I just got an AR and ? about transportation?

[go4kil]

First, noob/newbie here. I just got my first AR and I was wondering how do you guys transport it? I purchased a 36" riffle bag and i was wondering if you put a pistol on the bag together with the rifle, do you look them both with a gun lock, lock them both externally through the zipper tabs, or only the handgun needs to be locked? Im sorry if this has been asked a thousand times. Thank you!

[edgerly779]

handgun locked in case/ ammo ok but not in handgun.

[Army]

As of now, only the handgun needs to be in its own locked container (the container is locked, not the gun itself) for transport. No glove compartment or utility box (however, the locked container with gun can go into either place, but ONLY if already in the separate container). Ammunition can be in same container, as can filled magazines. DO NOT let any ammunition be inserted into the gun in any manner.

Long gun transport, for logical and safety of the firearm reasons, should be in a locked case/container (the law does not specify what a container is, common sense says it should be one that prohibits easy entry or access).

Your car trunk, IF IT CANNOT BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE CAB, counts as a locked container. Truckbed utility boxes do not count.

Many prefer transport of AR types with an empty magazine inserted, to prove to any LEO that the magazine is indeed locked in per the law.

[frankDmole]

http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/Transporting

[go4kil]

so i bought the voodoo 36" which was on sale btw at turner's, so the pistol pouch is pretty much useless then? can I have loaded AR magazine's on the outside pouch or together with the AR as long as it's not in the gun itself right?

[RazzB7]

Your car trunk, IF IT CANNOT BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE CAB, counts as a locked container. Truckbed utility boxes do not count.

Your source for bolded portion?

[Army]

Your source for bolded portion?

It has been acknowledged by the CG legal guru's, that a truck utility box is just that--- a utility box.

Utility box is stated in the law.

[iBkickinit]

keep the pistol in a case with some sort of lock. lock at base of zippers to keep them as tight as possible. No loaded mag in magwell, but in same compartment is fine.

Unless you live in the boonies, lock your long-guns as well. GFSZ makes it very hard to drive in urban or suburban environments without passing the 1000' radius. Just buy a bunch of TSA locks or zipper locks. I have more than a dozen. Whenever I have guns in the backseat, I thrown a blanket over them. No cop can argue they saw a 'gun case' in plain sight. In any traffic stop, the answer is no-I don't have any weapons. Not a crime to lie if they are not investigating you for something. Unless it is a federal officer - that IS a crime.

Outside a GFSZ, you can legally have a longgun in the front seat if you want. Not adviseable but technically not illegal.

[-hanko]

It has been acknowledged by the CG legal guru's, that a truck utility box is just that--- a utility box.

Utility box is stated in the law.

Not sure, but you may be confusing the interior console v. a locked/bolted-to-the-bed toolbox.

-hanko

[high_revs]

dunno about which CG gurus ARmy is referring to on the utility box. below are 2 threads around the issue of a utility box + a pass through.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=586672

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=481591&highlight=trunk+locked

go4kill,
if depends on the kind of car you're wanting to use. i come from a prelude (coupe with a passthru to the trunk but it requires opening with a key to lower the seat) and a s2000 (no passthru). i didn't lock my cases.

now i have a mini-suv (crv). trunk is accessible from inside the cabin w/o any kind of locked barriers. i have to lock all my cases now per gfsz. yes, state law doesn't require you to lock the long guns, but fed law (gfsz) requires you to.

can't wait for my little one so i get away from a accessible trunk. what a pita now that i've been using my cr-v for >1 yr now.

but.. ymmv... i'm sure there are other opinions here.

[RazzB7]

It has been acknowledged by the CG legal guru's, that a truck utility box is just that--- a utility box.

Utility box is stated in the law.

To me they are toolboxes. Just another example of confusing gun laws in CA.

[Decoligny]

Not sure, but you may be confusing the interior console v. a locked/bolted-to-the-bed toolbox.

-hanko

The Penal Code references "Utility Compartment", not "Utility Box".

A compartment is defined in the dictionary as "one of the spaces that an area is divided into". To me that means an area in the vehicle that was specifically devided to hold utilitarian items.

A locking tool box outside of the cab of a truck would almost certainly not be considered a "Utility Compartment", as it has not been divided from the area, it has actually been added to the area.

[Army]

dunno about which CG gurus ARmy is referring to on the utility box. .

From your link, by CGF member and legal scholar bwiesse: "..Another related worry: the cross-bed toolboxes common on today's pickup trucks also may run the risk of being considered as an undefined 'utility box' - which (along with glove boxes) is not legal for gun storage [unless the gun was inside its own locked container inside].

While the likely legislative intent of the term 'utility box' probably meant another convenience storage compartment in the driver's reach and is similar in concept/function to the glove box (i.e. the utility compartment is is likely the storage bolster between driver & passenger seat), we again really don't know.

[In fact I believe 7-8 years ago NRA attorney Chuck Michel wrote a memo on this general worry.]

There's simply no guarantee a court may interpret the scope of this name properly or how broadly they extend it, as it is undefined in statute and regulation.

In particular, the common truck cross-bed toolboxes by WeatherGard/ Knaack are in fact specifically called 'utility boxes' on their label plates by the manufacturers. Given this, I transport my handguns and certain registered 12276/12276.1PC semiauto centerfire rifles within my truck toolbox in their own separate locked containers within.

Weapons in their own locked container can be transported anywhere in a vehicle, because they are already secured separately.

[Librarian]

The critical item in Bill's post is "we again really don't know".

Making unqualified statements either way cannot be supported by law, case law, or legal opinion from private or government sources.

Since it's all opinion, decide which opinion meets the level of risk you personally wish to accept.