Travel with guns

CKNSLS...Bully for you. We fulltimed for 9 years and never needed the firearm, nor did we need the vehicle insurance. That does not mean we shouldn't be prepared......

Just Jeff wrote: Maine is on our list...maybe even this summer! Never know...

The lobster is mighty tasty and Acadia National Park is a great place to visit. You could even plan to take a hike in Baxter State Park if you like walking among hundred year old trees that remain in their "forever wild" natural condition. Send me a PM when and if your plans come together and I will help you any way I can.

Lakeside

lakeside013104 wrote:
Just Jeff....Informative and a very good post. Feel free to park beside me anytime you are in the neighborhood. Happy camping and safe travels to you always.

Lakeside

Maine is on our list...maybe even this summer! Never know...

To each his own, my friend. Glad you're enjoying your trip.

Just Jeff wrote:
Glad to help!

You can also ask them if they have a responsibility to protect their families and when they say yes, just ask them what tools they plan to use if a bad guy has a weapon. Most folks who don't carry say they'll just call the cops and wait. So ask them to look up what the LEO response times are for the areas they're commonly in. In many urban areas, they'll have about 5-7 minutes of praying the bad guy has a conscience...and 45 minutes or more in rural areas. And then look up how long violent crimes usually take from start to finish. Aside from rape, most are over well before 5-7 minutes.

IMO, leaving my family's safety in the hands of a bad guy is shirking my responsibility to them. There's nothing evolved about that. Failing to plan is planning to fail, and in a game where the first failure could be your last chance, the stakes are too high for me to take that risk.

And being in the RV doesn't change that, so I look for ways to ensure I can legally protect my family when I travel. Usually that's as simple as...
- Knowing whether the states have reciprocity with my CCW permit, and any differences in laws
- Knowing whether the state has a Castle Doctrine, and if so, whether that extends to vehicles
-- Even when it doesn't extend to standard vehicles, sometimes it extends to RVs (and even tents). This is when some laws can get complicated...as in the firearm can't be in the cab, or loaded while the vehicle is in motion, etc. This usually only matters when there's no reciprocity...otherwise, I'm legal to carry anyway.
- Knowing whether the state is Duty-to-Retreat

I also carry the lockbox in case I want to have a beer. :) Don't need a gun on me with alcohol in my system!

The first few are pretty easy...it's the RV specific ones that are sometimes a little harder to find, and sometimes open to a little more interpretation.

As I said, if all goes well I'll never need to find out exactly how those laws apply! :)

You can spin it any way that suits you fancy. My bottom line is I have traveled thru over half of the USA in the past 6 1/2 months and have NEVER needed a firearm, or NEVER NEEDED to call the police. The way some RVers talk about carrying makes one think there is a bad guy in every RV campground, rest area, gas station or truckstop looking to rob you of your possessions or harm your wife.

And I haven't run in to one of them. TOTAL TRIP-16,000 miles thus far. Includes both towing and non-towing miles.

Just Jeff....Informative and a very good post. Feel free to park beside me anytime you are in the neighborhood. Happy camping and safe travels to you always.

Lakeside

Glad to help!

You can also ask them if they have a responsibility to protect their families and when they say yes, just ask them what tools they plan to use if a bad guy has a weapon. Most folks who don't carry say they'll just call the cops and wait. So ask them to look up what the LEO response times are for the areas they're commonly in. In many urban areas, they'll have about 5-7 minutes of praying the bad guy has a conscience...and 45 minutes or more in rural areas. And then look up how long violent crimes usually take from start to finish. Aside from rape, most are over well before 5-7 minutes.

IMO, leaving my family's safety in the hands of a bad guy is shirking my responsibility to them. There's nothing evolved about that. Failing to plan is planning to fail, and in a game where the first failure could be your last chance, the stakes are too high for me to take that risk.

And being in the RV doesn't change that, so I look for ways to ensure I can legally protect my family when I travel. Usually that's as simple as...
- Knowing whether the states have reciprocity with my CCW permit, and any differences in laws
- Knowing whether the state has a Castle Doctrine, and if so, whether that extends to vehicles
-- Even when it doesn't extend to standard vehicles, sometimes it extends to RVs (and even tents). This is when some laws can get complicated...as in the firearm can't be in the cab, or loaded while the vehicle is in motion, etc. This usually only matters when there's no reciprocity...otherwise, I'm legal to carry anyway.
- Knowing whether the state is Duty-to-Retreat

I also carry the lockbox in case I want to have a beer. :) Don't need a gun on me with alcohol in my system!

The first few are pretty easy...it's the RV specific ones that are sometimes a little harder to find, and sometimes open to a little more interpretation.

As I said, if all goes well I'll never need to find out exactly how those laws apply! :)

Just Jeff wrote:
I've driven hundreds of thousands of miles and would you believe that I've never actually NEEDED my seat belt? But I still wear it every single time I drive...because the one time I need it and don't have it might be my last. Same logic.

If all goes well, I'll never "need" a firearm either. But since there are bad people in the world, and I have a solemn duty to protect my family, I'll keep that insurance with me just in case. That includes when I'm RVing - especially when I'm RVing because it's less secure than my home.

Thank you Just Jeff! Now I know what to say when someone gives me that “Oh so you like guns! Well, I’m so much more evolved than you are…” snobby oh-so-superior line, I have something pleasant to say back that makes perfect sense.
Steve

As far as leaving your hand gun in the U.S. before crossing the border, try contacting the local PD in the town/city closest to the border. I believe that most locals will allow limited safe keeping of your weapon while you visit Canada for both LEOs and non-LEOs. Good luck.

Lakeside

remoandiris wrote:

bigcitypopo wrote:
Ok.. This subject gets tricky....

Motor homes.... Gun can be in the rear of living quarters... While in motion must be unloaded.... Parked, setup not in travel mode... It's your home. Residence logic applies... The gun can't be loaded anywhere near the vehicle/cab unless your are active LE or have a ccw honored in the states your are traveling through.

Trailer... All day long... Separate objects... I'd probably get a warrant to search the trailer, but I'd need PC anyway.... If I have probable cause to search the truck, I don't need a warrant..

This topic can get really in depth...

Part of the reason it gets so in depth is because of the varying state (and sometimes local) laws. Some states do NOT require a non-LEO to have a CCW for a LOADED gun in your vehicle. Yes, that is right! Some states treat a vehicle to be the same as your home.

As always, YMMV and it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to know and follow the law wherever you are. Don't take the word of someone on the Internet. Not everything you read on the Internet is true.

You are very right... I was just providing some base articulation...