Can you have a loaded rifle in your trunk

arbud · Jul 20, 2016

I do not have any cc license or anything special.
May I ride around with a loaded (not in chamber) rifle in my trunk for protection? I travel to a lot of MD counties. Thanks. By the way it is mainly for someone confronting me with a firearm during a road rage situation. I see it all day long as I am sure a lot of you do.

K31 · Jul 20, 2016

arbud said:
I do not have any cc license or anything special.
May I ride around with a loaded (not in chamber) rifle in my trunk for protection? I travel to a lot of MD counties. Thanks. By the way it is mainly for someone confronting me with a firearm during a road rage situation. I see it all day long as I am sure a lot of you do.

I'm curious about what kind of road rage situation you anticipate yourself getting into where you (all 3):

1) Are in reasonable fear for your life
2) Can't escape by driving around/away
3) Have time to go to your trunk get your rifle and load it

I'm not saying there isn't a situation it wouldn't be warranted like when the terrorist shot up a bunch of people waiting at a stoplight at the entrance to the CIA years ago.

LCPIWB · Jul 20, 2016

Look it up the MD satutues. (Most Firearm related statutes are on Public Safety 4-XXX off the top of my head)
Can not be loaded.

dontpanic · Jul 20, 2016

It's a DNR regulation banning loaded firearms in vehicles. I don't have the statute but it has been posted on the forum before.

arbud · Jul 20, 2016

I had a situation happen to me yesterday. If I had pulled up next to the person there would have been some words traded. I would never be looking for a physical altercation but if threatened I would defend myself. If some **** got out with a tire iron or bat I am not going to fence with him.
I am not a hot headed mad at the world type but like I said I travel a lot during the course of a day and see a lot. Some happens to me also.
So I can have a rifle in the trunk with a magazine next to it but no ammo in rifle. Good enough.

Alphabrew · Jul 20, 2016

I was told during the Utah CC class that Maryland law says the mag must be in a "separate compartment". If you keep the rifle in a case and the case has a mag pouch, that is a separate compartment that you can legally store the mag.

ETA: I have a Toyota Tacoma so no trunk but I have been thinking about keeping a pistol grip shotgun in it. Since we seem to be in the summer of love with all the BLM nonsense and cop killings.

eruby · Jul 20, 2016

If you could cross a trunk monkey with a roof Korean you would be all set. :thumbsup:

lazarus · Jul 20, 2016

Must be seperate. No ammo in the gun and it reads that any ammo or loaded magazines should probably be in a seperate pocket, bag or box.

DanJo · Jul 20, 2016

Transport of long guns is fine as long as they are unloaded which means no rounds or loaded magazine in the long gun. A loaded magazine separate from the long gun is fine as supported by an AG letter referenced on this forum previously.

axshon · Jul 20, 2016

INAL, just read the news a lot. Understand that it's MD and if you pull it out in a road rage incident you're probably going to jail for a little while until things are sorted out. If it makes the news and LE comes to your house and you have an arsenal of 1 or 2 other guns and a huge cache of 50 or more rounds you'll be in the national news as a gun toting tea party terrorist. Just sayin...

That said, its the age of terrorism and someone causing an accident and executing stopped motorists is not outside the realm of possibility. In that case you might indeed have 2 minutes to extract, load and defend. If its not illegal and you're not parking in an area where you might have it stolen while you are at a work site, no big deal to keep it somewhat handy.

ken792 · Jul 20, 2016

Alphabrew said:
ETA: I have a Toyota Tacoma so no trunk but I have been thinking about keeping a pistol grip shotgun in it. Since we seem to be in the summer of love with all the BLM nonsense and cop killings.

What Tacoma do you have? You can fit certain long guns in the back seat compartments of the Gen 2 and 3 double cab and access cab models.

Alphabrew · Jul 20, 2016

ken792 said:
What Tacoma do you have? You can fit certain long guns in the back seat compartments of the Gen 2 and 3 double cab and access cab models.

I have a 2010 (gen 2?) access cab but I don't feel comfortable keeping an AR15 in there, regardless of what the law says. Any crackhead can easily break the window and get in there and get it.

TheBert · Jul 20, 2016

arbud said:
I had a situation happen to me yesterday. If I had pulled up next to the person there would have been some words traded. I would never be looking for a physical altercation but if threatened I would defend myself. If some **** got out with a tire iron or bat I am not going to fence with him.
I am not a hot headed mad at the world type but like I said I travel a lot during the course of a day and see a lot. Some happens to me also.
So I can have a rifle in the trunk with a magazine next to it but no ammo in rifle. Good enough.

The solution to road rage is, let it go. Don't get upset about some a--hole cutting you off or doing something else stupid. Just let it go. Do you really need to say something to the guy in the other car or can you just vocalize it while the guy goes driving off into the sunset? Do you really need to escalate the situation to verbal altercations, physical altercations or to a shooting match?

Dave Greenberg · Jul 20, 2016

TheBert said:
The solution to road rage is, let it go. Don't get upset about some a--hole cutting you off or doing something else stupid. Just let it go. Do you really need to say something to the guy in the other car or can you just vocalize it while the guy goes driving off into the sunset? Do you really need to escalate the situation to verbal altercations, physical altercations or to a shooting match?

^^^^^^This

If you are armed it is your responsibility to keep a cool head. You don't get road rage. Plus a bat or Tire iron lose to a 3,500 pound vehicle every time.

Alphabrew · Jul 20, 2016

TheBert said:
The solution to road rage is, let it go. Don't get upset about some a--hole cutting you off or doing something else stupid. Just let it go. Do you really need to say something to the guy in the other car or can you just vocalize it while the guy goes driving off into the sunset? Do you really need to escalate the situation to verbal altercations, physical altercations or to a shooting match?

Also, I could easily see one losing their right to keep and bear arms under the right circumstances.

danb · Jul 20, 2016

Dave Greenberg said:
^^^^^^This

If you are armed it is your responsibility to keep a cool head. You don't get road rage. Plus a bat or Tire iron lose to a 3,500 pound vehicle every time.

This, plus in MD you have a duty to retreat. Except for protests gone awry and terrorism, it's difficult to see a situation where you are in a truck and cannot escape. Protests gone awry and terrorism are of course valid concerns.

A1Uni · Jul 20, 2016

arbud said:
I had a situation happen to me yesterday. If I had pulled up next to the person there would have been some words traded. I would never be looking for a physical altercation but if threatened I would defend myself. If some **** got out with a tire iron or bat I am not going to fence with him.
I am not a hot headed mad at the world type but like I said I travel a lot during the course of a day and see a lot. Some happens to me also.
So I can have a rifle in the trunk with a magazine next to it but no ammo in rifle. Good enough.

As has been noted above...

In that case, if you shot a guy who got out of a car with a tire iron or bat, or possibly even just pointed a gun at him, when you could have likely just driven off, the State of Maryland would certainly file charges against you and likely incarcerate you.

I'm not saying that is the right thing to do; I'm just saying that is what would happen.

No, you cannot drive with a loaded gun in your vehicle.

Tactics · Jul 20, 2016

eruby said:
If you could cross a trunk monkey with a roof Korean you would be all set.

I think this gets my vote for post of 2016.

lazarus · Jul 20, 2016

Kind of have to agree with others. Yes I've seen road rage. Yes I've gotten hit under the collar. I've never instigated road rage and the only time I "responded" to it was about 12 years ago when someone in rural PA tried to drive me off I-81. Old pick-up around mechanicsville that merged, accelerated in front of me and then slowed way down. I passed them, they accelerated, got in front of me and then slammed on their brakes hard. We were the only two vehicles on the road. As I tried to pass them the next time they swerved in to my lane so I stood on the gas, swerved opposite on to the shoulder as I saw it coming and booked it for about 10 miles going about 100mph before slowing back down.

Can't think of another time that was really escalating either through something I was doing or with me doing nothing.

In probably 99% of cases if they are getting out at you angry and threatening, you can drive off and should (possibly while also calling the police). They get out with a gun, you'll have no time to get in to your trunk, load and fire on them.

I don't think you want to run the risk of keeping a loaded firearm in the car as that'll likely get you a nice prison sentence if you are ever pulled over and your vehicle searched.

Also per MD law, the firearm is supposed to be in the trunk or a locked compartment if that is possible. Obviously a rifle and a pick-up truck it might not be, but you could get gives for having a rifle in the back seat in a car with a trunk. Probably would just get a warning for something like that, so long as it was unloaded, but not a risk I want to take.

iH8DemLibz · Jul 20, 2016

Haven't read the entire thread.

A guy with a tire iron is going to cave your skull in WAY before you have the opportunity to find the firearm, uncase the firearm, open the ammo container, load the firearm, then aim and shoot the firearm.

Also. It takes two to engage in road rage.

Best to just avoid.

Can you have a loaded rifle in your trunk

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