locked containers

[Glock619]

I hope this is not a repeat, but last night I was working with my supervisor and he mentioned that having a locked container in your vehicle is illegal. That this was new at the beginning of the year. We argued for a bit, but he swears by it. Guess the guy at the gun shop told him so when picking up his XD.

Wanted to run this by you guys as you know a lot more than me.

Oh and he thinks 1911 are not good duty guns. Anyone beg to differ?

[Librarian]

I hope this is not a repeat, but last night I was working with my supervisor and he mentioned that having a locked container in your vehicle is illegal.

(1) Since this is the way we satisfy PC 12026.1 and 12026.2 for carrying handguns concealed without CCW, and for carrying registered 'assault weapons', he can't possibly mean that.

(2) It might be the case that he means having such a container BOLTED TO one's vehicle, which some fear then creates a 'utility compartment', whose use is illegal for 12026.1/.2. That concern is not yet supported by any case law I know of.

I would say, then, what your supervisor has said "turns out not to be the case".

[Unit74]

That's funny... cuz the law says you HAVE to have the gun in a locked container and the glove box don't count.


Sounds like FUD to me.


He's prolly talking about a concealed compartment that was not OEM and can be used to conceal contraband, i.e. a trip switched compartment or false wall gas tank and so on.

[CSACANNONEER]

IIRC, federal law requires FFLs who deal in NFA item to have a box bolted into their vehicle.

[windrunner]

Next time you are at a gun store/range look for a copy of this:


It gets updated frequently with whatever changes occur. This publication will dispel any rumor and conjecture that you constantly hear from all sorts of clowns about this state's gun laws.

I believe most gun stores will give them away. I could be mistaken though. If you had to buy one, they only cost a few bucks.

[Munk]

why does this feel more like a troll than a legit question?

You'd need a locked container since many SUVs have no trunk, many coups/sedans have a pass-through trunkspace that makes it "technically" NOT a locked container (can be accessed from inside the cab without a key). And the glovebox/center console are already no-go.

Unless somehow they made locked containers illegal so you MUST CCW or UOC/LOC everywhere you go, which would be a hilarious and unlikely legal cock-up.

[CSACANNONEER]

why does this feel more like a troll than a legit question?

You'd need a locked container since many SUVs have no trunk, many coups/sedans have a pass-through trunkspace that makes it "technically" NOT a locked container (can be accessed from inside the cab without a key). And the glovebox/center console are already no-go.

Unless somehow they made locked containers illegal so you MUST CCW or UOC/LOC everywhere you go, which would be a hilarious and unlikely legal cock-up.

I sort of remember hearing something about a proposed (it could be a law now) law about making it illegal to have some sort of hidden compartment (think drugs, bangers with guns, etc.) in a vehicle. So, I don't think it was a trolling question.

[johnthomas]

[IrishPirate]

a VERY small part of me hopes so because then they would have to issue CCW's like Halloween candy. Good cause would officially be "so i can drive to the range", and there would be no limit to the number of guns you could carry at once.

[Glock619]

ya thats what i was telling him. I said car manufactures would not allow to make trunks and glove compartments if that was the case. lol. I knew he was full of it.

[diego-ted]

So from my my homt to the trunk and from the trunk to the range 25' my weapons must be in a locked container?

Diego

Diego

[Fishslayer]

So from my my homt to the trunk and from the trunk to the range 25' my weapons must be in a locked container?

Diego

Diego

Yup. Not a big deal for me. I already transported my handguns in a box. Adding a lock was no big deal.

As I read it that means handguns. Long guns except AW don't need locks?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[UserM4]

Yeah, I wouldn't bolt the container to the car, making it part of the vehicle and possibly a 'utility compartment' but you can chain it to something like your seat rail.

[Notblake]

ask him to cite the PC. you cite the PC where it says that you MUST carry in a locked container, then you tell him to jog-on.

[Librarian]

So from my my homt to the trunk and from the trunk to the range 25' my weapons must be in a locked container?

Diego

Depends, just a little bit.

If from your home to the trunk means just onto your driveway, nope, no lock needed. And Theseus' case suggests that, in some jurisdictions, locked case would be a good idea onto your driveway, as well.

If you're in a school zone, and you have to take your handgun down to the curb, then YES, you need the locked case.

Similarly, if the range is a typical urban-ish business district set up, YES, you need the locked case.

If it's an outdoor place, where the parking lot and all are on one piece of (private) property, then you follow the rules of the range. If it's PUBLIC property, then almost certainly you need the locked case.

Please do not try to apply logic to CA gun laws. It only makes your head hurt.