Who drives around with long guns?

[Stevireno]

Hey quick question... I drive by the range that I am a member of regularly and I sometimes want to pop in for an hour to shoot at the outdoor rifle range. Do you guys drive around with a rifle / shotgun in their hatch often? Or only when going specifically to the range? I end up leaving it in there, with a trigger lock on it, or in a black gun case. Then I worry about forgetting to lock my car at night... things like that. I feel like I should remove the gun and put it in the house every night, but I am getting complacent, and I worry that this is too risky...

Its a noob question, I know.....


-Steve

 

[cekim]

It's never a bad idea to remove things from cars...

Even in towns with ridiculously low crime rates, opportunistic car break-ins happen. They'll often clear out easy stuff from unlocked cars in an area. Though not in MA, I had my car locks punched multiple times years back in a "good neighborhood" with "bad kids" roaming through.

Lawyers correct me if I am wrong, but I don't believe a trigger lock is sufficient for "transport" which they'd charge you with regardless of whether or not the car is moving (as they did with the corrections officer).

It needs to be in a locked case or trunk according to my layman reading of MGL and SJC decisions.

 

[Beansie]

I don't like leaving my stuff in my car to stop and grab an iced tea on my way to the range let alone overnight anywhere.

Legal or illegal this sounds... like a bad idea.

I wouldn't leave $20 in my car, let alone something I paid hundreds for or could get my LTC yanked.

 

[mpkeelee]

If I have long guns in the car its to the range/hunting area and back home or to my dads house to his safe.

 

[MaverickNH]

Long-gun vault in the back of my SUV. Push-button mechanical lock. Chained to seat struts and bolted to frame. Hidden under a carpet. Yeah, if they steal they car, the get the rifle.

Otherwise, I don't leave cased guns in my car.

 

[MisterHappy]

It's never a bad idea to remove things from cars...

Even in towns with ridiculously low crime rates, opportunistic car break-ins happen. They'll often clear out easy stuff from unlocked cars in an area. Though not in MA, I had my car locks punched multiple times years back in a "good neighborhood" with "bad kids" roaming through.

Lawyers correct me if I am wrong, but I don't believe a trigger lock is sufficient for "transport" which they'd charge you with regardless of whether or not the car is moving (as they did with the corrections officer).

It needs to be in a locked case or trunk according to my layman reading of MGL and SJC decisions.

Cekim is right, in that a trigger lock is not useful for transport, from a lawfulness point of view: It's insufficient for a large-cap (e.g AR-15) rifle, which requires a locked case, or trunk, and is irrelevant for a non-large-cap (Joe Biden special) which only needs to be unloaded for transport.

Now....that said, Massprudence indicates that keeping a lawfully-transported low-cap on the back seat is not a good idea. Additionally, I have no idea as to whether a car, parked and locked in your work's parking lot is being "transported" ( no lock required) or "stored" (lock or secure container required). I'm not sure if this has been adjudicated, though even a vault that is breached may not be sufficient in the eyes of your local CoP

As to risk....are there a lot of break-ins in the area where you park? Is your car a "High value target"? If not, then it's probably not a big deal. But, it's your choice. IMO, if you're in a relatively secure lot, and your cargo is not visible to random passers-by......meh.

 

[Christian]

I wouldn't leave any of my firearms in the car overnight and I'm in a decent neighborhood(relatively speaking), all it would take is for someone to smash a window and push the trunk release button and it's theirs.

I've also been told that technically I'm in violation if I stop anywhere in route and a LEO with a hard on pulls me over because my trunk isn't "secure" as my back seats fold down and I haven't got a lock on my soft sided rifle case. But that would mean I'd have to allow them to search the car to find out which isn't going to happen anyhow.

 

[Glockster30]

I wouldn't leave any of my firearms in the car overnight and I'm in a decent neighborhood(relatively speaking), all it would take is for someone to smash a window and push the trunk release button and it's theirs.

I've also been told that technically I'm in violation if I stop anywhere in route and a LEO with a hard on pulls me over because my trunk isn't "secure" as my back seats fold down and I haven't got a lock on my soft sided rifle case. But that would mean I'd have to allow them to search the car to find out which isn't going to happen anyhow.

If the shoulder thingy pops up while pulled over, you are screwed!

 

[FrankNA]

I live in a very heavily wooded area in a "safe" community and the thugs that roam the streets at night consistently go around and simply check cars to see if they are locked. If not locked, they ransack the vehicle and take anything of value. I would never leave a firearm in a vehicle overnight - too many bad things could happen to jeopardize your 2A rights in this state. JMHO.

 

[Stevireno]

Looks like I was getting lax and lazy... Thanks for all the great advice, I'm in a low crime area, which is likely making me soft...

Time to change some habits...

Steve

 

[jefftk]

I would only do it if I could store it in the vehicle such that it was 100% out of sight, and if it was a relatively cheap gun.

 

[20thpzgr]

You would think the trigger lock would suffice, but then you would live somewhere else! It is a forgivable mistake in that common sense moved to a free state years ago. The above posts are correct as to high cap / low cap transport. Even if your in compliance, who wants to go through the ordeal that's coming if the vehicle were broken into and the rifle stolen!

 

[Editor]

. . . if I stop anywhere in route and a LEO with a hard on pulls me over . . .

. . . I would be concerned about the virginity of my trunk.

 

[Coyote33]

Article: Equip Your Vehicle With the Same Gun Racks Used By Law Enforcement Agencies

 

[JGstunt]

Always have an AR with me, this helps. Vault bolted to frame they would have to drill out the lock to get in or torch. Pull back pin on AR and have a foam cutout in L shape it sits in nice and comfy with plenty of space for whatever else.

Tuffy makes a few different sizes for vehicles.

 

[Stevireno]

That's awesome, that's what I need.

 

[Nation On Fire]

I legitimately thought a trigger lock on a rifle was within the scope of the law for transport. Looks like I've been involved in some criminal activity.

 

[DNTTexan]

I legitimately thought a trigger lock on a rifle was within the scope of the law for transport. Looks like I've been involved in some criminal activity.

AFAIK, and IANAL, as has been posted, a trigger lock is irrelevant to transport requirements ("hi-cap" long arm locked unloaded in case or trunk, other long arm not loaded), but could be useful on the non-hi-cap long arm when you get out of the car, at which point you convert from transport to storage. http://www.mass.gov/eopss/firearms-reg-and-laws/frb/frequently-asked-questions.html

 

[MaynardDad]

I have no idea as to whether a car, parked and locked in your work's parking lot is being "transported" ( no lock required) or "stored" (lock or secure container required). I'm not sure if this has been adjudicated, though even a vault that is breached may not be sufficient in the eyes of your local CoP

The Supreme Judicial Court has said, in Comm v. Reyes, that the carrying statute (131C) does not apply "once the defendant leaves his vehicle and leaves the firearm in it," only the storage statute (131L) does.

But the Law Enforcement Guide to Firearms Law book and the EOPS FAQ both get 131C and 131L confused, so you should expect any cop you have contact with to get it wrong as well.

 

[M1911]

Hey quick question... I drive by the range that I am a member of regularly and I sometimes want to pop in for an hour to shoot at the outdoor rifle range. Do you guys drive around with a rifle / shotgun in their hatch often? Or only when going specifically to the range? I end up leaving it in there, with a trigger lock on it, or in a black gun case. Then I worry about forgetting to lock my car at night... things like that. I feel like I should remove the gun and put it in the house every night, but I am getting complacent, and I worry that this is too risky...

I would never leave valuables in a car overnight, and I live in a leafy, expensive, low-crime suburb.

Leave a gun in my car overnight with the chance that it will be stolen and then the chief gets to decide whether I'm still suitable? No, not gonna happen.

Take the damn gun in the house.

 

[dcmdon]

You would think the trigger lock would suffice, but then you would live somewhere else! It is a forgivable mistake in that common sense moved to a free state years ago. The above posts are correct as to high cap / low cap transport. Even if your in compliance, who wants to go through the ordeal that's coming if the vehicle were broken into and the rifle stolen!

If you live somewhere else, you don't own trigger locks. Again, I ask what this mass obsession with trigger locks is. Just amazing. As was already pointed out, they serve no purpose during transport and very little purpose even at home, other than simply making you compliant with a stupid law.

I will occasionally leave a rifle in my car for a few days in the hope I'll get time to stop by the range. But I only do that because my specific situation is very low risk.

My car is parked in a locked, alarmed, garage when I get home from work.

At work, my car is parked in a campus with guards.

Also, my car has a trunk, and its trunk can be completely secured. The rear seat fold down release is in the trunk and if I lock the glove box, the car disables the electric trunk release. So the only way to get into the trunk is to crow bar it open. For what its worth, the security of this car's trunk was one of the reasons I bought it.

When I had a hatch, I wouldn't ever have a gun in it unless I was going to the range, in which case all the guns were in the drivers side rear seat.

 

[OfficerObie59]

It's never a bad idea to remove things from cars...

Even in towns with ridiculously low crime rates, opportunistic car break-ins happen. They'll often clear out easy stuff from unlocked cars in an area. Though not in MA, I had my car locks punched multiple times years back in a "good neighborhood" with "bad kids" roaming through.

Lawyers correct me if I am wrong, but I don't believe a trigger lock is sufficient for "transport" which they'd charge you with regardless of whether or not the car is moving (as they did with the corrections officer).

It needs to be in a locked case or trunk according to my layman reading of MGL and SJC decisions.

If the gun requires an LTC--i.e., handgun or large capacity gun--140/131C applies, requiring the gun be in a trunk or locked container, or if you have a handgun with a Class A, it can also be on one's person. If it's a gun you can possess with an FID, you have to abide by the regular 131L storage laws requiring a trigger lock or locked container, whether or not you're in the act of transporting. There's also an argument to be made that guns applicable to the 131L in your vehicle are in your immediate control (and thus exempt from those requirements) but that's a discussion for another day.

Best bet for simplicity's sake is to assume both 131C and 131L both apply at all time in regards to vehicles. Put them in your trunk with a trigger lock and you're pretty much assured to be covering all your bases without worrying about what law applies to which gun when.

 

[Steve Marshall]

I live in NH. Sorry. I'm also retired. I regularly have a rifle with me wherever I go. Even though I live in a rural area, it comes in when I get home.

Years ago, I had a Mass. out of state carry permit. Somewhere in the paperwork, whether in the application paperwork or the actual permit, ( sorry , I don't remember ) was an admonition telling me it was illegal to leave a firearm unattended in a vehicle no matter the circumstance. I never thought that was an onerous law, just the legal equivalent of common sense.

 

[Stevireno]

Check this out....

 

[je25ff]

Long-gun vault in the back of my SUV. Push-button mechanical lock. Chained to seat struts and bolted to frame. Hidden under a carpet. Yeah, if they steal the car, the get the rifle.

Otherwise, I don't leave cased guns in my car.

I wish I had the funds to put in something like that in my Tahoe.

 

[dcmdon]

I wish I had the funds to put in something like that in my Tahoe.

I built one in the back of my Montero about 15 years ago. I used 2x8s as sleepers to get the deck off the floor. Then made a drawer that was nothing more than a piece of 1/4" luan screwed to the front 2x8, which formed the front. The locks were under the carpet which was on top of the deck, so most people never even noticed it was there.

Don

 

[josh2600]

I wouldn't leave any of my firearms in the car overnight and I'm in a decent neighborhood(relatively speaking), all it would take is for someone to smash a window and push the trunk release button and it's theirs.

I've also been told that technically I'm in violation if I stop anywhere in route and a LEO with a hard on pulls me over because my trunk isn't "secure" as my back seats fold down and I haven't got a lock on my soft sided rifle case. But that would mean I'd have to allow them to search the car to find out which isn't going to happen anyhow.

Throw a small master lock on the zippers of the soft case.

 

[josh2600]

I legitimately thought a trigger lock on a rifle was within the scope of the law for transport. Looks like I've been involved in some criminal activity.

It's true, but the joke is that the lamest of locks constitutes a "locked container". Like I posted above, a master lock through the zippers of a soft case is g2g. Obviously just don't ever depend on that if there is a legit need to secure it.

 

[dcmdon]

I have some locks that I use with my soft gun cases if necessary (when I use my wife's wagon).

I got 10 of them for $10 from amazon. What I like about them is that in a pinch, I can cut them off with the leatherman in my shooting bag.

I'm not a gun lock or locked case kind of person, and my locked trunk accommodates that. So I often forget the keys if I take my wife's wagon.
Also, growing up and living in CT, I never locked anything up ever during transport and I always carried everything in the back seat.

My opinion there is that if I'm ever stopped for a traffic citation, its a teachable moment for the LEO.

Don

 

[Palladin]

Get the setup from Overland, I kept my AR in my Impala for close to a year....garaged at night.


http://www.northeastshooters.com/vb...Racks-What-s-in-Your-Trunk?highlight=Overland