First post and some questions

[Datarock]

Hey Everyone!!

This is my first post and I am looking forward to being an active member.

The wife and I moved to Texas last year from Boston. I had a CHL in MA (Very difficult to get) and coming up on the 28th I have my class to get my TX CHL as my MA one expired a few months ago. I have been going around with pepper spray for a few months as we bought a home etc and I can't wait to have my Ruger back with me.

Anyways, In August, the wife and I are going to be doing a cross country trip from TX to CA. I have been researching the laws etc but thought maybe someone on here could help out.

Looks like I am good in TX, NM and AZ. I have tried to see what I would need to do to get an out of state license for NV but I have to go to a sheriffs office in person?? Sound right??

And in CA. Yeah, not happening.

So, as I have not really been out of a state with my CHL. When I get to those states, can I just dismantle the pistol, or keep it in the trunk etc? Is that ok? Or should I not bring it at all?

Thank you,
Ron

 

[Cowbilly32]

First of all welcome to the forum!
Secondly, welcome to Texas!!
Third, what is the magazine capacity of your self defense tool? Makes a difference in CA. Handgunlaw.us is a good source for finding out the answer. Last summer I went to CA and just separated the ammo from the tool and locked it up and put in the trunk. I didn't go through NV though, just NM and AZ.

 

[Datarock]

Thanks for the welcome.

It's a Ruger LCP 380. 6 Round. Fit's great in my pocket with the holster I have.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Looks like I am good in TX, NM and AZ. I have tried to see what I would need to do to get an out of state license for NV but I have to go to a sheriffs office in person?? Sound right??

Not only do you have to apply in person at a sheriff's office in Nevada but you also must take their required training in the state of Nevada as well. Not very practical. You can open carry a loaded handgun in Nevada without a permit/license.

And in CA. Yeah, not happening.

So, as I have not really been out of a state with my CHL. When I get to those states, can I just dismantle the pistol, or keep it in the trunk etc? Is that ok? Or should I not bring it at all?

Thank you,
Ron

If you don't want to open carry in Nevada, and to be legal in California all you have to do is unload the gun and lock the gun and ammo in a case or in the trunk. There is no requirement to separate the ammo from the gun in separate cases or compartments.

Link Removed

I will be traveling to California and want to carry my weapon. I currently have a concealed weapon permit. How can I legally transport my weapon while driving through the state?

California law does not recognize concealed weapon permits from other states; therefore, they would not be held valid. If you wish to transport a handgun during your California visit, it should be carried unloaded in a locked container. In the absence of a suitable container, you may secure the unloaded handgun in the locked trunk of a passenger car. Ammunition may be kept in the same container or trunk, but the handgun must remain unloaded with no rounds in the cylinder and no loaded magazines in the magazine well.

If you have additional questions, contact the California Department of Justice at 916-227-3703.

 

[snatale42]

Hey Everyone!!

This is my first post and I am looking forward to being an active member.

The wife and I moved to Texas last year from Boston. I had a CHL in MA (Very difficult to get) and coming up on the 28th I have my class to get my TX CHL as my MA one expired a few months ago. I have been going around with pepper spray for a few months as we bought a home etc and I can't wait to have my Ruger back with me.

Anyways, In August, the wife and I are going to be doing a cross country trip from TX to CA. I have been researching the laws etc but thought maybe someone on here could help out.

Looks like I am good in TX, NM and AZ. I have tried to see what I would need to do to get an out of state license for NV but I have to go to a sheriffs office in person?? Sound right??

And in CA. Yeah, not happening.

So, as I have not really been out of a state with my CHL. When I get to those states, can I just dismantle the pistol, or keep it in the trunk etc? Is that ok? Or should I not bring it at all?

Thank you,
Ron

Make sure you read up on TX's weird laws! You'll be very surprised that TX is NOT as gun friendly as MA! YES! You read that right. Although MA's LTC application process can be a pain (In Boston more than anywhere else really). In MA you can walk into a bar carrying, you can walk down the sidewalk in front of a school, carry in church, hospitals, amusement parks, voting places (minus schools) plus no gun signs in MA (assuming you even ever see one) don't mean anything, while in TX that's all illegal. Study up! You don't want to get into big trouble for doing something that would have been legal in MA, but very illegal in TX.

 

[NavyLCDR]

In MA you can walk into a bar carrying, you can walk down the sidewalk in front of a school, carry in church, hospitals, amusement parks, voting places (minus schools) plus no gun signs in MA (assuming you even ever see one) don't mean anything, while in TX that's all illegal. Study up! You don't want to get into big trouble for doing something that would have been legal in MA, but very illegal in TX.

Is that why Texas requires 4 hours of classroom training for a CHL - to explain all the places that it is illegal to carry in Texas?

 

[mtnsniper]

I've used these links whenever I travel as they tell me the current stats on states where my CWP is good and such. California and Nevada are two states that won't accept any license from another state, so be careful while travelling through those. "http://www.usacarry.com/concealed_carry_permit_reciprocity_maps.html"]
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20140630/guide-to-the-interstate-transportation

Where to put your weapon when travelling through unfriendly states? I have a steel locking storage box beneath my driver's seat that's attached to the seat frame with a cable. If I'm in a state like CA/NV I'll put the firearm in there.

Secure - It® Handgun Storage Safe

 

[NavyLCDR]

California and Nevada are two states that won't accept any license from another state, so be careful while travelling through those.

Where did you get that incorrect information from? Nevada recognizes AK, AR, IL, KS, KY, MI, ND, NE, NM, NC, OH, SC, TN and the ID Enhanced permit. In addition open carry is legal in Nevada without a permit.

 

[mtnsniper]

My bad...

 

[Rhino]

I assume simply not going to Kalifornia isn't an option. I vowed never to take a gun back into that state when I moved out of there back in 1995, so I just never went back. It was pretty easy since I hate the place. Technically you are covered by the provisions of federal transportation regulations and the Firearms Owners Protection Act (FOPA), which are in fact the same thing. But being covered by FOPA doesn't prevent you from getting in trouble. It just gives you an out when you go to court down the road, sometimes WAY down the road. That's because the provisions in the FOPA are what's called an affirmative defense, which basically means it only helps you fight the charge in court. It doesn't prevent you from being arrested, charged, fined, or having your gun seized, etc. The chances of any of that happening are extremely slim of course, but I don't put anything past Kalifornia, and especially some of the local jurisdictions in that state. California has preemption, which means local laws can't supersede or contradict state law, nor can they regulate in areas where the state has staked out a universal claim, which many people will tell you prevents local jurisdictions from enacting or enforcing firearm restrictions on their own. But that isn't the reality. Local jurisdictions have enacted such restrictions and they are known to enforce them when they feel like it. That's probably because the state preemption statute says the state intends to "occupy the whole field of regulation of the registration or licensing of commercially manufactured firearms", leaving open anything that doesn't involve registration or licensing. Or at least that's probably how those local jurisdictions interpret it. In any case, I choose not to take any chances with my guns. But again, that's easy for me since I have no desire to ever return to Kalifornia. YMMV

 

[Waffles]

Where did you get that incorrect information from? Nevada recognizes AK, AR, IL, KS, KY, MI, ND, NE, NM, NC, OH, SC, TN and the ID Enhanced permit. In addition open carry is legal in Nevada without a permit.

What's an "enhanced permit?"

 

[NavyLCDR]

What's an "enhanced permit?"

It's a higher form of the Idaho license that requires more training.

 

[Cnon]

What's an "enhanced permit?"

Here's a PDF on that.


https://adasheriff.org/Portals/Sher.../Enhanced_qualifying_Handgun_requirements.pdf



Cnon

 

[cliffhangernlv]

In Nevada you have to take an 8 hour course then turn your paperwork into the sheriff's office and get printed. After that, 4 month wait.

 

[HootenArmory]

Make sure you read up on TX's weird laws! You'll be very surprised that TX is NOT as gun friendly as MA! YES! You read that right. Although MA's LTC application process can be a pain (In Boston more than anywhere else really). In MA you can walk into a bar carrying, you can walk down the sidewalk in front of a school, carry in church, hospitals, amusement parks, voting places (minus schools) plus no gun signs in MA (assuming you even ever see one) don't mean anything, while in TX that's all illegal. Study up! You don't want to get into big trouble for doing something that would have been legal in MA, but very illegal in TX.

Churches and hospitals in TX must now post 30.06 signs or provide notification that concealed firearms are not welcome. The law has been changed for over a year now.

 

[Rhino]

Make sure you read up on TX's weird laws! You'll be very surprised that TX is NOT as gun friendly as MA! YES! You read that right. Although MA's LTC application process can be a pain (In Boston more than anywhere else really). In MA you can walk into a bar carrying, you can walk down the sidewalk in front of a school, carry in church, hospitals, amusement parks, voting places (minus schools) plus no gun signs in MA (assuming you even ever see one) don't mean anything, while in TX that's all illegal. Study up! You don't want to get into big trouble for doing something that would have been legal in MA, but very illegal in TX.

HootenArmory already pointed out you got the churches and hospitals wrong, but that wasn't all. If you check Title 10 Chapter 46, § 46.03 of the Texas Penal Code, you'll find that not only are amusement parks also covered under the same 30.06 requirement that HootenArmory mentioned, but their definition of amusement is crafted very specifically to include Six Flags and nothing else. You'll also discover by reading that section that you're wrong about schools as well. Texas prohibits carrying on "physical premises of a school or educational institution", and it defines that as real property, which is buildings or RVs "being used as living quarters." It's perfectly legal to carry on a public sidewalk in front of a school in Texas.
.
You really should try to avoid contests of laws from state, because most of can will yield unexpected results such as the one shown here, and you may end up losing something you felt certain to win. Massachusetts has some strange little nuances to it's laws as well. For instance, if you want to leave your gun locked in your vehicle while you go inside somewhere, you have to completely unload it first. You can't carry a gun on a 4 wheeler, UTV, snowmobile, or any other vehicle that would fit the description, "Off Highway Vehicle (OHV)." Even though 'contests' between states may not always be a great idea, comparisons are quite good, because we can learn new things about state laws we didn't know before. I learned new things here, about both Texas and Massachusetts law, and learning is good.