What happens if they find a gun?

My friend has one. He likes it. Serves it purpose.

 

I'd aim for the face.

 

Has he used it, even in practice?

 

It depends on the jurisdiction and the circumstances.

I BEG YOU TO SEEK ANSWERS FROM THE GUN WEB SITES AND NOT TRUCK DRIVERS. Us truck drivers are 500% certain about everything even when we only have 3% of the answer. NY, NJ, MA, IL, CA are typically harsh. For that reason a pistol with a max capacity of 10 rounds can be better than the other pistols with maybe double that capacity. Having the gun could mean you are going to jail for days or weeks, lose your job. This issue is beat to death over the years and this thread is as likely to become a 500 page quagmire as it is to give you usable info to make a decision. There's a big difference between "feeling comfortable with your choice", "doing what everyone else is doing", being legal, and liking what you do. Juries are NOT made up of truck drivers. They are made up of the a-holes that drive 4-wheelers. Choose wisely and get your answers from reading, not posting if you want to keep your online dossier vague and inconclusive. Also, never transport firearms by canoe.

There is no one rule. EVERY jurisdiction in every state requires you follow their rules. You can get good state law summaries from the gun groups like the NRA's institute of legislative affairs and the US Concealed Carry Association and Handgunlaw.net

Having the gun or not having the gun can ruin your whole day, depending on the exact situation at the time you face it.
IMO, nobody but you should have any clue you even know what a pistol is or if you have one. Ignore the replies retelling stories about military bases in wide-open gun friendly Western states and which suggest that still applies in Upstate NY 40 years later. Military bases can be the worst locations to have a weapon or no big deal. It depends on the Base Commander and the Dept of War's last guidance. The Federal law that might be most helpful (Firearms Owner Protection Act or FOPA) is maybe not applicable to truck drivers since they frequently stop in unfriendly states as part of their job and those stops invalidate the protection. Also, MOST prosecutions for firearms are done by the states and they don't give a good gol-durn about FOPA.

The law doesn't have to make sense, it's the law. You don't have to accept the law or like the law to be seriously punished for decades by the law. And someone saying "I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6" isn't going to spring you from lockup or find you your next job. Nearly every medium-sized and larger trucking company's policy is no firearms allowed at any time. So just having the gun could easily result in getting fired a long long way from home with no notice. The right answer may vary by driver and change many times even for that one particular driver. I wish there was an easy answer, it's one of the most complicated possible answers.

 

It is ALMOST impossible to know the laws. There are ways to store or ship a pistol while on the road if you have info you are going into a particularly anti-gun jurisdiction. For example, you can park the truck, Uber to a gun store, and store it with them or ship it to a gun store back home or at some location you will soon visit. Yeah, it may cost money. Spend the money.

EVERYONE should know, if they don't already, taking a pistol into Canada will definitely get you free govt room and board for some time. If you have a firearm, it's almost like a part-time job thinking about how to be wise everywhere you go. It's also good if nobody stops the general public from assuming most truck drivers have lots of guns.

 

If you have a Florida ccw there’s a bunch of states we reciprocate with..Although we no longer need a permit in state to conceal carry you’ll need one to travel.

Thing is you need to know every state’s nuances. In Florida it is some serious crap if you’re not completely concealed. As written it’s an arrest able offense just showing your gun to your buddy at his house.

Getting caught in a no go state expect to be arrested and then dealing with it.

States like NY you can travel through but technically can’t stop. I think it’s DC your gun has to be on the dashboard completely displayed.

here’s a link on what states reciprocate.

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/fl-gun-laws/?amp