Carry a gun? Extra cash? Where?

[VanKitten]

I have toured a lot of RVs while learning about them.   One thing they all have in common is a "hidden" compartment.

Knowing there is one seems almost an invitation to any robber to hunt for it.
Or, LEO deciding to do a little confiscation. 

So, the question comes to my mind.   How do I hide such things and have them remain Both accessible and secure?

The second question comes.. is it even legal to have a gun in other than the state it was issued?   What about "concealed carry".   Is it considered illegal de Facto?

If I carry mace, then those same questions apply.   Some states...mace isn't legal at all.

 

[Wabbit]

Not sure about guns, but "dog" and "bear" repellent are legal in all 50 states. This might have changed, so double check. The caveat is that you can't use them on humans. Although, if you are pulling out mace to protect yourself, legality issues surrounding mace would be my last concern.

 

[Gypsy Jane]

I have toured a lot of RVs while learning about them.   One thing they all have in common is a "hidden" compartment.

Knowing there is one seems almost an invitation to any robber to hunt for it.
Or, LEO deciding to do a little confiscation. 

So, the question comes to my mind.   How do I hide such things and have them remain Both accessible and secure?

The second question comes.. is it even legal to have a gun in other than the state it was issued?   What about "concealed carry".   Is it considered illegal de Facto?

If I carry mace, then those same questions apply.   Some states...mace isn't legal at all.

If you carry a gun, you need to have training and know the applicable laws. Some states recognize other states' carry permits, some don't. Get the apps CCW and Legal Heat, keep them updated, they'll keep you informed about the laws in each state including reciprocity.

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

 

[TMG51]

Different states have different laws about transporting firearms. Usually handguns are more restricted. Some will require the handgun and ammo each to be locked up separately. Definitely do your research. And I wouldn't put a gun in any "hidden" compartment.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

There's a bill in the house right now to extend carry rights to all 50 states if you're allowed to carry in your own state. One issue some are having with this bill is the wording in it. Nannie States could repeal their concealed carry laws all together and then you still wouldn't be allowed to carry in those states under the new proposed federal legislation, so I suppose one step at a time though.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

The second question comes.. is it even legal to have a gun in other than the state it was issued?   What about "concealed carry".   Is it considered illegal de Facto?

A couple of fundamentals:

Long guns - with the exception of guns that some states classify as "assault weapons" - are legal to possess in all fifty states.  They're even legal for you to take to Canada, provided you fill out the proper paperwork at the border.  Lots of American Sportsmen go hunting in Canada.  Mexico would be a different story.

Under Federal law, it is legal to transport firearms across state lines provided that the firearm is legal where the journey starts and legal where the journey ends, and the gun is locked up in your vehicle, unloaded, and inaccessible during traffic stops.

Handguns can only be purchased in your state of residence. 

Currently, the following states permit concealed carry without any permit being necessary:  AK, AZ, KS, ME, MS, MO, NH, VT, and WV.

Currently, the rest of the country is a horrible hodge podge.  Some states permit concealed carry if you have a concealed carry permit from any other state.  Some states require a permit for concealed carry, but permit open carry without any permit. Some states will issue a non-resident concealed carry permit. (I'm in NY, and I currently have non-res permits from CT, NH, and UT).  Some states will not permit a non-resident to carry within their borders at all.  In a very few states, a non resident can't even posses a handgun - NY is one such state. Some states have really odd laws that can trip you up.  In NJ, hollow point ammo is illegal even if the gun itself is legal.

Your best source of info on all this is the web site Handgun Law:

http://www.handgunlaw.us/

Note that this site has special sections dealing with RV/CAR CARRY and LONG GUNS IN VEHICLES

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

So, the question comes to my mind.   How do I hide such things and have them remain Both accessible and secure?

We've had some discussion of "hidden compartments" before.  In Canada, and Ohio, and possibly other places, they've decided that only a drug dealer would want a hidden compartment, and finding such a compartment in a vehicle, even if it's empty, can result in them confiscating your vehicle.

See:

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Hiding-Places-for-Valuables?highlight=hidden+compartments

 

[Ballenxj]

There's a bill in the house right now to extend carry rights to all 50 states if  you're allowed to carry in your own state.  One issue some are having with this bill is the wording in it.  Nannie States could repeal their concealed carry laws all together and then you still wouldn't be allowed to carry in those states under the new proposed federal legislation, so I suppose one step at a time though.

I have been following this (elsewhere) and the logic is that if you have a drivers license issued by the state you reside in, you can drive in all 50 states. If you have taken the course for CCW that is usually more in depth than getting a D.L. why shouldn't it too be allowed in all 50? I believe that point is valid.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Rv's are full of factory built hidden compartments, they waste space all over.  Tap into one of those.  I personally don't care if hidden compartments are illegal, I'll still have one.  Speeding is illegal and I do it everyday.  They also actively check for speeding cars and i've been pulled over for it twice in my life and let off both times.  What are the odds i'm pulled over, then searched, and then have my vehicle seized because they found my hidden compartment?  I'm confident enough to say there is absolutely 0 chance that will ever happen to me.  

And shame on me if I get searched and they find my hidden compartment.  Means I didn't hide it good enough.

*oops, sorry, meant to post this on the Hiding places thread, not sure how I put it in this thread.  Mods move it over if you can

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

With the cravat that getting free legal advice is worth what you paid for it, I will try to explain what I know:

I do not have a 'hidden' compartment in my camper.  I have a locked compartment that is out of sight and would be difficult for a thief to access in a limited amount of time.  In this I keep my passport, important papers, extra cash, duplicate keys, and my handgun when it is necessary to have it locked up.

There are a number of different small boxes that will lock a gun securely.  Some of them have fingerprint or wrist band access.  Example:   http://www.midwayusa.com/product/30...p-l-personal-electronic-rfid-safe-steel-black

Currently, the legality of gun posession and carrying is different in each state and MUST be researched for each state you travel through and stay in (the law can be different for each).  A good place to start:  http://handgunlaw.us
Long guns are treated differently and again, you need to do due diligence to know that you are legal!

Concealed carry is a permit that is issued by your state of residence after you have gone through some training to show proficiency.  Every state sets their own requirements.

Resiprocity is other states that recognize your states permit; it is then legal to carry concealed in those states.  In addition, some states will issue permits to permit holders from other states that have gone through training to meet the requirements (except for residency) of those states.  I have a Minnesota and a Utah permit.  This enables me to carry in all the western states that I travel in.  I try to avoid states that I am not legal to carry in.

In the current state of affairs one must know what the law is in the place you are at.  Again, I cannot stress it to highly:  Know the law!  It can be very costly to be ignorant.

As to mace, stun guns, bear spray, et.al. I know little.  Bear spray says right on my canister "not to be used on humans", although that would not stop me if that is all I have to protect myself.

 -- Spiff

 

[John61CT]

What are the odds i'm pulled over, then searched, and then have my vehicle seized because they found my hidden compartment?  I'm confident enough to say there is absolutely 0 chance that will ever happen to me.

In most of the country there are attributes (which you likely don't have) that would increase those odds, in some places by a **lot**. Some of them aren't even the result of one's choices.

Just sayin'

 

[DuneElliot]

A couple of fundamentals:

Long guns - with the exception of guns that some states classify as "assault weapons" - are legal to possess in all fifty states.  They're even legal for you to take to Canada, provided you fill out the proper paperwork at the border.  Lots of American Sportsmen go hunting in Canada.  Mexico would be a different story.

Under Federal law, it is legal to transport firearms across state lines provided that the firearm is legal where the journey starts and legal where the journey ends, and the gun is locked up in your vehicle, unloaded, and inaccessible during traffic stops.

Handguns can only be purchased in your state of residence. 

Currently, the following states permit concealed carry without any permit being necessary:  AK, AZ, KS, ME, MS, MO, NH, VT, and WV.

Currently, the rest of the country is a horrible hodge podge.  Some states permit concealed carry if you have a concealed carry permit from any other state.  Some states require a permit for concealed carry, but permit open carry without any permit. Some states will issue a non-resident concealed carry permit. (I'm in NY, and I currently have non-res permits from CT, NH, and UT).  Some states will not permit a non-resident to carry within their borders at all.  In a very few states, a non resident can't even posses a handgun - NY is one such state. Some states have really odd laws that can trip you up.  In NJ, hollow point ammo is illegal even if the gun itself is legal.

Your best source of info on all this is the web site Handgun Law:

http://www.handgunlaw.us/

Note that this site has special sections dealing with RV/CAR CARRY and LONG GUNS IN VEHICLES

A couple of the things I want to clarify here.

WY is also a state that doesn't require a permit.

However, it is my understanding that all the states that are listed that don't require a CCW permit only apply to the residents of that state. If you are a resident of another state you must have a CCW permit issues from that state and it must be reciprocal. This is exactly the reason that I will be getting a WY CCW permit even thought I don't need one here.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

A couple of the things I want to clarify here.

WY is also a state that doesn't require a permit.

However, it is my understanding that all the states that are listed that don't require a CCW permit only apply to the residents of that state. If you are a resident of another state you must have a CCW permit issues from that state and it must be reciprocal. This is exactly the reason that I will be getting a WY CCW permit even thought I don't need one here.

The Handgun Law site disagrees with you. 

Yes, Wyoming residents no longer need a permit to carry concealed.  However, Wyoming law does not extend that right to non-residents.  They need a permit from one of the 35 states that Wyoming recognizes as being a valid permit.

The nine states that they list as having permitless carry - AK, AZ, KS, ME, MS, MO, NH, VT, & WV -  have no such restrictions.  They are described as follows:

"Anyone who can legally possess a firearm may carry it concealed in those states without a permit/license"

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

You're not required to have a permit in Maine, but having a Maine permit extends you a few additional benefits, one being if pulled over by the police and you don't have a permit you're required to tell them you have a firearm on you, if you have the permit you don't need to tell them. And with out the permit you can't carry in the state forests, with the permit you are allowed to.

Not sure how that works for non residents, on whether or not you have to notify them, it gets very confusing from state to state and people get in trouble for technicalities all the time.

A veteran is awaiting sentencing for carrying a magazine that held 21 rounds in NY, where the legal limit is 7. Carries up to a 21 year sentence. In what world is that just? Pedophiles get off easier.

 

[speedhighway46]

I'm not getting into the varied aspects of gun laws; good advice and perspective already covered from folks here who know lots abt it.

However, "hidden compartments" causes me to comment. When I built my Perterbilt Motorhome project I purposely constructed a compartment intended to house my "valuables." It was well hidden and I doubt anyone would have been able to detect it.

However, when attending CRVL college to earn my degree in "Living on the Road, Vandwelling, and all That Good Stuff" I learned an important fact. There is something much better and much more effective for your valuable than a hidden compartment.

It is a heavily constructed, fireproof, locked strongbox through-bolted to the metal floor pan, or better yet to the vehicle frame.

Put anything in it you want except illegal drugs, so a drug sniffing dog will never alert on it. Because the box is secured and locked, a warrant will be required for LEOs to gain access, as they will have NO PROBABLE CAUSE. The box can be mounted anywhere you like; out of sight if possible but it certainly does not have to be "hidden."

I got mine at Staples; they have several sizes.

Just my opinion . . .

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

My feelings exactly.  If the cops want to look inside my safe, they're going to have to break into it.  If they want to arrest me for refusing to open it without a warrant, so be it.  That's what good lawyers are for.  (I still have no idea what bad lawyers are for.  Shark bait?)

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Nannie States could repeal their concealed carry laws all together and then you still wouldn't be allowed to carry in those states under the new proposed federal legislation.

Maybe, but I have my doubts.  A couple of decades ago, New York magazine got their hands on the list of people in NYC who had carry permits.  It read like a list of the rich and politically powerful, including the publisher of the New York Times and Donald Trump.

 

[TrainChaser]

SS:  "Bear spray says right on my canister 'not to be used on humans', although that would not stop me if that is all I have to protect myself."

That doesn't make any sense at all -- it's probably one of those stupid disclaimers to prevent the mfgr from being sued.  Bear and dog spray is not allowed to be stronger than 2% -- both have very sensitive noses, so it doesn't take more, plus it's also designed to be a training tool, as well as a deterrent.  Human-deterrent pepper spray usually seems to start at a strength of 10%.  The only other difference between them is that the bear spray shoots farther, about 15 feet; for humans the spray mist type goes 6-12 feet, the stream goes 8-12 feet, and the gel goes 10-14 feet.

Stick to straight pepper spay -- it's legal in all 50 states, with some restrictions as to strength and amount allowed in the dispenser in certain areas.  Those mixed with mace (tear gas) seem to be more restrictive.  As advised for guns, know what's allowed (and not) where you're going to be.  For instance, you can't carry a vial of pepper spray in CA that contains more than 2.5 oz.  However, they don't say if you can carry FIVE of them, each containing less than 2.5 oz.

Here's a website that seems to try to keep up with the legalities, by state:  https://www.pepper-spray-store.com/pages/states

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I've always wondered what would happen if you shot a would be assailant (and for the sake of this argument, no one is questioning that the assailant meant you harm) with a gun you had in that state illegally but legally owned in your home state. Would it be likely that you'd answer for the illegal gun charge or would the police and/or D.A. let it go under the circumstances?

 

[hepcat]

I've always wondered what would happen if you shot a would be assailant (and for the sake of this argument, no one is questioning that the assailant meant you harm) with a gun you had in that state illegally but legally owned in your home state.  Would it be likely that you'd answer for the illegal gun charge or would the police and/or D.A. let it go under the circumstances?

If you asked each of the 99 County Attorneys in Iowa that question you'd get 99 different answers.  I'm sure it'd be even more disparate in other states.