loaded mags in car

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hello,

i was told recently by a police chief that having loaded ar15 mags in the car when traveling to the range was illegal as they were considered part of the firearm and both the gun and mags needed to be unloaded. i asked him to site the law and he said "law or not you will be arrested. its to easy for you to take the gun, put in a mag and be ready to shoot." my question is this. not having a ccw , is having loaded mags in your vehicle illegal?
 
By the letter of the law, no. As soon as your car is parked though, apparently you need to have your ammo locked in its original containers. Also, if you are an MA resident the chief can use suitability BS to make virtually whatever he wants law.
 
My head hurts. The stupid is strong with this chief. May we ask what town this is so we may plan accordingly?
 
Keep in mind this is in the RI Law section, not Massachusetts.
 
Oh. Good call. What are the transport & storage laws in RI?

Besides that, the OP should check RI Hunting Laws. Some states make possession of loaded rifle mags in a vehicle = a loaded long gun and illegal. Not everything is in the gun laws, even if not hunting, hunting laws can definitely jam someone up.
 
thank you. i did check the hunting laws and called D.E.M an it is illegal to have a loaded gun in your car they said . the only exeption is black powerder rifles may be loaded with no firing cap on them just charge and bullet. but my question is pertaining to just going to the range. if i go to the range to shoot. can i have loaded ar15 mags in the car? id even be willing to hear what the folks from ma say as well. i spoke with a cop who told me that the mag is considered part of the gun and that i cant have anything "loaded" in the car. but i looked through all the laws and did not find anything specific. im hoping someone from ri can help
 
For me the only thing I ever have loaded is what I carry. If I am transporting, all guns and mags are empty and the firearms are in locked case...high cap or not. Any left over ammo goes back in the container I took it from. Just makes it safer for me when transporting rifles and other guns to benches at the range as well as when I come home to clean stuff and put it back in the safe. I like to know where every round is at every step.

When I get to the range I lay my stuff out and then run 100 yards down to post my targets. I'm not leaving a loaded mag next to my AR when I run down range.

But that's me.
 
This is all I can find relating to transportation of firearms and ammo:
11-47-51:Loaded weapons in vehicles
It is unlawful for any person to have in his or her possession a loaded rifle or loaded shotgun or a rifle or shotgun from the magazine of which all shells and cartridges have not been removed in or on any vehicle or conveyance or its attachments while upon or along any public highway, road, lane, or trail within this state; provided, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to deputy sheriffs, the superintendent and members of the state police, prison or jail wardens or their deputies, members of the city or town police force, investigators of the department of attorney general appointed pursuant to § 42-9-8.1, the director, assistant director and other inspectors and agents at the Rhode Island state fugitive task force appointed pursuant to § 12-6-7.2, nor to other duly appointed law enforcement officers, including conservation officers, nor to members of the Army, Navy, Air force, or Marine Corps of the United States, or the National Guard or organized reserves, when on duty, nor to officers or employees of the United States authorized by law to carry a concealed firearm, nor to any civilian guard or criminal investigator carrying sidearms or a concealed firearm in the performance of his or her official duties under the authority of the commanding officer of the military establishment in the state of Rhode Island where he or she is employed by the United States.
 
This is all I can find relating to transportation of firearms and ammo:


hmmm thanks mike . from what i understand that to mean. it is illegal to have loaded mags in the car. ummm at least thats what it reads to me. anyone care to chime in on this statute ?
 
hmmm thanks mike . from what i understand that to mean. it is illegal to have loaded mags in the car. ummm at least thats what it reads to me. anyone care to chime in on this statute ?
The wording rivals that of my 3rd grade essays, but I think it means that if the ammo is in the magazine and the magazine is in the firearm, it would be unlawful.
 
I was just wondering about this .I was reading RI gun laws recently. It was at the top of the page a little chart yes/no type deal just a quick reference for the basic laws . So it would say handgun then permit to own no rifle permit to own no . Handgun permit to buy and so on . It says hand gun permit to carry yes rifle permit to carry no. ? So what exactly does that mean ? Carry to and from the range ? I don't think so cause there was a section for transport. So idk carrying an unloaded rifle is kinda pointless. I found this on a few different sites where it says hand gun /licences to carry yes rifle license to carry no !? Idk what it means .
Also the place where I bought my AR in Rhode Island I had to leave the store with it in a locked case. I mentioned going to the range that was he said oh you don't have to do that. It has to leave here locked cause this store is in a school zone. If it were not you could walk out of here with it slung over your shoulder and you can just throw it on the back seat! Can't seem to get a straight answer anywhere!!
 
The wording rivals that of my 3rd grade essays, but I think it means that if the ammo is in the magazine and the magazine is in the firearm, it would be unlawful.

that’s how it reads to me, though I’m neither a lawyer nor a Rhode Islander.
 
I was just wondering about this .I was reading RI gun laws recently. It was at the top of the page a little chart yes/no type deal just a quick reference for the basic laws . So it would say handgun then permit to own no rifle permit to own no . Handgun permit to buy and so on . It says hand gun permit to carry yes rifle permit to carry no. ? So what exactly does that mean ? Carry to and from the range ? I don't think so cause there was a section for transport. So idk carrying an unloaded rifle is kinda pointless. I found this on a few different sites where it says hand gun /licences to carry yes rifle license to carry no !? Idk what it means .
Also the place where I bought my AR in Rhode Island I had to leave the store with it in a locked case. I mentioned going to the range that was he said oh you don't have to do that. It has to leave here locked cause this store is in a school zone. If it were not you could walk out of here with it slung over your shoulder and you can just throw it on the back seat! Can't seem to get a straight answer anywhere!!

Caveat: this is not legal advice and I'm not a lawyer.

First, RI's carry permit system doesn't function like Mass's. RI's permit system only regulates carrying of handguns. The antis, particularly Harold Metts, have been pushing for a ban on long gun open carry (as in loaded, open carry of long guns) for the past five years or so. Such a ban doesn't exist.

Second, while 11-47-8 and 11-47-11 only say "pistols and revolvers," the statutes have been applied to carrying long guns. One example is State v. Keiser, 796 A.2d 471, 472-473 (R.I. 2002). 11-47-9, the exemptions statute to the carry permit statutes, has specific elements to allow the exemption to apply and the guns must be:

*Unloaded
*Not easily accessible from the passenger compartment (front seats of a sedan, cab of a truck)
*If the vehicle doesn't have a separate passenger compartment, the gun must be in a locked container

You have two options if you don't have a carry permit. Comply with 11-47-9 because "just in case" or don't and if you get pulled over and arrested, be prepared to overturn Keiser. I will say, the defendant in Keiser was arrested per two active warrants. He may have been jacked up because he was already committing a crime by evading arrest. Being an otherwise lawful citizen not perpetuating a crime is a key distinction.

...

Leaving the gun store with a gun lock on the gun largely is store policy. I can't recall being told to lock up a gun by a RI gun store after buying it. Stores are required by 11-47-60.3 to have you leave the store with a lock:

11-47-60.3

Note that 11-47-60.3 only applies to "purchasers" of guns. Not taking guns in for gunsmithing work, etc.
 
Keep in mind this is in the RI Law section, not Massachusetts.
That is indeed true, however, there is a case where a MA chief use the MA definition of "Safe storage" to declare someone unsuitable for something that happened in RI that did not result in any charges. The gun owner even reported the unauthorized access to his gun to the RI police.

The MA court commended his action reporting the unauthorized access and then went on in the decision to uphold the LTC revocation.
 
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