Full Timing With Weapons

[Larryzv7]

As a fulltime RV’er traveling from State to State what is your general understanding of carrying weapons from one State to another?

I do not have a concealed carry permit but I do keep a .45 cal in my 5th wheel. I also have a 19-million volt Stun Gun, and realize that different States have laws regarding stun guns. I also have some Alaska Bear Spray, which I don’t think is governed by any laws but I would be interested in hearing what others think of bear spray as an effective deterrent against bears?

Now I know I can just do a search of State laws before entering a State but I was just wondering if such laws generally make exceptions for visitors who may only be in a State 90-days or less? As a U.S. Army veteran I know that if I stay at a campground on a military base I have to let the Provost Marshall (Military Police) know that I have a firearm within 24-hours of entering that base.

A few years ago I was camping at a California State Park, and was getting ready to leave that campground after a 14-day stay; I put my unloaded .45 in my tow vehicle and left the ammo in the 5th wheel, which is the legal way to travel with a firearm in your vehicle in many States.

Another camper, who was evidently afraid of guns, saw me put my .45 in my tow vehicle and informed the park ranger that I had a gun. Within minutes 3- park law enforcement vehicles pulled up to my campsite, where I was getting ready to leave, and the park police, with their guns drawn, yelled out for me to get face down on the ground.

I didn’t hesitate because there were 5-of them with guns drawn pointed at me. They asked me if I had a gun; I replied that I did, and the bottom-line is that they gave me a citation for having a lethal weapon on State property. California law says that you can have a gun while camping but it excludes State property.

The citation was a misdemeanor and because I do not have a criminal record I ended up with a $1000.00 fine and 1-year unsupervised probation. Again, I do not have a concealed carry permit and the California Attorney General’s website says that you can have a firearm with you while you are camping, but the park police told me that this did not include State property.

So this is my long story as to why I am asking about generally traveling with a firearm between different States? It is very hard, dependant on the county of your residence, to get a concealed carry in California.

[CKNSLS]

Lets not forget statistically speaking the vast majority of LEOS will never fire their weapon. I really don't think the world is that unsafe. I am well in to my 50s and have never been mugged or robbed. The one exception was when my home was robbed when no one was home. A weapon wouldn't have done much good. Maybe the weapon would have been taken as well.

[Larryzv7]

I don’t want to prolong this discussion because I’ve learned a lot from those who have shared their thoughts, and we have covered just about every angle of this subject, but what I’m about to say may be a contradiction to everything else that I’ve already said here, nonetheless, I will say it.

I am a strong believer that nothing happens that is not suppose to happen. I was a combat medic during the Vietnam War and saw lots of people die, some were shot multiple times with a high caliber weapon, piercing vital organs, etc., and they still lived while others may have been shot once with a small caliber weapon and they died. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that no one dies until it is their time to die.

So having said this why do I carry a gun? I openly admit that having a firearm is part of my own insecurity. We live in a dangerous world and the U.S. is not exempt from that danger. From a larger picture I do not believe in luck or chance but I do believe in a divine power that has its’ hand in everything. For me, death is not a horrible thing, and I realize that every person has their own feelings about this. I‘m in my late 60’s and consider everyday a gift because I never expected to reach age-30. As I’ve already shared; I lost my eyesight and was totally blind for about 5-years; that was a death-like experience for me.

Debates about legislation aside; I support those who want to own and carry a gun and I also support those who do not want to own or carry a gun. This topic does not have to be black and white, it does not have to be either or. Each person speaks for themselves and not for others. And I am grateful for those who have spoken here; there has been a lot of excellent information from all sides shared here and I appreciate all of you for sharing it. Now it’s time for me to give this topic a rest. Thank you for participating.

A peaceful, safe, and good journey, to everyone.:)

[uncle_t]

your only mistake was openly carrying the weapon to your vehicle. ever heard of a grocery bag? an unloaded weapon can get you in more trouble than a loaded one and not with the law but with the lawbreaker. in this day and age, not having something to protect yourself can be hazardous to your health. remember cops carry guns to protect themselves, not you.

[trikepilot]

I will have to get one of those 50 states books to see if it is worth my while to have a handgun in my MH when I start fulltiming. Right now the only thing I have to worry about is when I travel to neighbor states and don't declare that I have a weapon in the MH. Then again I have never been asked. And I do not carry it with me when I am out and about. I just consider my MH as my temporary home. Once it becomes my permanent home I may have to sell a safe full of guns.

[CKNSLS]

mayo30 wrote:
Wow I had no idea it was this confusing to carry firearms,It is too bad some how that it can't be more uniform all over the country.I am not being critical but am truly amazed.

You have rural states like Montana and others where you really do need need a fire arm to protect life and property. You have a situation where Larry was where the cops were there in three minutes.

Based on population and geography I don't see how gun laws could be uniform. Too many variables.

[beemerphile1]

It is a shame that the laws are so confusing and variable when crossing state lines but I don't see it changing anytime soon.

CKNSLS, there are quite a few graves occupied by people that never needed to defend themselves, except that one time. The only problem is when will that one time occur? I don't know.

[Larryzv7]

bigdogger wrote:

Larryzv7 wrote:
Can’t leave the gun at home when you are full-time RVing and the RV is your home. I have never once heard a person say that they drove thousands of miles and only had one or two incidents where they needed a gun, or they have been RVing for 30+ years and only needed a gun a few times; it is always how long they have been doing something and never needed a gun.

The thing is you only need one incident, only one, and it does not matter how long you have been traveling on the road; that one incident can mean the difference between life and death. After I got out of the army my first job was as an ambulance paramedic (EMT) and I saw lots of murders, suicides, vehicle accidents, etc. It only has to happen once and the difference could depend on whether or not you can defend yourself.

Considering the incident with the rangers in your first post, it appears that you have come much closer to being killed for having a gun, then you have ever come to needing a gun to prevent someone or something from killing you. A different poster here posted they once had their gun out because a "beat" (later corrected to a bear) was wandering nearby. If you shoot a bear that is not directly attacking you, you will face a huge fine for hunting out of season without a license and if it happened to be an endangered Grizzly, you might get a few years of government housing. Now if that original post had been accurate, but for a different mis-spelling and a "beet" had wandered through the site, that would demand action. We all remember "The attack of the Killer Tomatos" and rogue fruits and vegetables obviously require prompt lethal action.

I agree that knowing the law where you are at is crucial, and gun education is also critical, because there are people who have guns that are killed by an attacker with their own gun. As a Vietnam veteran, and someone who grew up on the streets of the South Bronx, there has been many times in my life that I have almost been killed by someone, probably more times than I know.

[bigdogger]

Larryzv7 wrote:
Can’t leave the gun at home when you are full-time RVing and the RV is your home. I have never once heard a person say that they drove thousands of miles and only had one or two incidents where they needed a gun, or they have been RVing for 30+ years and only needed a gun a few times; it is always how long they have been doing something and never needed a gun.

The thing is you only need one incident, only one, and it does not matter how long you have been traveling on the road; that one incident can mean the difference between life and death. After I got out of the army my first job was as an ambulance paramedic (EMT) and I saw lots of murders, suicides, vehicle accidents, etc. It only has to happen once and the difference could depend on whether or not you can defend yourself.

Considering the incident with the rangers in your first post, it appears that you have come much closer to being killed for having a gun, then you have ever come to needing a gun to prevent someone or something from killing you. A different poster here posted they once had their gun out because a "beat" (later corrected to a bear) was wandering nearby. If you shoot a bear that is not directly attacking you, you will face a huge fine for hunting out of season without a license and if it happened to be an endangered Grizzly, you might get a few years of government housing. Now if that original post had been accurate, but for a different mis-spelling and a "beet" had wandered through the site, that would demand action. We all remember "The attack of the Killer Tomatos" and rogue fruits and vegetables obviously require prompt lethal action.

[Larryzv7]

Can’t leave the gun at home when you are full-time RVing and the RV is your home. I have never once heard a person say that they drove thousands of miles and only had one or two incidents where they needed a gun, or they have been RVing for 30+ years and only needed a gun a few times; it is always how long they have been doing something and never needed a gun.

The thing is you only need one incident, only one, and it does not matter how long you have been traveling on the road; that one incident can mean the difference between life and death. After I got out of the army my first job was as an ambulance paramedic (EMT) and I saw lots of murders, suicides, vehicle accidents, etc. It only has to happen once and the difference could depend on whether or not you can defend yourself.

[CKNSLS]

ncrowley wrote:
CKNSLS, I am a highly educated person and I choose to defend myself if I need to. A firearm is the only tool that will reliably allow me to do that. You are the one that needs more education.

As far as carrying in state parks go, they changed the rule in 2010. If you have a concealed carry license in the state the park is in, you can carry concealed in the state park. Also, if the state allows open carry, you are fine. Once again, you are at the mercy of the state the park is in. For example, Yellowstone is in Wyoming and Montana and those states allow open carry without a license. Therefore, you can openly carry a gun in Yellowstone National Park.

All the state parks that I have checked have information on their site about the gun rules. It is your responsibility to check the rules before you go. Ignorance of the law is never a defense.

As to my background, I was a concealed carry instructor in New Mexico.

Last year-I towed 8,000 miles through 32 states. Stopped at truck stops, campgrounds, casinos,rest stops, retail outlets-NEVER ONCE had a need for a hand gun. I drove my truck another 12,000 miles seeing the sites using the trailer/campground for a homebase-NEVER ONCE had a need for a handgun. The arguments to carry a hand gun while camping because you need to "protect yourself" is at best frivolous.

We have laws on the books that are not clear-and maybe/maybe not Larry caught himself in the middle of a "training exercise" and it cost him 1,000.00 big ones. Why put yourself at the mercy of a cop training another cop making a point about handguns, or a District Attorney in another state interpreting a law to make your day miserable? Makes no sense. Leave the gun at home.

[mayo30]

Wow I had no idea it was this confusing to carry firearms,It is too bad some how that it can't be more uniform all over the country.I am not being critical but am truly amazed.

[Larryzv7]

DianneOK wrote:
Whoa...I go to bed and all hell breaks loose!!! Gun topics!!!

For those not familiar with the forums I moderate....they are pretty much the only forums here where gun topics are not zapped immediately. I believe that good, correct information is invaluable.

Therefore....thank you one and all for keeping this topic pretty much on track while I got some shut eye.

Carry on, and remember to keep it within the boundry....

DianneOK moderator

Dianne, can I plead ignorance on this one too?:R I mean I'm innocent.:B

[LewBob]

As of Feb. 22, 2010, federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in national park units in that state. This generally includes campgrounds. In other words, state law applies. Note that federal law does prohibit firearms in certain facilities in the parks, typically visitor centers and other park buildings and often on ranger-guided tours. Note also that discharging the weapon for any reason is prohibited. In a worst-case scenario, a citation (or even arrest) might be the least of your concerns.

[doc_brown]

iawoody2 wrote:
Don't ask, don't tell. Keep hidden except if you absolutely need it.

Yep. I carry 4 handguns and a shotgun in my MH when I travel. I have CCW's good in 32 states - but not California where I live because self defense is not good cause in this state.

[carp65]

Mine is in a drawer right next to the bed. Been there for 8 years. Fortunately, have never had to use it. Take it out only to clean and oil it
to make sure it still functions. It does!