Firearms in Forests and Parks

[MudCamper]

1. Is it legal to have an unloaded handgun in a case (with separate loaded magazine) in your temporary camp site when shooting restrictions are in place in Los Padres?

Yes. You can also loaded open carry or loaded concealed carry while in your own campsite.

2. Is it legal to UOC a rifle (no ammo in possession) in Los Padres NF when shooting restrictions are in place?

Yes. You can carry ammo also. Just be careful of lead free zones. Even though you may be carrying for non-hunting reasons, a DFW Warden might try and pop you for hunting with lead ammo.

[robodeer]

Is it considered "fishing" if you carry your compact rod/reel? I'd carry a compact rod in either case.

[MudCamper]

Is it considered "fishing" if you carry your compact rod/reel? I'd carry a compact rod in either case.

If you have fishing tackle (even an As-Seen-On-TV! Pocket Fisherman), and you have a valid fishing license with you, and you are on your way to or from fishing, then you can use PC 25640 and carry unloaded and concealed (provided you aren't passing through a "school zone".) While you are fishing, and have your valid fishing license, you may be able to load, if you are someplace where shooting is not prohibited.

[Rhongman]

This is great info!
So it should be okay for me to loaded carry a pistol while kayak fishing, let's say, a mile out of Newport harbor.

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[Ronin2]

This is great info!
So it should be okay for me to loaded carry a pistol while kayak fishing, let's say, a mile out of Newport harbor.

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Wondering why??.

[Catalyst81]

Wondering why??.

Pirates.

[MudCamper]

So it should be okay for me to loaded carry a pistol while kayak fishing, let's say, a mile out of Newport harbor.

I don't know. This is outside my area of knowledge. If you were on a lake in say, a National Forest, it would NOT be legal, as shooting over bodies of water is prohibited, so loading would be prohibited. But out in the ocean I have no idea.

[dstock]

New guy here...

After reading the faq I am still not clear exactly on the long gun rules for Anza Borrego State Park.

Say I head out to go primitive camping in the park and have my locked unloaded shotgun in a case in my vehicle. I set up camp off one of the trails within the park. I would like to have my shotgun in our tent at night.

Seeing as how CA Law allows me to defend my temporary residence, which includes campsites, does this supersede the state park law of no loaded weapons?

Thanks for the help.

[Aragorn]

I just got back from a quick hike with the gf in the Angeles National Forest near my home. Upset, like all of us, that I, a non-CA CCW, LA County peon, have to leave my gun in my car in the standard, CA legal, unloaded configuration.

But I got thinking that since this is a National Forest, I hadn't checked laws for awhile regarding this situation. I want to thank MudCamper for putting all this together. Wow. Great job.

But seriously? What a bunch of total bull all these laws & restrictions/provisions and sub-restrictions are!!

"Is it legal for me to open or conceal carry unloaded/loaded, on a fire road farther than 100 yds from my campsite under a full moon on an odd numbered Tuesday?"

So much for 'strict scrutiny' of our 2A rights.
I need a drink... start early before the Super Bowl.

Thanks again for the effort in putting this 'sticky' thread together.

[MudCamper]

After reading the faq I am still not clear exactly on the long gun rules for Anza Borrego State Park.

Say I head out to go primitive camping in the park and have my locked unloaded shotgun in a case in my vehicle. I set up camp off one of the trails within the park. I would like to have my shotgun in our tent at night.

Seeing as how CA Law allows me to defend my temporary residence, which includes campsites, does this supersede the state park law of no loaded weapons?

No. Not legal. The trouble here is the California State Park.

Yes your temporary residence makes loading your firearm legal. But there is NO EXEMPTION for the law against possessing a firearm in a state park.

[Vetack]

But there is NO EXEMPTION for the law against possessing a firearm in a state park.

What about a CCW permit?

Do all state parks have the same restriction?

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[MudCamper]

What about a CCW permit?

Do all state parks have the same restriction?

There is a link to this in the first post of the thread.

According to some official, it was not the intent of the law to forbid CCW holders from carrying. So the consensus is that it is legal to LCC in a CA State Park with a CCW permit. Be wary though. There is no actual exemption in the law.

[SteelMcCoy]

I know this is mainly about lawful transportation of firearms when hunting or fishing, but this seems like a good place for this question because of how much studious research has been done here. Thank you for providing this resource, by the way, immensely helpful for anyone trying to navigate the ridiculous amount of rules and regulations.

Lawful transport in a vehicle is putting unloaded firearms (completely) in a case and having them locked in the vehicle (glove box or utility box doesn't count). It's also assumed that wherever you're coming from and wherever you're going are locations where it's lawful to possess your firearm.

So... for people not permitted to CCW, is it common to just keep a firearm in their vehicle, so they always have one wherever they travel to, be that work, weekend trips, etc.?

[Jason95357]

I know this is mainly about lawful transportation of firearms when hunting or fishing, but this seems like a good place for this question because of how much studious research has been done here. Thank you for providing this resource, by the way, immensely helpful for anyone trying to navigate the ridiculous amount of rules and regulations.

Lawful transport in a vehicle is putting unloaded firearms (completely) in a case and having them locked in the vehicle (glove box or utility box doesn't count). It's also assumed that wherever you're coming from and wherever you're going are locations where it's lawful to possess your firearm.

So... for people not permitted to CCW, is it common to just keep a firearm in their vehicle, so they always have one wherever they travel to, be that work, weekend trips, etc.?

"So... for people not permitted to CCW, is it common to just keep a firearm in their vehicle, so they always have one wherever they travel to, be that work, weekend trips, etc.?"

I don't know about common, but I certainly did/do. I would rather my wife or daughters have it in the vehicle if they have car issues on the side of the rode somewhere.

It is certainly legal. My children have written notes to possess firearms and ammo, which is required until they are 18.

[amishfarmer]

I just wanted to verify the info on the first two posts are still accurate since they were date marked a few years ago. As I understand it I can LCC in my campsite at Union Valley Resevoir ( USFS) and LOC while hiking trails in the area. I am non-CCW.

Thanks a million for the sticky. I seriously have a headache trying to sort out the laws. This helped immensely