Carrying in your vehicle without a permit...

[coltle6920]

Don't know about other States but Colorado law allows you to carry a loaded handgun in your vehicle for personal defense.

I know if you conceal carry and are pulled over you have to immediately show your permit to the officer along with your DL and insurance.

How would you deal with the situation if you had a loaded handgun but don't conceal carry and where is the gun allowed to be...hidden or in plain sight?

Have watched numerous videos where the officer went batcrazy because the citizen wasn't sure what to do.

Please don't suggest that I have the gun in my hand when the officer approaches my vehicle.

 

[vortex360]

Here in Indiana we do not have to tell the police that we have a firearm on our person or vehicle. It is a class A misdemeanor to be caught with a pistol. There is a $250 Bond and all one has to do is carry a credit card and one can bond out immediately. As long as one doesn't dress like a thug or hang out on street corners at 3 o'clock in the morning there is very little chance of getting caught. Plus it's not a very serious crime to get worked up over should one get nabbed.

 

[Marshal Tom]

Here in Colorado you may carry your firearm loaded in the vehicle, on your person concealed. As soon as you step out of the vehicle it must be partially exposed so that someone can see that it is a firearm or you must have a concealed carry permit. There is no duty to tell an officer that you have a firearm unless asked. i hope this helps.

 

[mcmaniac]

I've read the statutes on the Colorado state website. I also looked on the CHP website, and I've never seen a requirement to declare possession unless asked. I've decided not to declare when pulled over on two occasions, feeling that might complicate things unnecessarily.
I do find that when I am traveling with a weapon I tend to stay below the speed limit to avoid the complication of a ticket and having that question arise.
There are a number of articles out and here is one source, Concealednation.org:
"Colorado – No Known Duty To Inform

A concealed carry pistol or revolver is not considered concealed while you are inside a vehicle. The Colorado State Patrol outlines a good brief of the various classifications and distinctions here. (Link to webpage)

Colorado has their CHP statutes listed here (link)– all linking to LexisNexis databases of the current law for your purview. We haven't found anything specifically requiring concealed carriers (CHP, resident & reciprocity) to inform law enforcement or others as long as he or she is not in violation of any codes or statutes."

 

[OKFC05]

In Oklahoma, loaded or concealed handgun vehicle carry requires a handgun license, and notification of LEO at first contact is required. All states licenses are good.

Open unloaded transport of any firearm is OK without license.

 

[JCFindley]

It varies widely state to state.

The obvious answer is to get a concealed carry permit even if all you are going to do is carry it in your car.

Some states require that you tell the police if stopped. Some do not. If you have the permit and are required to announce then have your DL, CWL, Insurance and registration in your hands and both on the steering wheel with the interior light on if at night when the cop approaches. Hand the officer all four when asked and then put your hands back on the wheel. Let the officer direct what he/she wants you to do from there.

If you don't have the CWL/CCL I probably wouldn't carry in my car but that is just me.

 

[Pisgah]

It varies widely state to state.

There's the answer.

Here in SC, we are required to show our carry permit any time an officer asks for ID, whether we are carrying or not; but, we are allowed to have a handgun in the glove box or a console with a door whether we have a permit or not. If you have a permit, the officer will ask if you are armed and if so where the gun is. If you don't have a permit, the odds are good the subject won't come up, but if it does it will usually be when he asks for registration and insurance info. Many folks carry that paperwork in the glove box along with the gun, and in that case the proper etiquette is to say, "I have those things in the glove box, officer, but I also have a handgun in there." He will then tell you to retrieve the paperwork, but to please leave the gun in place -- and he'll watch you like a hawk as you comply.

 

[Arik]

Different from state to state.

In PA it's a no no. You can legally open carry without a permit but once in your car the gun is considered concealed and you better not get caught with it loaded and without a permit

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[JCFindley]

That is the beauty of the CWL/CCL and reciprocity.

You still have to follow the laws of the state you are traveling through but just having the licence will generally allow you to have a weapon loaded and in your car anywhere you travel assuming you don't go to a state that touches the Pacific Ocean except AK, don't go to a couple or three states in the upper Midwest and avoid the DC to Boston corridor.

Everywhere else is pretty darned good at accepting other states permits.

 

[steamloco76]

Different from state to state.

In PA it's a no no. You can legally open carry without a permit but once in your car the gun is considered concealed and you better not get caught with it loaded and without a permit

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Exactly. Carrying any loaded handgun in a vehicle, even in plain sight, is "Concealed Carry" in PA and requires a valid License to Carry Firearms. Also, no long gun, BB/Pellet gun or paintball gun may EVER be carried loaded in a vehicle, permit or not.

One good thing about PA, you do not have to inform that you are legally carrying a concealed weapon unless directly asked by law enforcement.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I mostly travel with a loaded revolver in the Western Free gun states.
I do not have a concealed permit.
I carry my handgun in a different location than my car paperwork.
So if I am stopped, as I was a while back, retrieving my insurance card and registration does not involve or expose my handgun.

 

[JCFindley]

I mostly travel with a loaded revolver in the Western Free gun states.
I do not have a concealed permit.
I carry my handgun in a different location than my car paperwork.
So if I am stopped, as I was a while back, retrieving my insurance card and registration does not involve or expose my handgun.

Many states no longer require a CCL to carry concealed on one's person and it gets really simple in those states so long as you don't travel outside your knowledge base. When I lived in MS the car was treated as an extension of your home and you could carry concealed or open in the vehicle. (I don't know if that is still the case.) Back in the day before the interwebs those that cared could get the NRA to send you a little brochure on a particular state's gun laws. I used to get one for each state I was going to or might travel through.

I see you have a Weasel patch on your avatar Pilgrem. You a former F-4 guy?

 

[Neumann]

The law varies widely from state to state. Many states which do not require a concealed weapons permit require you to be a resident of that state. The following website is kept up to date, but you are still responsible for knowing and following the law.

Handgunlaw.us

 

[Krell1]

I have friends that recently took a five month cross country vacation. The traveled by RV and kept a loaded 357 in their safe. They reside in Florida and, in the course of their trip, went through most of the NE states including New York where it was probably illegal to do what they did. They also visited California, another problematic state. I questioned whether they should have done this but they were willing to risk it for their safety.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Perfectly legal in Missouri to carry a loaded, concealed handgun in your vehicle without a CCW permit, so long as you are legally able to possess firearms and ammunition. Step out with it under your shirt and you need a CCW permit. It will show up when your driver's license is checked, but you have no duty to notify law enforcement officers that you are carrying.

 

[Rpg]

OP would do well to brush up on Colorado law.

 

[Smoke]

Here in Colorado you may carry your firearm loaded in the vehicle, on your person concealed. As soon as you step out of the vehicle it must be partially exposed so that someone can see that it is a firearmor you must have a concealed carry permit. There is no duty to tell an officer that you have a firearm unless asked. i hope this helps.

Care to cite a relevant statute?

I know if you conceal carry and are pulled over you have to immediately show your permit to the officer along with your DL and insurance.

There is no such requirement in the state of Colorado

 

[Smoke]

C.R.S. 18-12-204



COLORADO REVISED STATUTES


* This document reflects changes current through all laws passed at the
Second Regular Session of the Sixty-Ninth General Assembly
of the State of Colorado (2014)
and changes approved by the electorate at the November 2014 election *


TITLE 18. CRIMINAL CODE
ARTICLE 12. OFFENSES RELATING TO FIREARMS AND WEAPONS
PART 2. PERMITS TO CARRY CONCEALED HANDGUNS


C.R.S. 18-12-204 (2014)

18-12-204. Permit contents - validity - carrying requirements



(1) (a) Each permit shall bear a color photograph of the permittee and shall display the signature of the sheriff who issues the permit. In addition, the sheriffs of this state shall ensure that all permits issued pursuant to this part 2 contain the same items of information and are the same size and the same color.

(b) A permit is valid for a period of five years after the date of issuance and may be renewed as provided in section 18-12-211. A permit issued pursuant to this part 2, including a temporary emergency permit issued pursuant to section 18-12-209, is effective in all areas of the state, except as otherwise provided in section 18-12-214.

(2) (a) A permittee, in compliance with the terms of a permit, may carry a concealed handgun as allowed by state law. The permittee shall carry the permit, together with valid photo identification, at all times during which the permittee is in actual possession of a concealed handgun and shall produce both documents upon demand by a law enforcement officer. Failure to produce a permit upon demand by a law enforcement officer raises a rebuttable presumption that the person does not have a permit. Failure to carry and produce a permit and valid photo identification upon demand as required in this subsection (2) is a class 1 petty offense. A charge of failure to carry and produce a permit and valid photo identification upon demand pursuant to this subsection (2) shall be dismissed by the court if, at or before the permittee's scheduled court appearance, the permittee exhibits to the court a valid permit and valid photo identification, both of which were issued to the permittee prior to the date on which the permittee was charged with failure to carry and produce a permit and valid photo identification upon demand.

(b) The provisions of paragraph (a) of this subsection (2) apply to temporary emergency permits issued pursuant to section 18-12-209.

(3) (a) A person who may lawfully possess a handgun may carry a handgun under the following circumstances without obtaining a permit and the handgun shall not be considered concealed:

(I) The handgun is in the possession of a person who is in a private automobile or in some other private means of conveyance and who carries the handgun for a legal use, including self-defense; or

(II) The handgun is in the possession of a person who is legally engaged in hunting activities within the state.

(b) The provisions of this subsection (3) shall not be construed to authorize the carrying of a handgun in violation of the provisions of section 18-12-105 or 18-12-105.5.

HISTORY: Source: L. 2003: Entire part added, p. 639, § 1, effective May 17.

http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/...R.S.+18-12-204

 

[Kid44]

I know this post pertains to Colorado, but I live in Kansas where I can carry open, or concealed without a permit (thank you gov. Brownback). I have no CCW permit yet so once I cross the state line this rule no longer applies. Looking at getting a permit this fall, but until then............

 

[Wyo]

In Wyoming, you can carry any firearm you want, loaded or unloaded, handgun or long arm, concealed or unconcealed, in your vehicle any time you want to. You do not have to have a carry permit to do any of this. You are not required to disclose the gun's presence to a police officer if stopped. We find life is just a lot simpler that way.