Shotgun in a Van?

[USACelt]

In a Van or RV I would go with Taurus Judge, Good for SD with the proper cartridge.
You can wield it as needed in a confided space. Not so much with a shotty.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I have loaded a Winchester 30/30 strapped to my doghouse, carry a  mounted Ak47 that swivels in my table mount,  a pop up grenade launcher on the roof, unloaded of course, during the day but just before I go to bed I load them along with  glock 9 under my pillow, a magnum 57 strapped to my waste and can of bear spray in my pijamas pocket, all on code 7. The van is alarmed and I welded a 1/2" steel plates around my bed that are both bullet proof and add insulation, and keep the morning sun out.  There are peep holes in the steel and four stealth cameras around the vehicle to see outside connected to four very bright spot lights along with sirens that I can operate from my control panel adjacent to my bed. I can see all the cameras on my monitors, from my bed. I usually don; t sleep much, I take cat naps and check all my cameras every five minutes from midnight to 6 am, the hours where most chrime happens. This works for me, no shotgun too many hunting laws around those.

Add razor wire around your campsite, anti-personal mines strategically placed on infiltration routes, gatling gun aimed at the door, surface to air missile launcher on the roof; all controlled from your iPhone.  Then you could get some sleep.

Me?  I just use my flux capacitor to go back to last night.  I know that was/is safe.

 -- Spiff

 

[buckwilk]

No silly thread jack here

 

[Canine]

A fender bender in New Orleans.Two hotheads.Two guns.What could possibly go wrong?

 

[johnny b]

I've read nothing that  said the football player, Will Smith had a gun. He was slumped over the steering wheel and there was a bullet hole in the windshield.
The shooter, Cardell Hayes, lost his father in a police shooting in 2005. One of the cops involved was a friend of the deceased, Smith.

Just prior to Hayes rear ending Smith's vehicle, Smith was at dinner with that cop.

The shooter had a previous record of illegal gun possession along with drug charges in 2014.

So we got one guy with a gun and a grudge committing murder....it was originally thought to be a road rage thing, but apparently not.

 

[johnny b]

More mystery in this case. Yes, there was a gun in Smith's car, loaded but unfired. Also two other people in his car, and video of Smith bumping the back of Hayes Hummer prior to the altercation.

The actual facts are gonna be tough on this one. Need wife and passengers' accounts.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...tal-shooting-of-former-nfl-player-will-smith/

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I wish they'd just pass a reciprocity law so a valid LIC in one state was good in every state, same as a driver's license.

 

[highdesertranger]

Utah CC permit is good in 37 states. all but the bluest. highdesertranger

 

[USExplorer]

I keep a (legally) shortened break-open shotgun in my SUV behind the driver's seat, chamber empty but five rounds on the buttstock. Inexpensive, versatile, and legal in most states. NOT LEGAL in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut.

It is illegal to keep a loaded long gun in a vehicle in most states. In some states it is only the chamber that must be empty, others it is the magazine as well, and in the strictest states simply having ammunition in proximity to the gun is enough to be in violation.

The circumstances are very limited where discharging a shotgun (or any firearm) for self-defense inside a vehicle would be a wise choice. For most people the recoil of a 12 gauge shotgun fired in an awkward position would be difficult to handle. Also difficult to handle would be the loud report in an extremely confined space and the legal consequences if the intruder is killed outside the van. Unless you are on your own property, someone poking around your van does not give you any justification for threatening lethal force. Even being woken up by a smashed window does not automatically justify the use of lethal force, especially given that most window smashers are stupid teenagers. "Transient homeless man kills unarmed local teenager after van was vandalized," the headline will read.

This does not mean that you should not keep a shotgun in your van. A used single-shot break-open shotgun costs less than 100$, is virtually maintenance-free, is lightweight, can break down to fit inside a backpack, can be used to hunt quail or bears or clay pigeons, can be cut down to a desired length (at least 26 inches of course), and is not scary-looking to gun haters. Disadvantages include weight of ammo, limited range, slow rate of fire, high recoil, and difficulty of concealment. Used or discount pump shotguns cost around 200$ and have a higher rate of fire but are longer and heavier than break-open scatterguns and cannot fit inside a backpack.

 

[johnny b]

When you say 'cut down' I'm assuming you are keeping the barrel at least 18" and I'd recommend at least 1/8 to 1/2 inch extra to be 'safe'.
(Unless you're talking NFA...but that would be a different thread)

A 20 gauge would be an 'easier' self defense load, but then you'd need a separate weapon fer bears (20 gauge would probably just piss off a big ol bear).

Just adds into the overall 'downsizing' equation.
:-/

 

[LeeRevell]

US Explorer, I understand your post was meant to help and I applaud your effort. Unfortunately it is a perfect example of why serious subjects should be left to experts. Many states, California is one, will arrest you if the weapon and ammo are not separated and locked up. Those of you considering a firearm, get professional advice and training.

"Inexpensive, versatile, and legal in most states. NOT LEGAL in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut."

He did say 'most', not ALL.  His list was not meant to be comprehensive.  Obviously, we must check our state and local laws.   Nothing wrong with his advice.

 

[USExplorer]

https://oag.ca.gov/firearms/travel Non-concealable firearms are not required to be secured when transported in California. They must be unloaded, though. The law is vague about the definition of a loaded gun, and its vagueness was challenged in court.

http://www.hoffmang.com/firearms/People-v-Clark-(1996).pdf Here, some meth-head's lawyer argued that said meth-head's possession of a single-shot shotgun with three rounds in the buttstock did not constitute a loaded gun. The court agreed and threw out the loaded gun charge. So based on precedent, having a shotgun with rounds attached externally to the gun is LEGAL in California where having a loaded gun is prohibited (e.g. in an automobile).

I understand that many gun owners like to criticize California's restrictive gun laws, with good reason. But California gun law is much less strict than many Northeastern states.

 

[buckwilk]

Abundans cautela non nocet. Abundant caution does no harm.

 

[minimotos95]

I wouldn't mind a full stock 18-22" 12ga pump, Winchester or Mossberg/maverick now that I am living in a truck camper, I just put my .22 rifle back together because I got a deal on ammo and if I had to the TC has enough room to maneuver and fire the 20" rifle. In my van, no way would I even think about trying, not even with a folding stock.

Like was said earlier most states have laws against loaded long guns in vehicles. What constitutes loaded varies. .
Even with the space of a TC I personally will be reaching for the fully loaded double/single action 45 on my belt when it's a real life or death self defense situation not a long gun that doesn't have a round chambered. If there's a 4 legged predator closing in I'll grab a long gun or if it's some end of the world, ninja zombie mutant outbreak, without rule of law type crap.
I could see using a long gun in a class C or bigger as your main form of lethal force but when dealing with tight quarters of a van or class B? Even with a pistol grip or folding stock you have 26"+ of gun to maneuver.


The 45/410 revolvers I've shot and I still don't understand the appeal. 410 is good for snakes but a modern defensive 45LC is more accurate and has much more devastating terminal ballistics. The s&w governor can fire 45acp too which is low recoil like 410 but still more effective on man sized targets. The whole I "don't have to aim because it's a shotgun" is a load of BS at defensive ranges the spread beyond the bore diameter is minimal.

 

[Cheli]

I recently took a firearms safety course and need to send my application in for my LTC. Unfortunately I live in Massachusetts and they make you jump through hoops for six months to maybe get approved. In Mass if you ever got caught with a loaded gun in your vehicle there would be big problems, gun and ammo must be locked up separately.

Anyway, I plan on keeping a handgun in my van for personal protection but also a shotgun for protection or what not of bears or coyotes.

I'll definitely need to learn and know the laws for whatever states I travel through.

 

[cognitive dissonance]

Cheli -

Here's some help: http://www.gunsandammo.com/network-topics/culture-politics-network/best-states-for-gun-owners-2015/

Here's a reference with interactive maps, including reciprocity laws: http://www.gunlawsbystate.com/#!/home/terms-of-access-and-use/

Some states issue non-resident permits, which are honored in multiple states under reciprocity. I wouldn't even bother with MA, instead I'd get a non-resident permit from a state like Idaho or Florida. I'm not up to speed on which state's non-resident permit is honored most widely, but I suspect it's Florida.

 

[johnny b]

Get the non resident from Utah. (Florida and Virginia also good)
Talk to your local NRA or gun dealer to find an instructor near you to get the initial permit.
Renewals can be done online.
Good for 34 states, i think.

Get this book every year....money well spent....state laws change constantly:
http://gunlawbook.com/product/gun-laws-by-state-2016-edition/

Read this for a good overview:
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20140630/guide-to-the-interstate-transportation

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Some states issue non-resident permits, which are honored in multiple states under reciprocity. I wouldn't even bother with MA, instead I'd get a non-resident permit from a state like Idaho or Florida. I'm not up to speed on which state's non-resident permit is honored most widely, but I suspect it's Florida.

Uhm, I have non-resident permits from NH, CT, PA, and UT.  In all four cases, I was required to PROVE I had a permit from my home state, NY, as a condition for getting a non-resident permit.

That certainly suggests that she does, indeed have to bother with the MA permit, if she intends to maintain her residence there.

Maybe there's a state that doesn't require that, but offhand, I don't know who it might be.

 

[highdesertranger]

hum, here in kalifornia you can get a Utah permit without a CA permit. highdesertranger

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

hum,  here in kalifornia you can get a Utah permit without a CA permit.  highdesertranger

Interesting.  Does CA issue any permits at all?  I'm just wondering if some states make an exception for people from states that don't issue permits?  I really don't know how that works.