How do you transport guns in a pick-up truck?

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Hey guys my father asked me a question and i search hi and low for the answer couldnt really find it but he has a F-150 pick-up truck its a crew cab and he wants to know what the rules are on transporting his guns because as you know theres no trunk to lock them up? anyone help me out with this?
 
We've only covered this 10 million times.

Read the law yourself:

Chapter 140: Section 131C. Carrying of firearms in a vehicle

Section 131C. (a) No person carrying a loaded firearm under a Class A license issued under section 131 or 131F shall carry the same in a vehicle unless such firearm while carried therein is under the direct control of such person. Whoever violates the provisions of this subsection shall be punished by a fine of $500.

(b) No person carrying a firearm under a Class B license issued under section 131 or 131F shall possess the same in a vehicle unless such weapon is unloaded and contained within the locked trunk of such vehicle or in a locked case or other secure container. Whoever violates the provisions of this subsection shall be punished by a fine of $500.

(c) No person possessing a large capacity rifle or shotgun under a Class A or Class B license issued under section 131 or 131F shall possess the same in a vehicle unless such weapon is unloaded and contained within the locked trunk of such vehicle or in a locked case or other secure container. Whoever violates the provisions of this subsection shall be punished by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000.

Full text here: http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/140-131c.htm
 
Hey guys my father asked me a question and i search hi and low for the answer couldnt really find it but he has a F-150 pick-up truck its a crew cab and he wants to know what the rules are on transporting his guns because as you know theres no trunk to lock them up? anyone help me out with this?
I am a hunter/target shooter with a FID and a Ford Ranger pickup. I transport my unloaded rifle or shotgun in a soft case with a trigger lock behind the seat.
 
I am a hunter/target shooter with a FID and a Ford Ranger pickup. I transport my unloaded rifle or shotgun in a soft case with a trigger lock behind the seat.

Unless the soft case is LOCKED, you are in violation of the law. Read the law quoted above again! MUST be in a LOCKED CASE in a truck w/o a locked trunk. Trigger locks do NOT cover you while "transporting", they are good for "storage" only . . . separate part of the laws.
 
Unless the soft case is LOCKED, you are in violation of the law. Read the law quoted above again! MUST be in a LOCKED CASE in a truck w/o a locked trunk. Trigger locks do NOT cover you while "transporting", they are good for "storage" only . . . separate part of the laws.
Minor caveat -- if his shotgun and rifle are non-large capacity, then they don't need to be locked up. But if they are large capacity, then yes, the trigger lock does not suffice.
 
Minor caveat -- if his shotgun and rifle are non-large capacity, then they don't need to be locked up. But if they are large capacity, then yes, the trigger lock does not suffice.

Good point, thanks.

Since he's only an FID holder, he can't possess hi-cap anything, therefore he's legal. Just don't expect almost any LEO to understand that idiosyncrasy in MGLs.

So, HE is legal in this instance, but if they were hi-cap rifles/shotguns or any handgun this wouldn't be a legal method of transportation (provided for benefit of others who may read this thread).

Best to transport ALL guns in locked cases (or locked trunk, if available) to avoid confusion and possible hassles.
 
So, HE is legal in this instance, but if they were hi-cap rifles/shotguns or any handgun this wouldn't be a legal method of transportation (provided for benefit of others who may read this thread).

Best to transport ALL guns in locked cases (or locked trunk, if available) to avoid confusion and possible hassles.
I agree completely. A locked hard case would be a wise precaution.
 
I am a hunter/target shooter with a FID and a Ford Ranger pickup. I transport my unloaded rifle or shotgun in a soft case with a trigger lock behind the seat.

Unless the soft case is LOCKED, you are in violation of the law. Read the law quoted above again! MUST be in a LOCKED CASE in a truck w/o a locked trunk. Trigger locks do NOT cover you while "transporting", they are good for "storage" only . . . separate part of the laws.

When I lived in Ma I punched a small hole in a soft case where the zipper closes. I ran a "split ring" keyring through the material and locked one of those itty bitty (useless) luggage locks through the zipper pull and the keyring.

Pratical ? Hell no. Lawfull transport ? Yup.

Compliance is not about common sense in Massachusetts. [thinking]
 
Unless the soft case is LOCKED, you are in violation of the law. Read the law quoted above again! MUST be in a LOCKED CASE in a truck w/o a locked trunk. Trigger locks do NOT cover you while "transporting", they are good for "storage" only . . . separate part of the laws.
WRONG! Non-large-capacity long guns may be transported in a soft case with a trigger lock. Got this firsthand from MA dealers, EPOs, MA State Police and the Dracut Police Department firearms licensing authority (Lt. Fleury). What you are referring to is "large capacity" rifles/shotguns. These must be transported in a locked container.
 
WRONG! Non-large-capacity long guns may be transported in a soft case with a trigger lock. Got this firsthand from MA dealers, EPOs, MA State Police and the Dracut Police Department firearms licensing authority (Lt. Fleury).
As we discussed above, non-large capacity long guns don't need to be locked up when being transported. There is no need for a trigger lock.

You don't have to take my word for it, or the word of any police officer, dealer, EPO, or anyone else well known for making mistakes. Simply read the law itself, which I've already posted above in this thread.
 
They ought to just change the law to read it's real intent, "you must transport a rifle such that if someone is threatening your life, you have no possible chance of defending yourself, even by swinging it like a club". That would get rid of all these ambiguous interpretations.
 
As we discussed above, non-large capacity long guns don't need to be locked up when being transported. There is no need for a trigger lock.

You don't have to take my word for it, or the word of any police officer, dealer, EPO, or anyone else well known for making mistakes. Simply read the law itself, which I've already posted above in this thread.
I include the trigger lock for good measure, in the event that I have to make a stop for food, etc. and have to leave the rifle or shotgun in my locked pickup temporarily. This way, I cannot get charged with improper storage.
 
On the topic of pickups, what if I were to store in a non-lockable range bag in the bed of the truck with the tailgate locked and a locking, hard tonneau cover (the cover uses the same key as the doors, tailgate and ignition)? Would that be considered a "trunk" at that point?
 
I have a hard case with a padlock cabled to the seat frame behind my seat. If the long gun du jour is large capacity, the case is padlocked. I'm still not sure about a pump shotgun that came from the factory with a pistol grip, so that gets padlocked too.
 
I have a hard case with a padlock cabled to the seat frame behind my seat. If the long gun du jour is large capacity, the case is padlocked. I'm still not sure about a pump shotgun that came from the factory with a pistol grip, so that gets padlocked too.

As Len has suggested, it would not be surprising if a police officer didn't know that non-large capacity long guns don't need to be locked up. So putting a padlock on the case would be a reasonable precaution even when transporting non-large capacity long guns.

In the case of your pump shotgun, it is not large capacity because it is not semi-automatic.
 
It's not large capacity, but I think BATFE considers it an AOW. I'm unclear about the transport/storage rules for these.
Don't worry; your pump shotgun isn't a Title II (NFA) firearm unless the barrel is less than 18" in length. If it came from the factory with a pistol grip only (Mossberg, right?) and sold over-the-counter at your local retail firearms dealer, it is legal for you to possess under federal law without any NFA paperwork or the $200 fed transfer tax. You will still need a MA FID/LTC to legally possess it in MA and you are still subject to MA safe storage requirements, though.
 
My son and I usually head to the range in his truck. In reading various threads on NES I found out that we may have been in violation of the transportation law. We use hard cases, but had never locked them. I bought a set of cheap combination luggage locks at BJ's. Now there's one or two locks on all the cases. I'm sure they would delay the average teenager with a screwdriver or pocket knife for all of 15 seconds. [rolleyes] Like many laws in the PRM, it's stupid.

I'm sure that the children are all safer now, so it's worth it. [thinking][rolleyes]
 
Don't worry; your pump shotgun isn't a Title II (NFA) firearm unless the barrel is less than 18" in length. If it came from the factory with a pistol grip only (Mossberg, right?) and sold over-the-counter at your local retail firearms dealer, it is legal for you to possess under federal law without any NFA paperwork or the $200 fed transfer tax. You will still need a MA FID/LTC to legally possess it in MA and you are still subject to MA safe storage requirements, though.


Not to nitpick. But AOW is a $5 tax stamp. Mossberg/ Remington and Ithaca all MADE (past tense as it appears we are no longer able to get these in mass) Mass Ok AOWs (smooth bore pistols)..
And if it is a legally owned NFA anything, the owner has jumped through enough hoops to realize that it is an nfa piece..
And for the purposes of argement.. If it is an NFA, I would go with a locked case, at minimum.

Losing one of these would be seriously bad JuJu..
 
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Not to nit pick your not nit picking but a AOW is only a $5.00 tax stamp to transfer after it has been registered on the NFA Registry.

IE to get it on the registry still requires a 200.00 tax stamp and a filled out and approved form 1 and to later transfer it would be the $5.00 tax stamp you speak of and be done on a form 4 if you are not a SOT.


Just spoke to NFA Branch of BATF&E to confirm what I remembered from my past history as a 01 FFL / 03 SOT.

Not to nitpick. But AOW is a $5 tax stamp. Mossberg/ Remington and Ithaca all MADE (past tense as it appears we are no longer able to get these in mass) Mass Ok AOWs (smooth bore pistols)..
And if it is a legally owned NFA anything, the owner has jumped through enough hoops to realize that it is an nfa piece..
And for the purposes of argement.. If it is an NFA, I would go with a locked case, at minimum.

Losing one of these would be seriously bad JuJu..
 
Not to nitpick. But AOW is a $5 tax stamp. Mossberg/ Remington and Ithaca all MADE (past tense as it appears we are no longer able to get these in mass) Mass Ok AOWs (smooth bore pistols)..
And if it is a legally owned NFA anything, the owner has jumped through enough hoops to realize that it is an nfa piece..
And for the purposes of argement.. If it is an NFA, I would go with a locked case, at minimum.

Losing one of these would be seriously bad JuJu..
OOPS! Good catch. I was thinking of the MG/silencer transfer tax stamps, which are $200.00 each. Also, with any NFA articles, you need written permission from BATFE in order to transport them across state borders.
 
Thanks, all. I'm certain of one thing...... a shotgun shipped from the factory with a pistol grip instead of a shoulder stock might or might not be considered a long gun by the local PD.
I'll obey Murphy's Law and transport mine locked in a hard case.
 
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