Guns in a locked case

[whtl]

I have a SUV, can I legally travel with unloaded pistols, no magazines in the well with full magazines in the same locked Gun case? Once again I have a SUV. Thanks for your help.

[CSACANNONEER]

Yes, you can even refer to CHP's website if someone tells you you can't.

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.

[Wordupmybrotha]

I have a SUV, can I legally travel with unloaded pistols, no magazines in the well with full magazines in the same locked Gun case? Once again I have a SUV. Thanks for your help.

You can have an empty magazine in the magwell also.

[RickD427]

Good information in the two posts above. The general rule in California is that a weapon is "loaded" only when there is a cartridge, or shell, in the weapon that can be fired through the normal manipulation of the weapon. The key case law on the point is People v Clark. That case held that shotgun shells held in a buttstock sleeve did not make the shotgun "loaded."

But every rule has exceptions. California will consider your weapon as being "loaded" if there is ammunition accessible to the possessor (regardless of whether it is in the weapon, or stored separate from the weapon) under the following conditions:

1) You are committing "Armed Criminal Action"

2) Within specified state buildings

3) At the residences of specified state officials

4) At gun shows

5) Within specified portions of the city of Sacramento

[sitruc]

SUVs/hatchbacks only come into the equation when there is no separate locked case. You are GTG.