Questions regarding driving to the range

akrobatik · Mar 15, 2012

Hi, I have a question regarding transporting firearms in a car to a gun range.

1. Does the Ammo have to be in a separate bag than the firearm, or can they reside in the same case with no magazines inserted?

2. Can bullets be loaded into the magazines, as long as their separate from the gun?

3. Does the firearm case have to be in the trunk, or is the backseat fine?

4. Does the gun have to be locked with a cable or bore lock while driving?

Mason-Dixon Baseball · Mar 15, 2012

The firearm and ammo ( whether loose or preloaded into magazines) must be in separate cases and should be in separate areas of the vehicle-- not readily accessible to either... Firearms should be in cases, but locks are not necessary, but a good idea... Preloaded mags are fine as long as they are not with the gun....

hvymax · Mar 15, 2012

I always make sure there is no visible evidence of guns. I have to put my back seat down and feed the cases from the trunk but I always cover them with something. And God help you in Mo Co something as simple as wearing a range badge will get your vehicle searched and guns confiscated no matter how legally you are transporting them.

mrjam2jab · Mar 15, 2012

Statute says nothing about separation...just unloaded and cased.

4-203 (4) the wearing, carrying, or transporting by a person of a handgun used in connection with an organized military activity, a target shoot, formal or informal target practice, sport shooting event, hunting, a Department of Natural Resources-sponsored firearms and hunter safety class, trapping, or a dog obedience training class or show, while the person is engaged in, on the way to, or returning from that activity if each handgun is unloaded and carried in an enclosed case or an enclosed holster;

Inigoes · Mar 15, 2012

Mason-Dixon Baseball said:
The firearm and ammo ( whether loose or preloaded into magazines) must be in separate cases and should be in separate areas of the vehicle-- not readily accessible to either... Firearms should be in cases, but locks are not necessary, but a good idea... Preloaded mags are fine as long as they are not with the gun....

Only if traveling interstate using the FOPA federal law protections.

MD has no law about ammunition transportation. The only prerequisitite is the firearm be unloaded, if a handgun be in an enclosed case or holster.

mrjam2jab · Mar 15, 2012

Inigoes said:
Only if traveling interstate using the FOPA federal law protections.

MD has no law about ammunition transportation. The only prerequisitite is the firearm be unloaded, if a handgun be in an enclosed case or holster.

FOPA doesn't have any separation issues either.

Inigoes · Mar 15, 2012

mrjam2jab said:
FOPA doesn't have any separation issues either.

You want to check that again :innocent0

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/926A

StantonCree · Mar 15, 2012

hvymax said:
I always make sure there is no visible evidence of guns. I have to put my back seat down and feed the cases from the trunk but I always cover them with something. And God help you in Mo Co something as simple as wearing a range badge will get your vehicle searched and guns confiscated no matter how legally you are transporting them.

speaking from experience or just making stuff up?

Let's not scare people just give them proper directions on how to enjoy guns in the safest legal manner possible. And pls know this isn't an attack on you I generally enjoy reading your posts but it seems we do this a lot. When people ask the simple questions we confuse the poo out of them with.

Hotrod Diesel · Mar 15, 2012

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 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.

I don't see anything about seperation, only that if you do not have a trunk, either the gun or the ammo has to be in a locked container?

for Example; I have a single cab p/u, its raining, so my stuff is in the cab. I put my guns in a locked pelican case inside my range bag, my ammo is in the same range bag. I can see how that is considered seperation, but is not written as "must be in seperate containers."

on a side note, if i have a non locking tonneau on my p/u, can I legally have my guns and ammo in unlocked range bag in bed, its not accessible while driving.

I drive intrastate every trip to the range... (Interstate is considered staying within a single state accoding to DOT regs)

annihilation-time · Mar 15, 2012

akrobatik said:
Hi, I have a question regarding transporting firearms in a car to a gun range.

1. Does the Ammo have to be in a separate bag than the firearm, or can they reside in the same case with no magazines inserted?

2. Can bullets be loaded into the magazines, as long as their separate from the gun?

3. Does the firearm case have to be in the trunk, or is the backseat fine?

4. Does the gun have to be locked with a cable or bore lock while driving?

Same bag is fine, but it's smart not to load the magazines. I put my magazines, ammunition, and firearms in separate compartments of my range bag.

It doesn't matter where your bag is, but it's smart to keep it out of reach. Back seat is fine, but trunk is probably better.

No locks are required while driving.

If you get pulled over and it becomes known to the police that there are weapons in the vehicle, the goal is to make the police feel as safe as possible.

hvymax · Mar 15, 2012

mpdc4511 said:
speaking from experience or just making stuff up?

Let's not scare people just give them proper directions on how to enjoy guns in the safest legal manner possible. And pls know this isn't an attack on you I generally enjoy reading your posts but it seems we do this a lot. When people ask the simple questions we confuse the poo out of them with.

There was a thread over a year ago about a member on the way home from the range getting into a fender bender and when the officer saw he was wearing a range badge she asked to search. Found something perfectly legal that she decided was grounds to charge him and confiscate his guns. If I recall correctly the charges were dropped but I am not sure he ever got his electopenned guns back or how many thousands of dollars it cost him. I know it really is sad when we have to be more afraid of the police than the criminals.

JMangle · Mar 15, 2012

hvymax said:
There was a thread over a year ago about a member on the way home from the range getting into a fender bender and when the officer saw he was wearing a range badge she asked to search. Found something perfectly legal that she decided was grounds to charge him and confiscate his guns. If I recall correctly the charges were dropped but I am not sure he ever got his electopenned guns back or how many thousands of dollars it cost him. I know it really is sad when we have to be more afraid of the police than the criminals.

What the hell happened to my country?

If someone had tried that back in the late 1700s we would have had another war. (See Whiskey rebellion -- we just generally took less crap from the Man back then.)

Sorry for the thread drift, had to let that out.

cmecha · Mar 15, 2012

i keep everything locked in the toolbox in my Pick up

sgt23preston · Mar 15, 2012

Sgt Preston here...

Did you know that MOST large employers have policy's that prohibit having any type of firearm in your car when you are on their property..?

The last place where I worked had a policy where they would fire anyone one the spot if you had a weapon in your car, even if you had a carry permit...

And yes I frequently went shooting after work & did take my guns to work from time to time...

What I have been doing forever to keep myself out of trouble when transporting is to keep my gun in my range bag unloaded...

I also keep my magazines unloaded in a separate compartment of my range bag...

Finally I keep my ammo in their original container in another compartment of my range bag...

I keep my range bag in the trunk of my car, but in plains sight...

I have never been stopped while transporting, BUT decided if I was stopped I would not "VOLUNTEER" information that I had a gun in the trunk...

I would not lie, but I just wouldn't say too much...

If they asked to search the trunk, first I'd ask why?

Then I'd tell them that I was going to or coming from the gun range & had my UNLOADED firearm in the trunk...

What you don't want to do is to carry the range bag in the front seat & have loaded mags in the gun or in the bag...

Hope this is helpful...

Braxtonian · Mar 15, 2012

Can you have ammo in the backseat/passenger compartment provided there are no firearms in the vehicle?

mrjam2jab · Mar 15, 2012

Hotrod Diesel said:
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 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.

I don't see anything about seperation, only that if you do not have a trunk, either the gun or the ammo has to be in a locked container?

This.

Name Taken · Mar 15, 2012

mpdc4511 said:
speaking from experience or just making stuff up?

Nope as usual...he read it on the internet once so it has to be true.

First hand reading experiance.

annihilation-time · Mar 15, 2012

Braxtonian said:
Can you have ammo in the backseat/passenger compartment provided there are no firearms in the vehicle?

Sure.

biermkr · Mar 15, 2012

Name Taken said:
Nope as usual...he read it on the internet once so it has to be true.

First hand reading experiance.

For reference:

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=45620&highlight=range+badge+arrest

Name Taken · Mar 15, 2012

biermkr said:
For reference:

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=45620&highlight=range+badge+arrest

I glanced over the thread.

There's one thread on this entire forum about what happened to one member over a range badge.

And it's spewed as fact that in MOCO if you have a range badge all your guns belong to them.

Meh.

Enjoy.

Questions regarding driving to the range

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