what does "loaded" mean in your state?

[eztarget]

i know it isn't 15-22 talk but i would be interested to know. i find it interesting every state has a different definition. i could not find Texas' law defining loaded. not sure if it is distinguished at least in the CHL laws. any other Texans know?

 

[eztarget]

i think this may be the definition for Texas

"Readily dis-chargeable firearm" means a firearm that is
loaded with ammunition, whether or not a round is in the chamber.

 

[Brett248Vista]

it's so vague... Like when I take my pistol to the range, should the magazines physically be empty? I usually leave the mags loaded in an ammo can in the trunk and the pistol or rifles in a separate case in the back seat.

 

[ladder13]

.08 on a sobriety test.

 

[eztarget]

.08 on a sobriety test.

lol, that didn't take long. i like it

 

[JSR III]

Ladder13 beat me to it as I thought the same wiseass answer when I saw the title.

"Loaded" would mean ammunition in the gun. Doesn't matter if your 6 shot revolver only has 5 rounds in it and you have the hammer on the empty chamber. Or if your semi has a loaded mag in but not one in the throat.

If the firearm can easily be cycled and fire a round, then the gun is "loaded". Unloaded would be an empty cylinder or the mag and throat empty of any cartridges or the mag completly removed and nothing in the throat. Once you put ammunition in any manner or count in the gun, it's loaded.

 

[DeadAye]

I got a ticket and my 10-22 confiscated by a game warden years ago here in TN. The rifle was behind the seat and the magazine was in the glove box in my pick-up. At the court house the gw showed me the TN statute - Gun + Ammo In Same Compartment = Loaded Gun.
$1 + Costs = $126
Got the 10-22 back - No hassle at all.

The entire episode never showed up on an FBI Criminal Background Check... Somehow I think the entire thing was so that someone could get $126.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I got a ticket and my 10-22 confiscated by a game warden years ago here in TN. The rifle was behind the seat and the magazine was in the glove box in my pick-up. At the court house the gw showed me the TN statute - Gun + Ammo In Same Compartment = Loaded Gun.
$1 + Costs = $126
Got the 10-22 back - No hassle at all.

The entire episode never showed up on an FBI Criminal Background Check... Somehow I think the entire thing was so that someone could get $126.

That was an issue many Tennessee Handgun Carry Permit holders didn't understand. The permit allowed loaded handguns in the vehicle but it was unlawful to have a loaded rifle. The law was recently changed to include loaded rifles for permit holders. So.... in Tenn a Handgun Carry Permit covers more than just handguns.... it covers the M&P 15-22 too.

 

[BELT_FED]

In tn the ammo can't be ready accessible to the gun... if you paid that in court you had 1 sorry lawyer.. but water under the bridge now and laws may have been different then... get a hand gun permit in tn and you can carry your rifle or shot gun loaded as long as there isn't 1 in the barrel

 

[chuck s]

Loaded (referring to transport in a vehicle) according to the Ohio Revised Code means a round in the chamber; or a loaded magazine or speed loader in the weapon or anywhere in the vehicle. Clips or loose ammunition don't count, so your M1 Rifle (or SKS) and a dozen clips is OK as long as they're not in the rifle. Your M&P15-22 with a full magazine is not.

Technically carrying your firearm to the range, locked in a case, with loaded magazines anywhere is illegal. This definition is only a year old and there's not yet any case law.

 

[DasFriek]

Loaded (referring to transport in a vehicle) according to the Ohio Revised Code means a round in the chamber; or a loaded magazine or speed loader in the weapon or anywhere in the vehicle. Clips or loose ammunition don't count, so your M1 Rifle (or SKS) and a dozen clips is OK as long as they're not in the rifle. Your M&P15-22 with a full magazine is not.

Technically carrying your firearm to the range, locked in a case, with loaded magazines anywhere is illegal. This definition is only a year old and there's not yet any case law.

Wow, I live in Ohio also and thats changed since my one incident about 20 years ago where i had an Ak47 in my trunk and a loaded mag under the front seat. All perfectly legal and got the gun back the next day.

I now have my CCW Which has a BIG advantage as i can carry a firearm in the vehicle loaded anywhere as long as its in an enclosed case of bag "hidden" is the operative word.
But last i read they are trying to change that wording so CCW people can have their weapon in the open and accessible like strapped to a thigh holster while driving.
This isnt an issue since open carry is legal here also so you could step out of your car and then conceal it from the thigh holster. Of course you better do it discretely as to not get busted for brandishing.

I almost gotta be a darned lawyer to keep track of the CCW laws here since they change quickly as luckily Ohio is progressively working to make the state more CCW friendly.
Kudo's OHIO!

 

[.45 1911]

huh this is interesting. See now to me, I have always thought and been told that a loaded firearm is one with a bullet in the chamber. Not the having the ammo in the magazine and the magazine in the magazine well, with nothing in the chamber, is to be considered loaded. Would having shotgun shells in a ammo holder on the stock and nothing in the chamber be considered loaded by them?
I try to follow the laws when transporting firearms to the range, to the best of my ability, and I have my Pistol Permit; but sometimes the laws are so f'd up that they do not make sense. Not to mention they are always changing, or trying to change, the laws or the meanings. You don't know what anything means anymore, but I'm sure they will make it sound to be not in your favor. I also have a truck and a suv so according to TN law I would be screwed. I still have to get the book for this year, anyways, to see what laws have changed, or have been twisted, in my state.

 

[HalfSwiss]

What really matters....

is what the officer that pulls you over thinks is the law. Even though we can have loaded magazines in the car in CA, most LEO's think that is illegal. Bottom line is we have to have the firearm empty and locked in the trunk of a car or locked in a separate hard container in a SUV. And, no rounds loaded in the magazine(s) if we want to be sure not to have a problem.

 

[Skidder]

I think Mass. says you can have a loaded pistol in a vehicle,concealed as long as your in control of the pistol. As for rifles, not loaded in a vehicle or while walking down a road. If and when I have any pistol or rifle in my vehicle and get yanked over for any reason I would not even think about taking my hands off the steering wheel until I informed the officer that I had a loaded or unloaded weapon in my vehicle then I would proceed to ask him what he would like me to do next cause I ain't moving a single muscle till he tells me to. I may be old but I'm still to young to die.

 

[S717]

Every state is very different when it comes to firearm laws. A few good resources to use for info are:

[URL="www.handgunlaw.us/"]
My home state is Utah and the definition of unloaded is no less than to mechanical actions away from firing. Meaning a full magazine in a semi auto is ok as long as there is no round chambered. 1=pull back charging handle 2= pull trigger that is 2 mechanical actions making it Utah unloaded. The websites i listed have info on just about every state check them out.

 

[Brett248Vista]

The other thing that comes into question is how does this effect Open Cary? In PA it's completely legal for me to walk down the street with a pistol in a holster, exposed (not concealed) without a License To Carry. So if I was to get into a vehicle with same exposed, holstered weapon, am I now breaking the law?

 

[BELT_FED]

Loaded (referring to transport in a vehicle) according to the Ohio Revised Code means a round in the chamber; or a loaded magazine or speed loader in the weapon or anywhere in the vehicle. Clips or loose ammunition don't count, so your M1 Rifle (or SKS) and a dozen clips is OK as long as they're not in the rifle. Your M&P15-22 with a full magazine is not.

Technically carrying your firearm to the range, locked in a case, with loaded magazines anywhere is illegal. This definition is only a year old and there's not yet any case law.

tn just passed law last year that point blank says if you have a carry permit you can carry a loaded rifle or shotgun with you as long as there isnt a live round in the chamber.. meaning the mag can be full and in the gun hanging in the back glass and its perfectly legal.. about the only thing a cop around here might say is "nice, where did you get it"

 

[Tom Beavert]

In many states where you are legal to carry 'loaded', the game warden will ticket you for a loaded weapon in the truck while 'hunting'. So while it would be legal to transport loaded to 'camp', must be unloaded if you were to drive to a stand, ect.
tb

 

[chuck s]

The other thing that comes into question is how does this effect Open Cary? In PA it's completely legal for me to walk down the street with a pistol in a holster, exposed (not concealed) without a License To Carry. So if I was to get into a vehicle with same exposed, holstered weapon, am I now breaking the law?

Why would a Pennsylvania resident NOT have a "pistol permit" (concealed carry permit)? I had one for years before I could get one in Ohio (because Ohio had none).

Just fill in the form and pay the small fee. You don't even have to say "Please."

-- Chuck

 

[DeadAye]

if you paid that in court you had 1 sorry lawyer..

No lawyer --- Seemed simple enough to me - THE GUN WASN'T LOADED.
The judge disagreed.... I'd never been in any trouble before so the fine was *only* $1. This was like 30 years ago -- The court costs are probably much higher now.
I have my carry permit now and a better understanding of the laws too.