Are We Allowed to have a gun in an RV for protection?

fdwarren wrote:
Yes, the gun is properly registered in the state of MD. I do not have a concealed carry permit.

If you dont have a concealed carry permit it's illegal to carry a firearm in a motorhome in in every state unless the home is parked and hooked up. Even then it's a grey issue in some states like Virginia. I personally wouldn't do it and I've worked in law enforcement.

wbwood wrote:
So what do I carry for protection daily, away from work? Nothing. What do I use for protection at home? Strategically placed items. No firearms. I prefer the aluminum softball bat. A 9 iron is decent as well. :)

Just ask Tiger Woods about that 9 iron. :)

Right off, I am Canadian, so..I'm already sorry.

"Do you find that the riff raff stays away from RV campgrounds?" If someone were to have 'riff raff' around them while camping and felt that that was a life/death situation and pulled out the hardware...just where do you think this is going? Someone is going get badly injured and likely dead. Over what? Noise? Yelling? Maybe even a theft of a cooler?

If a person does have that 'bad feeling', it is time to leave. Not hang around to see if they are right.


Gary Haupt

Per the "riff raff" commment...I guess it depends on what you are talking about. Are there thefts in campgrounds? sure there are. If you search the forums you will see where people will mention that stuff was taken. We had a cooler taken from underneath our camper several years ago while we slept. It was recovered in the dunes the next day. More than likely kids. For my RVing Illustrated facebook page, I receive daily news items that I pass on. Almost daily, there is an article about someone being found (wanted) in a campground or RV park. Every once in a while, you will see about a crime that happened in an RV park. But campgrounds and RV parks are not single out as trouble spots. They are just no different than anywhere else. So you will need to decide what riff raff is. If you think because you are behind a gate or there is security that there won'r be any there, then you may be surprised.

Recent article
Man shot, killed on Ignacio RV grounds

fdwarren wrote:
Thank you all for very good info. What a great forum this is. With so much of the world going to the dogs, I want to feel safe while I camp. I like the bear spray idea.
Do you find that the riff raff stays away from RV campgrounds?

I see you are new to this forum. Welcome! If you decide to carry bear spray, make sure to read the directions carefully, and understand that if you are down wind from spraying it will be incredibly painful. You asked if riff raff stay away from campgrounds. We have camped for 36+ years primarily in and around state and national parks and have never had any thefts or any concerns. I know others have but that is our experience. Only once were we next to a large group of loud, obnoxious drunks who carried on until the early morning hours. We were leaving the next day so we did not do anything... but we decided to leave about 5:30 a.m. and since their group was the only ones nearby, we were none to quiet. Sorry, probably not very nice.

I am a hunting gun owner and you folks that carry guns in your RVs for non-hunting reasons scare me. Even the police nowadays don't know when to use their guns and how many rounds to fire when they do use them ... that really spooks me relative to amateurs carrying them around.

Meh. CCW permit holders are less likely to be involved in any kind of crime, let alone firearm-related crime, than people without them. No need to be scared.

But even if you don't need a permit to transport or store in your RV, there's nothing to be afraid of.

There are something like 40-80 million firearm owners in the United States.

There are only 1.2 million violent crimes committed in the US every year.

Even if every single violent crime was committed by a gun owner, well over 90% of firearm owners could not be involved every year - there simply are not enough violent crimes to go around. And of course if you look only at firearm-related violent crime, the numbers are even better.

The vast majority of firearm owners are never involved in firearm-related crimes.

Don't be a Fudd. :)

Old-Biscuit wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Do what you want just be quiet about it. Just remember it's better to be tried by 8 than carried by 6.

Been a while since you had jury duty :H

I actually believe the saying is tried by 12 than carried by 6...or at least that's the way I see it.

I am an LEO (federal), but I don't deal with state laws. I don't even carry my service pistol away from my job. It get's locked up at work when I go home. I do not even own a firearm, with exception of a 1800' model shotgun and an old 410 that was my grandfathers (it's over 50 years old that I know of). I have no ammunition for either one and would be afraid to fire them if I had to. Bottom line is that I have yet to feel the need for that sort of personal protection. I don't put myself in predicaments that would indicate otherwise. If I get the slightest feeling that something is not right (and my intuituion has grown over the years of my work), then I remove myself. Will I always feel that way? I don't know. It may change. I do know that in about 27 years in the law enforcement career field, I have not changed yet. It may happen one day. But I think a lot of people put faith in a piece of metal. The best tool is the one between your ears. Even many police officers think they can control the situation with a gun on their side or in their hand. Many realize that they can not. The same goes for many many other people. If you ever get a chance, try the police officer training simulators that offer "shoot, don't shoot" scenarios. Most who have done them see that a split second judgement is not an easy choice. And although no one gets hurt in the simulators, it's even more stressful when you are being graded and evaluated on your decision that could result in your livelihood, heaven forbid, your life or the life of another.

So what do I carry for protection daily, away from work? Nothing. What do I use for protection at home? Strategically placed items. No firearms. I prefer the aluminum softball bat. A 9 iron is decent as well. :)

I am a hunting gun owner and you folks that carry guns in your RVs for non-hunting reasons scare me. Even the police nowadays don't know when to use their guns and how many rounds to fire when they do use them ... that really spooks me relative to amateurs carrying them around.

Decades ago we used to carry a .22 on RV trips .... and the one time I went for it turned out to be a non-reason to do so.

We carry pepper spray in the RV, that's enough and I hope we never have to use it. A gun carried for "protection" can very easily turn out to be a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Do what you want just be quiet about it. Just remember it's better to be tried by 8 than carried by 6.

Been a while since you had jury duty :H

Do what you want just be quiet about it. Just remember it's better to be tried by 8 than carried by 6.