Traveling to California, help me stay out of jail ..

[ks_shooter]

I am going on a camping vacation in California this summer and I need some information about the local gun laws. Whenever I have camped before (soft-sided pop-up) I have always taken my pistol along for protection. For either animals (depending on the State) and because the campsites are usually remote, have many unknown people from all over, and have no law enforcement. I'm not paranoid about this, but I wouln't go unarmed in this type of situation with my family anymore than I would not take a flashlight or jumper cables.

I have camped all over the Midwest and Southwest and have never really been concerned about the the legalities of having a firearm. I kept one with me in Yellowstone (I'm pretty sure that wasn't legal) because, what the hell, I'm not sleeping in a tent in bear country without one. I figured the goods folks in Wyoming weren't going to hassle me unless I was an idiot about it. California is another matter. I feel like I might as well be thinking of taking a gun into Mexcio.

I don't intend to carry concealed. Just want to know the laws concerning having a firearm in my vehicle or in my camper at night. Thanks.

 

[Jim March]

You actually CAN be armed in your campsite at night, by basic Calif law. Loaded and accessable in your tent is cool. (See note below on why/history if interested.) This is of course barring any Federal damnfool rules on national parks (sigh) but you probably know about those as they infest AZ and other states too.

The real pain is while in travel - unloaded, locked container, no ammo in the locked compartment holding gun, inaccessable from interior passengers/driver where possible. In an SUV or other "trunkless" vehicle, stashed as far back as possible but if there's a trunk, it goes in there.

Grrrrrr. AZ residents get popped for "illegal CCW" in the glovebox or similar all the time.

(Note on Calif gun law history: this state's gun laws didn't used to be so bad. Other than the CCW laws of 1923, we were pretty much OK - open carry was legal, fr'instance. Then the Panthers and other urban blacks discovered open carry as a response to massive police violence in the 60's and we lost THAT in short order - that in turn led to escalating gun control ever since, and it was started by Ronnie Reagan . But the main purpose of gun control being minority control, the remaining "good laws" cover rural activities - we can CCW at campsites and "while hunting/fishing". Spend the $35 for a fishing permit, carry a small rod/reel/hooks/worm, pack concealed in the wilderness barring local park regs.)