Firearm Storage Away from Home

[mpm620]

Hello all. Let me say from the beginning this question is sort of a long shot, but worth asking. My residence is in eastern Mass (where I keep my firearms) but I go to college full time in western Mass. I have an LTC A for hunting and targets. The shooting club and hunting opportunities are great out here, but I live on campus and firearms are forbidden.
Is there any legal way to store my firearms off, but near, campus?
Has anyone heard of gun clubs or shops renting out gun safe space? Would it even be legal?
Any other ideas? Not even sure what my options would be (if they even exist).

 

[whatluck]

I've heard of FFLs doing storage, but that's more of a long term thing.

They could legally be stored at someone else's house if you and only you had access to them, unless they also had a sufficient permit.

Many storage facilities have rules against guns.

 

[vellnueve]

You can store it in a storage facility... but you'd likely be SOL if you get robbed and the place has a policy against guns.

 

[Len-2A Training]

You can store it in a storage facility... but you'd likely be SOL if you get robbed and the place has a policy against guns.

You'd be collecting against your own insurance anyway. Don't expect a storage place to insure your goods (when they don't know what you are storing).

Personally I could care less about their "policies" on guns. I have done this while house renovations were being done, just covered them up coming/going so that their cameras didn't pick up that they were guns. It's expensive for this purpose (I was paying $80/month for their 5' wide storage bin) and a royal PITA for "in between shooting" storage. In my case I put them there and they didn't come back out for ~6 months.

 

[bondsman333]

firearms at college is a very sticky subject...

have you asked your school if they have any storage? My college has a procedure (albeit very strict) on storing firearms in a special vault on campus. If you want to pick up your firearms, you first have to call the public safety (campus version of police), and they 'escort' you to the vault, inspect what you are picking up and then they immediately escort you off campus. you must call them again at least a half hour before returning so they can escort you and your firearms back to the vault.
Its a complete pain in the ass to deal with; most of my friends store theirs at a friends house nearby campus.

The procedure isnt written down anywhere so dont expect to find it on your schools web site or manual. My school is also out in PA; so that might also make a big difference.

 

[Ol Doc]

.......
My school is also out in PA; so that might also make a big difference.

MIGHTmake a big difference???

Seriously, if we're talking only of a couple of handguns, consider a bank safe deposit box,although your hours of accessibility would be limited.

 

[bondsman333]

MIGHTmake a big difference???

Well its not in the boonies of PA; way eastern; stones throw from NJ. A very left thinking area to be sure.
its at least worth a look; I had no idea the program existed at my school until I asked. Its kept very hush hush.
it wouldn't surprise me if schools in MA had this too. I know of many schools that have pistol or trap teams in MA.

 

[pjorg]

it wouldn't surprise me if schools in MA had this too.

It would surprise me. Possession of a firearm on campus (without written approval from the administration) is a violation of Massachusetts law. Since you would need to possess the firearm on campus immediately prior to and following your storing it in the vault, you would be in violation.

I can't think of any reason that a school would accept this liability, anyway. Maybe it's a different situation in PA.

 

[Spanz]

By all means, go to the campus PD and ask them about storing firearms for hunting. They will probably be expecting you to want to store Shotguns and Rifles, and not handguns, but give them an ask. They do this in other states, good chance some Mass schools also do it.

 

[drgrant]

It would surprise me. Possession of a firearm on campus (without written approval from the administration) is a violation of Massachusetts law. Since you would need to possess the firearm on campus immediately prior to and following your storing it in the vault, you would be in violation.

As long as the administration approves of the procedure, there is no real risk, unless you don't trust the campus PD any further than you can throw them, I guess.

I still would never use such a facility, anyways.... it's likely to be way too much of a pain in the ass.

-Mike

 

[mpm620]

Ok I've done some research...
No FFLs in the area will store a rifle for me. The smallest storage unit I can find is 5'x5' at $35/month which is a bit much for a single rifle. There are no gun clubs around with on-site firearm storage. I talked to campus police- because it is against the law to even possess a firearm on campus, there is no procedure to store private firearms at the campus police station. Sounds like my only option is to find a friend off campus who wouldn't mind holding on to it, or making the the 4hr & $40 round trip home to do my hunting.

 

[mousegunfan]

Move off campus. It may even cost less.

 

[RichM]

In what city are you attending school? I'm guessing that there are several of us in your vicinity...

 

[Rob Boudrie]

It would surprise me. Possession of a firearm on campus (without written approval from the administration) is a violation of Massachusetts law. Since you would need to possess the firearm on campus immediately prior to and following your storing it in the vault, you would be in violation.

No exactly.

Carry on one's person is a violation; possession is not - read 269-10j carefully.

Few police know this and the fact that you would be found to not be in violation (given competent legal counsel and an intellectually honest judge) does not preclude the issuance of sanctions by the school if you are caught using the trunk of you car as an ordnance locker.

 

[pjorg]

No exactly.

Carry on one's person is a violation; possession is not - read 269-10j carefully.

Few police know this and the fact that you would be found to not be in violation (given competent legal counsel and an intellectually honest judge) does not preclude the issuance of sanctions by the school if you are caught using the trunk of you car as an ordnance locker.

Good point.

 

[MACGYVR]

Make friends with people that have an off campus apt. Stick a big heavy safe there and store them.

 

[EcHo]

mpm620, you don't happen to go to Umass Amherst do you?

 

[mpm620]

mpm620, you don't happen to go to Umass Amherst do you?

Yup, it's UMass Amherst. I probably won't find a solution right away, but I'll figure out something.

 

[Mustad]

Make friends with people that have an off campus apt. Stick a big heavy safe there and store them.

I would be very careful trusting college students, a better option might be to join gun club in the area to meet people who might be more responsible.
You may want to contact this group it seems small but they maybe able to offer assistance

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5078028075

Edit

Here is Another one

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=144198368698&ref=mf


Disclaimer---- I know nothing of these clubs and offer no endorsement nor insight into their legitimacy.

 

[EcHo]

Yup, it's UMass Amherst. I probably won't find a solution right away, but I'll figure out something.

I go to Umass as well. There's at least one other guy on here who goes to Umass. He and I are starting an RSO called Umass Gun Club and once we get set up we're going to try to find a way to fix problems like yours. I have the same problem since I live in North and can't bring any of my goodies here.

 

[jar]

When I went to WPI as a freshman in 2000, I remember there being a policy for storage of firearms by campus police. When I tried to find it a few months ago, it's not on the web anymore. I don't know if it was discontinued.

 

[Kevlar]

I go to Umass as well. There's at least one other guy on here who goes to Umass. He and I are starting an RSO called Umass Gun Club and once we get set up we're going to try to find a way to fix problems like yours. I have the same problem since I live in North and can't bring any of my goodies here.

Split a storage unit. ($35/3pp)

 

[mpm620]

I go to Umass as well. There's at least one other guy on here who goes to Umass. He and I are starting an RSO called Umass Gun Club and once we get set up we're going to try to find a way to fix problems like yours. I have the same problem since I live in North and can't bring any of my goodies here.

Actually, I'm on the club roster. Just waiting for things to materialize and hoping for the best. But at the same time, I'm itching to get out there and do some hunting.

 

[EcHo]

Split a storage unit. ($35/3pp)

There are actually more than just three of us so it would be a very good deal, however I am the only one living in the dorms (besides the OP) and thus the only other one with a need for off-campus storage. Where do these people get off getting their own apartments...

Within 2 weeks my girlfriend (who lives in Amherst) will have her LTC-A and then I'll store my stuff at her house. I still have an interest though in helping other people get their goodies in the immediate area. I think a function of this gun club will be to organize those of us who don't have friends with apartments into groups for storage lockers.

 

[44marty]

I was going to offer storage at my house, but I'm a little over an hour west of Amherst. Good hunting here, though. It cracks me up that Worcester, Springfield and Amherst are considered far western MA by most in the state (well, at least Amherst is pretty far west). It's almost as though the movement for Berkshire County to secede from MA and join VT had succeeded ( I WISH !!! ).