Rifles and Motorcycles: A Legal Combo?

[Prince Yamato]

The thing with open rifle carry is that it's one of those things we all think would be fun to do, but in reality, if you're not in a rural area and you see someone riding around with an AK with magazine on their back you might begin to get nervous.

 

[RugerSAFan]

Store in an innocuous looking soft luggage, & install a trigger lock. If you have saddlebags, and must transport ammo, have the ammo buried in one side of the saddlebags, and the keys to the trigger lock buried in the other saddlebag.

You want to give the local DA as little justification for prosecution as possible.

I recognize you may have the "right", but it doesn't hurt anything to be cautious in grey areas such as yours.

(BTW, I ride, so I understand the dilemma.)

 

[Armueller2001]

The thing with open rifle carry is that it's one of those things we all think would be fun to do, but in reality, if you're not in a rural area and you see someone riding around with an AK with magazine on their back you might begin to get nervous.

If it's legal, meh.

Making people nervous isn't illegal.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I do know in SC, you cannot carry a handgun on a motorcycle unless it is inside an attached compartment, IE saddlebag. Can't even carry on your person with a CCW.

Good question about the rifle/shotgun though, I'll be curious enough to find out if I can here or not. I've got a nice drag bag with shoulder straps.
Triumph Speedmaster if curious.

 

[Blackbeard]

Depends on the state. In Illinois, I believe you'd have to have it in a rifle/shotgun case, or broken down or in a nonfunctioning state, (e.g. bolt removed, trigger lock, etc.)

 

[Blackbeard]

What is the appropriate way to refuse an answer to a LEO's question about if you have any firearms?

Am I free to go, officer?

 

[Armueller2001]

Depends on the state. In Illinois, I believe you'd have to have it in a rifle/shotgun case, or broken down or in a nonfunctioning state, (e.g. bolt removed, trigger lock, etc.)

Yep. As I posted above, it needs to be

Broken down OR
inaccesible OR
unloaded, and enclosed in a case

 

[Erinyes]

Where's that picture of the guy riding down I-75 in Atlanta with an AK slung on his back?

 

[MGshaggy]

If it's legal, meh.
Making people nervous isn't illegal.

Yep, why be discreet when you can waste your time getting pulled over and hassled by nervous cops?

 

[wheelgunslinger]

http://www.scabbardtech.com/ has a pretty neat solution.

With the tube subframe of a dualsport bike like the TE, it should be easy to engineer something to affix a hard case or scabbard to the bike. Provided you can use wrenches and ratchets.

 

[mkonops]

Break it down, sock it up, and tuck it in a backpack. Should be no problem.

 

[JesseL]

As is the case with nearly all open carry, even if it's legal, you can still be cited for ambiguous "disturbing the peace" charges.

Sigh.

That is not the case with "nearly all open carry". That might be the case in a few jurisdictions.

My local police chief's statement when asked about his opinion on open carry: "The carrying of unconcealed firearms is lawful conduct. No further comment."

 

[ilbob]

My local police chief's statement when asked about his opinion on open carry: "The carrying of unconcealed firearms is lawful conduct. No further comment."

Can we clone him?

 

[brighamr]

Jackal - no stumping here. OC is legal in Nevada, as such, I road halfway through the state with an AK slung over my back on a 2000 R6.

Zero issues, but then again I obeyed the speed limits and didn't try to act like mad max either.

OC is also legal in Montana (my new home). I ride my ATV with a rifle in the scabbard almost daily. Yes my ATV is street legal, and I ride on the highway to and from my favorite fishing hole. I haven't tried a trip to Downtown yet, because 30 miles is a fairly long trip on an ATV

 

[Zoogster]

"The carrying of unconcealed firearms is lawful conduct. No further comment."

Can we clone him?

Clone? What it sounds like to me is a politician saying only what is necessary to not upset people that can get rid of him.

What I hear is he does not necessarily like open carried weapons, but he knows much of AZ is very supportive of thier rights and even saying something anti gun can end up with him losing his job.

Rather than say something negative, or something positive, he simply says the law, not that it helps anything or is positive, or that he does not approve of it or it is negative.
"No further comment."

 

[ilbob]

Clone? What it sounds like to me is a politician saying only what is necessary to not upset people that can get rid of him.

What I hear is he does not necessarily like open carried weapons, but he knows much of AZ is very supportive of thier rights and even saying something anti gun can end up with him losing his job.

Rather than say something negative, or something positive, he simply says the law, not that it helps anything or is positive, or that he does not approve of it or it is negative.
"No further comment."

Its legal, and he acknowledges it very openly, and does not dissemble to give advice about it. What more do you want? Its up to him to enforce the law, not comment on it.

 

[Zoogster]

Exactly. He did his job.
He did not say anything positive or negative added no spins whatsoever.

I did not say he did anything wrong. I am saying it is not necessarily a reason to clone him.
He is a politician that knows his constituents in AZ will not put up with negative spins, but also does not want to encourage or promote the lawful carry (most police brass hate citizens being able to walk around with firearms even though some officers are in favor of it).
He states the law with no bias and refuses any further comment.

 

[ctdonath]

We're so used to having to beg permission for anything that all too often we ask first, and expect an authority to give approval definitively.

The "no comment" comment was exactly right: there's no prohibition, so do what's legal and quit bugging him about it. Would that most legality issues were that simple: no clear prohibition, so have at it.

 

[JesseL]

We're so used to having to beg permission for anything that all too often we ask first, and expect an authority to give approval definitively.

I asked his opinion just so I could compare it with the responses others have gotten when they got when they asked their local police about open carry. I've open carried for 9 years here and it never even occurred to me to ask the police what they thought (I know what's legal, why ask?) until I saw various people on here worrying when their police told them that OC was technically legal but they could expect to be hassled. I know people don't get hassled here, so I was curious what an official would say.

The "no comment" comment was exactly right: there's no prohibition, so do what's legal and quit bugging him about it. Would that most legality issues were that simple: no clear prohibition, so have at it.

Amen.

It's nice to have police that know the law and stick to enforcing it. No more, no less.

 

[renaissance_warrior]

A bike is a motor vehicle. And as far as 'easy access' goes it would be a neat trick to whip that puppy out riding down the street. Chuck Connors anyone? :tongue: Maybe Tom Mix for you old guys.

 

[Art Eatman]

This has mostly wandered away from relevance to the OP...