Carrying firearms in a truck

I didn't see one thing that you posted in that law that specifies a passenger vehicle. If fact what I did read is a true law for transporting a firearm for a individual that is not properly licensed. A concealed permit holder can have the gun wherever he chooses & can have the gun loaded.

I just renewed my concealed permit a few months ago. I asked then when they were issuing it... Can I carry this in my truck? The answer was YES as long as the states I were traveling in were reciprocal states with Georgia. That's all good... Then in the other states I will & do resort to the law that you did post!

 

If you have a license to carry your concealed handgun, you can carry it concealed in any state that recognizes your permit/license. Does not matter if you are in a personal vehicle, commercial vehicle, on foot or riding a donkey.

You do have to know each states rules and regulations though, just because your state allows you to carry in X locations does not mean another state does. Tennessee just passed a law allowing concealed carry license holders to carry in facilities which serve alcohol so long as the license holder is not drinking (a single drop). If you have a Tennessee license, you still cannot carry your gun into a location in Texas that makes more than a certain percentage of it's revenue from alcohol (I forget the percentage).

You can also carry it in your vehicle into a state which does NOT recognize your license. However, it must be stored separate from the ammunition and out of reach of either the driver or any/all passengers.

My two favorite sites for interstate travel/which states allow my concealed carry license. First one, select which state you have a license in, then click each state you plan to travel through. http://apps.carryconcealed.net/packngo/index.php

Just to see what states allow your license http://www.handgunlaw.us/LicMaps/ccwmap.php

 

Good post and links, panzer. 'Preciate it

 

No problem.

Federal law -
The Federal Transportation Law

Concerning the interstate transportation of firearms, federal law provides at 18 USCS § 926A:

§ 926A. Interstate transportation of firearms

Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter [18 USCS §§ 921 et seq.] from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver's compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

Under this law, to legally transport a firearm interstate all the following need apply:

(1) You are not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm
(2) It is lawful to possess AND carry the firearm in the place of origin
(3) It is lawful to possess AND carry the firearm in the place of destination
(4) The firearm must be unloaded
(5) The firearm and any ammunition are not readily accessible OR directly accessible from the passenger compartment (if not possible see below)

Note: In vehicles without a trunk separate from the passenger compartment any firearms AND ammunition must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

Before engaging in interstate travel, the gun owner should ensure that all the above criteria apply before transporting firearms. Before travel, the gun owner should verify that it is legal to both carry and possess the firearm in the jurisdiction of origins and destination. Immediately before beginning travel the gun owner should ensure the firearms are all unloaded, unloaded all magazines, and secure them separately. Although not required by law, unless in a vehicle without a compartment separate of the passenger compartment, it is advisable to secure the guns also in a locked case or with individual locks. This may make transport also lawful under state or local law as well as federal law which will provide an extra layer of protection.

Documentation

There is nothing explicit in the statute that requires a gun owner to carry any type of documentation, such as gun permits or registrations, but it is advisable to do so because this could prevent unneeded problems and even arrest.

The case of Torraco v. Port Auth., 539 F. Supp. 2d 632 (E.D.N.Y. 2008) aptly illustrates how carrying documentation can avoid potential legal trouble. In Torraco two gun owners travelling through a New York City airport, attempting to transport their firearms, were subject to detention and arrest despite claiming federal law preempted any local or state gun laws prohibiting possession. The gun owners asserted the protection of federal law, but could not provide any documentation of their claims. Because the local officers were unfamiliar with this federal law and the plaintiffs could not produce any further evidence of their legal claims, they arrested the plaintiffs for illegal possession.

The plaintiffs later sued the officers, making several claims; one among them was unlawful arrest. In dismissing the lawsuit, a federal district court held that even though the plaintiffs claimed protection of the federal law, since they were unable to verify their verbal claims with any documentation and since the officer was unfamiliar with the federal law, probable cause existed to make an arrest.

The court in Torraco reasoned that since probable cause, "is knowledge or reasonably trustworthy information of facts and circumstances that are sufficient to warrant a person of reasonable caution in the belief that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a crime" the officer was not required to engage in an exhaustive investigation of the purely verbal claims before making an arrest. This means that simply verbally stating federal law makes possession or transportation legal is most likely not enough to avoid arrest.

Because probable cause to make an arrest is a lower standard of evidence and can be easily reached given the correct factual circumstances, it is advisable for a gun owner to have documentation of lawful possession ready and to fully cooperate in the event of a police encounter.

Here are some types of documentation that a gun owner might want to obtain before travelling:

• A copy of the federal interstate transportation law
• Resident or non-resident gun permits or copies of reciprocity agreements or laws from the state of origin or destination and states through which travel will take place
• Any required registration paperwork for the state of origin or destination or laws concern a duty or register
• Copies of relevant case law providing a right to carry or possess in state of origin or destination (for instance, states with open or concealed carry as a matter of constitutional right)
• Bills of sale and transfer paperwork for all guns being transported

In the event of a police encounter, the gun owner should be able to provide ample documentation in order to effectively invoke the protection of federal law. Also, the gun owner should cooperate fully during the investigation because evasive or defiant behavior may contribute to establishing probable cause for an arrest. If the officer appears to be unfamiliar with the federal law after providing documentation, ask to speak with a supervisor. If in an airport, the gun owner may suggest that the local officer consult with a TSA official because they are trained on this federal law and can provide guidance to local law enforcement.

If after following these guidelines you are still subjected to arrest, contact an attorney immediately. Write down the details of the encounter and note any witnesses and other officials present. Do not consent to any searches or make any statements until you speak with your attorney.

Stops While Travelling

Courts have generally held that in order to be able to invoke this law as a defense the only stops allowed must be directly incidental to the trip. For example, in People v. Selyukov, 2008 NY Slip Op 28104, 2 (N.Y. J. Ct. 2008), a trial court held:

Fundamental to the defense is the firearm owner's actually engaging in travel, or acts incidental to travel, through the state of arrest, such as stopping for food or gasoline or picking up passengers or packages for the trip. Any pause in the journey must be directly incident to it.

The defense is generally lost if the firearm's owner stops for any reasons not directly related to the immediate trip. (for example see State v Baker, 639 SW2d 617 [Mo App, SD 1982]) defense not available when stop was for unrelated stay with girlfriend.)

It is clear that stops for food and gasoline do not constitute a break in travel. But what about stops such as overnight stays or major diversions to collect passengers? Stops such as this are a grey area under this law and it is hard to judge the line when a stop is directly incident to the journey or falls outside of that category. Due to the lack of any settled law, it is best for a gun owner to be cautious when planning any intermediate stops. When planning a trip it would be best for the gun owner to:

• Plan a travel route through states where possession is legal under state or local law
• Plan travel routes that avoid jurisdictions which heavily regulate firearms and minimize travel time and stops in jurisdictions which do so
• Minimize the need for overnight stops
• When making overnight stops, stay close to your travel route. Do not deviate from the route to stay overnight with friends or family.
• Do not make major detours to collect passengers or packages. If possible, make arrangements to collect these close to your main travel route.
• Make stops as brief as possible. Minimize length of stops whenever possible.
• When stopped, even overnight, do not remove firearms from the car as doing so may remove the protection of federal law and may even constitute illegal carry of a firearm in that jurisdiction

Other Practical Tips

Before travelling, acquire non-resident permits for the destination state and any intermediate state. This will make transport easier, especially if interstate travel along the same route occurs regularly.

Most police encounters during travel involve stops for traffic offenses. Following traffic laws, such as speed limits, will greatly reduce the chance of any encounter with law enforcement.

In the event of a police encounter, do not offer any additional information then what is demanded. Produce only information required by the officer. Admitting unnecessarily that you are transporting firearms when not required to do so will only ensure a longer detention and possible custodial arrest. Although note that some state laws require a driver to immediately disclose to police if transporting firearms. These "duty to inform" state laws may be preempted by the federal interstate transportation law, but there is no known case law on the subject. As such, gun owners should use caution and research applicable state laws before travelling.

Furthermore, do not consent to any searches of your vehicle. Consenting only ensures that the officer will search your vehicle and this will also greatly limit the ability of your attorney to suppress the fruits of the search in court. Generally an officer only needs probable cause to search the passenger compartment of your vehicle. But, in order to search any other area of you car, including an enclosed trunk, the officer will generally need both probable cause and a warrant (see generally New York v. Belton, 453 U.S. 454, 101 S.Ct. 2860, 69 L.Ed.2d 768 (1981).) If firearms were secured in a locked trunk, this makes it highly unlikely the officer will find them during a search. Although the officer may still seek a warrant, it is unlikely he will do so. (NOTE: if you are subject to custodial arrest or if your car is seized these general rules will most likely not apply.)

Conclusion

Federal law does provide some protection for gun owners who seek to transport their firearms over state lines. But, even with these protections a gun owner may still be presented with legal trouble when doing so. Because of this, gun owners should do proper research before travelling, secure guns as required by law, and use common sense. By following these simple guidelines, most gun owners will avoid any potential problems during their travels.

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The part about lawfully allowed to carry the firearms in state of origin, and states of destination refer to, some states you can have a folding stock, pistol grip and vertical foregrip on a rifle or shotgun, in other states you may only have one, or two (or whatever) of those. So if you live in a state that allows a shotgun with an 18" barrel, pistol grip with a folding stock and a vertical grip on the pump you cannot take the gun to California even if you lock it in a case.

However, if you are lisenced to carry a concealed handgun in (for example) Texas, and therefore Illinois does not allow you to carry it cncealed when visiting, you can still have it in your vehicle as long as you lock it up and/or store it unloaded and seperate from ammo and out of reach of drivers/passengers (if locked up it can be within reach).

Federal law allows you to carry your firearm(s) in your vehicle through all 50 states, but local, municipal and state laws may narrow the list of which firearms are allowed. You can even carry them into/through Canada so long as you oby Canadas laws for possesion and transportation of firearms (many firearms legal here in the US are not allowed at all in Canada). Until they decide for certain and enact it, you can still even carry your firearms into national parks (in your vehicle) so long as they are secured per federal regulations. However, national parks also require the firearms to be disassembled. There is no law that states a difference in firearms possession/transportation between personal and commercial vehicles. Perhaps a bill stating a legal difference between the two could be in the works, but that means absolutely nothing. Why? Right now there is a bill that if made ito law would allow presidents to run for as many terms as they desire. Another that would make it illegal to own any firearm with a capactiy of more than 6 rounds, with no grandfather clause allowing you to keep those you already own. So even if there is a bill that would make it illegal to carry a firearm in a commercial vehicle, it's just a bill. Anybody want to try and count how many bills get tossed in the shredder every day?

 

I know. Everyone's prepared for an ambush and someone trained by the "martial-art-magic-macho-all-terain-manhood-fighting-ninja-brazillian-technique" will respond automatically. But ask a lot of cops that have had to use their weapon. It's tough being surprised and many are when you look at the traffic stops that turn into mortal shootings.

How many truckers have been in need of a gun? How many lives were lost because the trucker wasn't armed?

Don't get me wrong, I'm in favor of gun possession. How many? What source are you using?

 

How many more quotes of news articles of murdered driver's do I have to find to help warrant the fact that if these driver's were armed... Perhaps their chances of still being with us today would greatly be increased 75%?

 

Don't forget the truck driver that shot another truck driver for cutting him off in traffic!

 

And here is a positive story... The truck driver was armed & is still with us today!

 

When did that happen? I didn't see that in the googled info that I posted above. I guess I'll re-google & see what other results I can find.

Now I wouldn't condone all driver's to be armed. But the one's who are sane, common sense, not much of a criminal background, and of course sucessfully pass training classes. Only then shall they be permitted to carry legally.

 

I wish we were in a situation where we didn't have to think of weather or not to arm ourselves. But due to the nature of the job, They dont put big wherehouses and truckstops in the upper-class part of town. And now with the HOS regs, if your not parked by 5 pm you're not going to be in that well lit Pilot. you're going to be on a side street or dark rest area. (not that pure sollace can be found at the Pilot). My opinion is: Better tried by 12 than carried by 6... Be safe out there.