Traveling with a suppressed pistol

The OP has been given good advice and I will agree with what has been posted by the LEO's here. The terms "hitman's tools" can most definitely apply if you are stopped by law enforcement. Most people don't travel out-of-state with a suppressor in their vehicle. Case in point many years ago I stopped a guy driving a rental car and he didn't look like a bad egg, save for the fact he had a pistol next to his leg that I caught sight of. At that time it was illegal to carry a firearm outside of a locked box or zippered case in a motor vehicle and the firearm could not be loaded. His was loaded.

Long story short after my backup arrived the driver was removed from the vehicle and taken into custody. A search incident to arrest was done on the vehicle and a suppressor for the handgun was found in the trunk along with an AK with a lot of ammunition for both. A leather vest was also in the trunk which showed the driver belonged to a 1% motorcycle club out of California. As best as we could figure, although it was never proven, the driver was here to do injury to an opposing outlaw motorcycle club member. The driver was incarcerated for several days while we tried to figure out what he was really up to and mysteriously he received assistance from a very well know criminal defense lawyer. A deal was finally struck with the local DA's office and the driver was fined for the having the loaded pistol in his car along with the suppressor which he had no documentation for. Both items were seized and destroyed. Neither item were reported stolen and neither was the AK he had which was returned to him. The short time he spent in jail was his time served.

So in this case we believed he really had the tools for doing harm to someone and fully intended to do so. The only thing he really cared about getting back were his "colors". Fast forward to today. There are so many varying laws, rules and regulations on the books that it is quite difficult for any police officer to be "up" on everything. Some things seem to change almost weekly dealing with firearms and such, so when someone claims cops are uneducated I take exception to that. I am sure I could make that person look uneducated quite easily if I hammered him or her with some questions on firearm laws or regulations. I own two suppressors and I would never travel with them out of state and I am a retired LEO. It's tough enough to stay current on laws and regulations in my own state let alone others, especially a state like Illinois which is just south of ours. Even though I am a retired LEO of over 30 years I purposely avoid going through a state like Illinois to eliminate any problems and I started my civilian law enforcement career in Illinois. So take all this for what it is worth.

Rick H.

Rodan said:

That is pretty much the definition of living in fear.

Know the law, be prepared to state your case. Understand that you may suffer in the short term at the ignorance of others. In places that hate liberty, and disrespect the law, keep a low profile.

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It's best not to take advice from a hard-headed and nonsensical person who uses poor judgement . Just because something is your "right" doesn't mean it's always in your best interest to display that right. Instead, make good sound decisions. That's also your right.

Rodan said:

That is pretty much the definition of living in fear.

Know the law, be prepared to state your case. Understand that you may suffer in the short term at the ignorance of others. In places that hate liberty, and disrespect the law, keep a low profile.

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It is not necessarily "places that hate liberty, and disrespect the law" that are the problem. More likely a lack of knowledge of the applicable laws. For those outside our "hobby" the various laws are confusing. I took a shotgun to the post office to ship to an FFL in another state and the clerk assured me that I couldn't do it, "not legal, have to be an FFL to ship." I insisted otherwise and he made some calls and eventually accepted the package, but it cost me an hour to get it done. I wouldn't want to be stopped on some highway with a well meaning but equally confused police officer who can't immediately confirm what is legal. Best to just avoid the problem.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I take a slightly different approach when I travel: my travel guns are nondescript, plain jane, common models that wouldn't break my heart if they were stolen.

My personal experience is that the odds are much more in favor of some tweaker breaking the window of my truck while I'm in a rest stop bathroom than they are of me having to explain to a nervous state trooper why I'm traveling with a firearm.

Here in Arizona my interactions with law enforcement have always been positive, and on more than one occasion the office has commented that my rig was better than what he had to carry.

I'm not sure about all states, but in IL the firearm must be unloaded, cased, and not accessible by the driver of the vehicle. Now, in IL it has been determined that a console in the vehicle is considered a case.

Of course if this is an" AR configuration" with a pistol grip, it is illegal in IL.

"......unloaded, cased, and not accessible by the driver...."

We have checkpoints at the Arizona border that examine incoming traffic. If there is not a loaded firearm within reach of every passenger that is old enough to vote, appropriate firearms and ammunition are provided immediately. There are drop boxes to return them on the outgoing side of the highway as you leave the state.

Getting back to the OP: the most important and valuable weapon you have is the one between your ears. Use that one first. The second best weapon you have is the vehicle you're sitting in.

IMHO, the suppressed AR in the back seat needs a companion piece that stays on your person. If options 1 and 2 above don't get you out of trouble, consider that you may not be able to reach the case in the back seat. If you need a firearm, chances are good that you will need it right now. I like the idea of the suppressed AR as something to put next to the bed in a hotel, but not while you're actually travelling.

Keeping one on your person while traveling opens up a whole new set of laws to be aware of, but if you've already researched how to travel with a suppressor it shouldn't be too hard to figure out where (and how) you can carry.......or which states to just stay out of.

Hawg Rider said:

I recently completed building a .300 BLK AR pistol (8" bbl.), with the intent of using it for home defense and to toss into the SUV for travel. I did a little research online and confirmed that registered/approved suppressors are legal in 42 of the 50 states (assuming we don't make Canada our 51st state!), and that no ATF notification of travel is required whether driving or flying. It was suggested to travel with a copy of the ATF approval form just in case some well meaning LEO decides to do a search. Also, since a suppressor is considered a "firearm", it should be properly secured during travel. However, I want to have quick access to my pistol should the need arise (God forbid!), so it will be zipper cased and sitting in the back seat of the SUV. I try to never leave a firearm unattended in my vehicle, so I may add a lockable box with cable lock to my packing list.

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With the way hotels are built today, I must admit that I hope I’m not in the hotel room next to yours if the SHTF with you shooting your .300 BLK AR pistol (8" bbl.) plus can.
Larry

With a seemingly prevalent attitude in some states of, just arrest them they can hire a lawyer to get justice, careful consideration is a good thing.

While i have utmost respect for those who enforce the law, would not expect the average patrol officer to be up to date on the latest court cases.

Nothing to do with suppressors but here in NC have been stopped numerous times at license checks and HP looking for bad stuff and once you inform the officers you have a handgun on your person and a permit to carry concealed they most time ask you if it's loaded and if you answers yes they say good....if you answer no they usually say it should be.

22hipower said:

I wouldn't want to be stopped on some highway with a well meaning but equally confused police officer who can't immediately confirm what is legal. Best to just avoid the problem.

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This also can apply with reciprocity regarding carry permits. Four states come together around here. I have chosen to obtain as many carry permits as reasonably possible for states I traveled in a lot. I figured in the event of being stopped I would be better off having a carry permit from the state I was standing in rather than try to explain reciprocity by the side of the road at night.

Sistema1927 said:

I have a similar setup, only mine is an SBR. That opens up a whole 'nother can 'o worms when it comes to traveling. Thus, mine, suppressor and SBR, remain at home in the safe when I travel.

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It’s too bad it seems to be this way. I have a similar setup on an SBR and if I’m traveling in Wyoming or Montana, which is mostly where I travel, and if I want to carry it (loaded, of course), I carry it. It’s legal and the police are not a problem. Half of them probably have a setup just like it. I know we’re an outlier but it sure is nice not to have to put up with that kind of ridiculous hassle.

I recently bought a suppressor for a Ruger MKIV. In studying the regs for flying with it, it seems no more complicated than flying with an unsuppressed handgun. I'm thinking of taking it with me next time I visit my brother in Virginia.

He used to shoot on his rural property, but as more neighbors have arrived he is reluctant to disturb them. I think a suppressed pistol — they're legal in Virginia, of course — would be just the ticket for him.

The platform mentioned has a lot of practical appeal, but if you end up in a judicial proceeding with the usually uninformed lawyers/judge/jurors, there is a real good chance that the image will be counted against you no matter how stupid the argument is.