Firearms in Forests and Parks

[alexf2k9]

so many laws......... just bring a lawyer everywhere you take your gun to avoid confusion.... LOL

[el scorcho]

I got this notice as I confirmed my trip to Joshua Tree NP:

Alerts and Important Information
Equestrian sites are for campers with horses ONLY. There are NO horse corrals. Sites have shared hitching posts, fire pits and picnic tables.
You will be held to the type of equipment your reservation is for. Campgrounds will be unable to accomodate equipment changes. Late Arrivals: If you will be arriving after noon the FOLLOWING DAY call 760-367-3001. IF YOU DO NOT CALL, CHECK-IN OR VISIBLY OCCUPY YOUR SITE BY NOON THE FOLLOWING DAY,YOU WILL FORFEIT YOUR SITE. Pets must be leashed. Pets are not allowed on trails and are restricted to developed areas only. Bring your own firewood. No gathering of wood allowed. No hook-ups. No firearms or fireworks. Quiet hours 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Generators allowed 7 a.m. - 9 a.m., 12 p.m. - 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Two vehicles (trailers are considered a vehicle) and 6 people maximum per site. Check in at Ranger Station, hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. except Friday, 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. Organized or special events may require permits. There is no access into the main portion of the park from the campground, except by hiking trails. Entry into the main portion of the park at other entry points requires an entrance fee separate from the campground fee. $15 for a 7 day period per private family vehicle. Commercial users are required to reserve group site. Are you a commerical user? If so, you are required to obtain an incidental business permit. Please call 760-367-5545. Groups Larger than 18 people (3 sites), please call 760-367-5549 for more information. If you reserve a disabled site and arrive at the park and are not disabled, you may forfeit your site, and/or be cited.

bolded...is this right? I guess I should contact them personally to be extra sure...

[Crom]

Thank you for this thread. It is very helpful.

I'm taking a 4 day trip through some remote parts of Death Valley National Park. i feel comfortable that I understand I will be able to UOC if I choose both in my vehicle and while deeper in the mountains on foot. The question I have is a combination of NF regulation (no discharge within 150 yrds of a building) and the right to LOC while in temporary residence or campsite.

There are many old cabins in DVNP and I intend to stay in some. All have vehicle access and are thus adjacent to roads. I would like to LOC while utilizing these cabins for shelter overnight. Does anyone see any problems with this?

On a side, transporting a pistol locked and unloaded over 4 days shouldnt be a problem in the NP, or is my destination too vague?

Thanks!

I love Death Valley very much. If your entering Death Valley from the west (Wingate road) and through Goler Canyon then I know the cabins you speak of. I see no problems with what you posted. In July I traversed the Mojave Desert UOC'ing the whole time. No problems, but I did not encounter any LEOs either. If UOC'ing keep a copy of the laws with you so you can explain yourself if you need to.

[bpenn]

Thank you for this thread. It is very helpful.

I'm taking a 4 day trip through some remote parts of Death Valley National Park. i feel comfortable that I understand I will be able to UOC if I choose both in my vehicle and while deeper in the mountains on foot. The question I have is a combination of NF regulation (no discharge within 150 yrds of a building) and the right to LOC while in temporary residence or campsite.

There are many old cabins in DVNP and I intend to stay in some. All have vehicle access and are thus adjacent to roads. I would like to LOC while utilizing these cabins for shelter overnight. Does anyone see any problems with this?

On a side, transporting a pistol locked and unloaded over 4 days shouldnt be a problem in the NP, or is my destination too vague?

Thanks!

[peopleofthesun]

Hello all. Does this look like a legal place to go target shooting? Click on the arrows in the top middle to see more of the map. It is in the National Forest as we pass two NF signs getting there. We've been there a couple of times and by the looks of all the trash so has other people. Just curious thanks.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Oakhurst,+CA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.778911,56.162109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Oakhurst,+Madera,+California&ll=37.343093,-119.588413&spn=0.002256,0.005472&t=h&z=18

[Taxidave]

anyone know if you can LOC or UOC in clevleand national forest??
if your familiar with the rules/regs there please let me know

Google it and go to their web-page. It will tell you what's allowed.

[Secret]

can I go shooting up in saddleback mountains (serious)

[bigiron]

PC 12025 makes concealing illegal. Unconcealed handguns are legal. The belt holster is just one clarification that it is not concealed. Any other method of carry that does not conceal is also legal. While it is not specifically spelled out, it is legal.

So a GunMate Guide Chest Holster would also qualify as legit in your view?

[luckystrike]

anyone know if you can LOC or UOC in clevleand national forest??
if your familiar with the rules/regs there please let me know

[Homebrew2]

I just stumbled over this link to BLM El Centro Field Office.
It states: All federal, state, and county regulations apply to public lands.
Is the part about County regs BS or somehow discretionary by BLM unit or ?
I can't find a ref in Title 43 CFR to support it

[MudCamper]

Next time I'm visiting California's back country, I'll be sure to carry a 20lb crib sheet of what I can and cannot do depending on the phase of the moon and the mood of the legislature.

Well, it can be kept pretty simple: In the National Parks, UOC. In the National Forests and BLM, UOC, unless you are hiking out in the proverbial sticks, then LOC.

[bulgron]

This thread depresses me. The rule should be, "You're a legal resident of the United States? Then by all means, openly carry, loaded or unloaded, wherever you want to except for those places protected by armed guards and metal detectors."

Next time I'm visiting California's back country, I'll be sure to carry a 20lb crib sheet of what I can and cannot do depending on the phase of the moon and the mood of the legislature.

[MudCamper]

Prohibited from shooting in Wilderness areas unless in danger or legally hunting... so can I LOC when backpacking in wilderness areas?

It'd be a bad day for someone to try to confiscate a firearm in the backwoods.

This is covered in the first few posts in the thread. Wilderness areas in NPs are, like the entire NP, prohibited areas, so only UOC. Wilderness areas in the NF may have shooting restrictions but usually not, so UOC or LOC accordingly. Check your local ranger station for local restrictions.

[cahermit]

12031 prohibits loading in "prohibited areas" which we all know by now is defined as anywhere you are prohibited from shooting.

Prohibited from shooting in Wilderness areas unless in danger or legally hunting... so can I LOC when backpacking in wilderness areas?

It'd be a bad day for someone to try to confiscate a firearm in the backwoods.

[17+1]

But this is all because 12031 prohibits loading in "prohibited areas" which we all know by now is defined as anywhere you are prohibited from shooting. HOWEVER, 12031 also is self-exempting in one's "temporary residence or campsite" so you are free to load there.

17+1, are you saying that the rangers you have encountered are not aware of this exception? If not we need to educate them.

They may be aware, but I did not encounter one at a campsite or 'temporary residence'.

I was at a trail-head near a parking lot...

I should have asked where the people that got their weapons confiscated were when they got dinged...sorry guys.