of nowhere unarmed in the middle of the night.

I'll respond in another way. This is what I did without a carry permit. It more than meets CA law.

Put your g26 unloaded in a locked container by its self or with unloaded mags. I normally kept 1-2 unloaded mags with the gun in the locked container).

Put that locked container in a small backback (basic jansport type).

Take your box or 2 of ammo and place that in the same backpack. Occasionally I'd place a loaded mag in the same backpack but in a different section.

Zip up the back pack and place it in the back (backseat floor board, back of RV, trunk, etc).

I have also locked the backpack at times. It's not needed but that could be considered locking up you're ammo/loaded mags separate from the gun as there's 2 separate locks...if you really want to play safe.

Youre done. Get to hotel and carry in your luggage and back pack and no one will blink an eye.

The thing is that you want things to look like a safe transport to LE or a DA, rather than a slightly delayed access CCW.

I don't mean to quote out of context. Follow the law, of course. But this, imo, is important and the 'slightly delayed access ccw' is phrased well.

And that's why I didn't put loaded mags with the gun inside the locked container.

The occasional loaded mags I may have had were still in the back pack but in a separate area/section of the backpack than the locked gun container.

 

[1942bull]

After reading the posts in this thread and seeing the contradictory statements in some cases and incorrect statements in some cases as well as good info, i am confused. If I were traveling to CA, I would contact a gun/defense lawyer and pay for a telephone consultation. That way I would have professional advice as well as a lawyer I could call, if things get troublesome. A couple hundred dollars spent to stay out of trouble is a lot less expensive than thousands of dollars yo get out of trouble.

 

[Frank Ettin]

....If I were traveling to CA, I would contact a gun/defense lawyer and pay for a telephone consultation. That way I would have professional advice as well as a lawyer I could call, if things get troublesome. A couple hundred dollars spent to stay out of trouble is a lot less expensive than thousands of dollars yo get out of trouble.

That is always the best idea -- especially when one needs solid legal information to help decide what to do.

Also, for anyone looking for good information on California gun law, this book by California RKBA lawyer, Chuck Michel can be very helpful.

 

[tominboise]

Unfortunately in CA there is the law, and then there are things that may not be against the law but could get you in trouble in the wrong/right place. I lived there for 60 years (moved 3 years ago) and while I generally agree with what danez71 said I’d add a bit more. I am not an attorney, so this is based on my own experience, reading, and observations.

I can’t find the legal cite, but I am pretty sure that loaded magazines cannot be touching the unloaded weapon in any way. The safest thing to do is to put the pistol in a locking case and put that case and ammo in the trunk. (Legally the trunk can be the locked container but you could be pushing your luck with some LEOs.). If I had loaded mags I’d lock them in a separate case. The thing is that you want things to look like a safe transport to LE or a DA, rather than a slightly delayed access CCW.

You do not say if you will be traveling with any children or not. Note that CA has laws relating to children and gun access, and you can be cited if a child can access your gun. This is true even in your hotel room if the child is traveling with you. https://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/gun-storage-laws-california.htm

Parts of CA are much more hostile to guns than other parts. I personally would not have a pistol in my trunk (unloaded, locked, etc.) and drive through SF unless I was directly traveling to a range or to my hotel. So if I was going to do the tourist thing in SF I’d leave my pistol back at my hotel. I’d also limit the ammo I brought to limit the odds of being accused of bringing in ammo to sell in the state.

I’ve had to go to CA a lot in the last three years due ailing family. FWIW I had unloaded pistols in locking bags. Loaded mags (10 rds or less)were stored in a separate locked bag. I had a box of loose ammo as well. Total ammo was about 100 rds. Once I got to my hotel or house the guns came out of the car. A “locked bag” for transport can be as simple as a soft pistol bag with a small lock through the zipper. I am not current on the latest child access laws so if you go this route confirm that it meets the child access laws as well.

My kids are grown up so the child issue is moot.

We will not be going to SF - we will be traveling through Utah and Nevada and ending up in an AirBnB in Palm Springs. The AirBnB is a house with a driveway and off street parking, so I don't anticipate any issues with moving my firearm from my vehicle into the house. After Palm Springs we will be reversing our course and heading back North. I am thinking that I will put my unloaded pistol in a locked doskocil pistol case and two loaded 10rd mags in the glove box.

 

[250-3000]

Glove box might not be a good idea for mags if your car registration and insurance card are kept there..

 

[.38 Special]

With regard to the definition of "loaded" in California, there was a time when some folks - apparently including some individual LEOs - interpreted the law to mean "any firearm in contact with ammunition". This apparently stemmed from the phrase "attached to" contained in the law. Apparently, the issue was settled quite some time ago, though, and the term "loaded" is held to mean what a reasonable person would think: the gun is ready to go, or at least will be when the slide is racked. http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/index.php?title=Defining_loaded_in_California. Having written that, I will note that my most recent California CCW instructor was still recommending guns be separated from ammunition while being transported, as we can't expect every LEO we meet to be fully up to speed on the matter.

 

[tominboise]

Glove box might not be a good idea for mags if your car registration and insurance card are kept there..

Ok, how about gun locked into its case and two mags in my duffle bag?

 

[.38 Special]

A few further notes...

A) I have traveled all over the state for many years with all sorts of guns and have never had the slightest issue. That is not to say that no one ever does, but frankly, our LEOs have an awful lot going on and mostly do not seem intent on shaking down folks who are walking the line.

B) California is strange for having a lot of fairly conservative (politically speaking) territory, and a handful of very leftwing areas. I would be pretty nervous possessing firearms in, say, San Francisco, but most other places - deserts particularly, including Palm Springs and environs - tend to be more relaxed on the subject. That certainly is not to say that you should feel free to break the law, of course, but rather that you don't need to be quite so nervous about transporting a legal gun and keeping it in you car or motel room. There are multiple public ranges and unsupervised shooting areas in and around Palm Springs; it's not really the type of place where people freak out at the sight of a gun case.

C) It is legal to have a loaded firearm, concealed or open, in your place of residence, whether temporary or permanent. That includes motels, hotels, and technically even campsites - although open carrying in a campsite is very likely to get you a visit from the cops and/or rangers. There are motels/hotels which prohibit guns, but that is generally a civil matter rather than a criminal one: if caught, they can ask you to leave, and if you refuse, cops can charge you with trespassing.

D) While handguns need to be transported in a locked case, long guns technically do not. If the long gun is unloaded and plainly visible in the vehicle, it is legal. It is generally not a great idea, though, as it may well attract curious LEOs, and it may well attract thieves. If the long gun is hidden, it now is legally "concealed" and needs to be in a locked case.

Hopefully that's helpful. Cites and more detailed info can also be found at https://www.californiacarry.org/visitors.html

(Short version: both the Glock and the Remington (and their ammunition) can legally be brought into the state. It's a good idea to lock either of them up while traveling, and it's probably not a bad idea to store the ammo separately. It's also perfectly legal to transport the guns, in their locked cases, from the car to the motel room, load them inside the room, and carry them on your person or store them any way you prefer inside the room. Don't bring any 11+ round magazines into the state, and don't shoot anyone unless your only other choice is death or grievous bodily harm.)

 

[danez71]

Ok, how about gun locked into its case and two mags in my duffle bag?

It's fine.

 

[Basura Blanca]

But I have to respectfully disagree that "nobody is going to care" is you bring your cased shotgun into your hotel room. On of the last major arrests made by my deputies before I retired involved a suspect who was observed by motel employees transporting a rifle case between his vehicle and motel room. California has a quirky case law that allows law enforcement officers to search vehicles for firearms, even if lawfully possessed, based on Probable Cause to believe a firearm is in the vehicle. That search also revealed a very large quantity of narcotics, and a large sum of cash.

I was commenting more about the transportation of the locked case, locked in a separate trailer and not so much moving it into their lodging. But in either case, what they described in their plan is legal. If the OP has narcotics or something else illegal and arouse the suspicions of law enforcement, that's entirely separate.

People overthink these things because they believe California is akin to North Korea.

 

[JFrank]

This may be relevant to the op ( I thought it was interesting) question

 

[Frank Ettin]

This may be relevant to the op questionView attachment 1051254

Not really. The source is not identified, nor are there citations to the underlying statutes supporting it.

As a general proposition one should not rely on legal information from an unidentified source. And to be useful, materials purporting to summarize, paraphrase, or explain what the law on a matter is need to include citation to the underlying, supporting legal authority (case law or statues) so that the summary, paraphrase, or explanation can be verified.