Open carrying long guns on motorcycles

[Eddy's Shooting Sports]

I used to ride my MC every week through East Palo Alto with my Benelli M1 in a soft case slung on my back. It was obvious what it was, but I never once got pulled over. Granted I was on a BMW and every cop in EPA knew there was a shotgun range by the bay, so I don't think they ever even looked twice.

Why someone would want to open carry, I have no idea. Just seems silly.

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

I live in Rosamond which can barely be described as rural, so the whole urban riot theory is null, and I'm not planning on carrying a shotgun around just for the hell of it. I'm talking about loading up the saddlebags with clays and shells, throwing the 12 gauge on my back, and riding ~2 miles to go to a remote location to get some target practice with some friends.

My advice (free and worth the cost) is to load the ammo into the saddlebags (don't forget to balance the load, wouldn't want to list, would we?), put the shotgun in a bag with shoulder straps, lock the zipper if you have to pass through a school zone on the way, carry it on your back and go shoot. The likelihood of problems under those circumstances is minimal, if not a virtual zero, from a realistic point of view (and my view from the LEO position). The worst that might happen is that you crash, having hard things on your back when you crash isn't comfortable and may cause physical damage. YMMV.

If you feel more comfortable, the guitar case sounds like a good idea... even soccer moms know what guitar cases look like and are unlikely to pull out their cell phones and call 911 if they see one being transported by a motorcyclist. If you can bungee it to the back seat or luggage rack (if your bike has one) that works too, but remember not to split traffic if you do that.

Meantime, let the tinfoil hattery continue... dangit, where's that popcorn icon?

[ElvenSoul]

Put a MLP Sticker on the gun then the LEO's will know your not a killer

[AyatollahGondola]

And? So what. They're wasting their time. No law is being broken, they have no reason to detain you and IF they do... you're going to be a rich man once your attorney is done with them. The fact of the matter is this, all I see out of CalGuns is people spouting off "don't you UOC.... Don't you do it! you'll get it taken away from us".... well apparently you folks don't do it anyway so what do you care if it gets taken away? And if UOC for long rifles does get taken away then guess how many lawsuits will come down on this State? MILLIONS. Because then we have no way to exercise our 2A right and CA is on its way to a Shall Issue state. You can thank all us Godless UOC'ers you screamed at.

"A right not exercised is a right soon lost"... I guess we forgot that here.

And by the way, I'm UOC an AR-15 tomorrow... camo'd with all the bells and whistles. And I'm taking it there with my motorcycle. Yes.... I will be pulled over and yes I will be harassed. Do I care? NOPE. I'll also be wearing a vest under my bike jacket and wearing a helmet cam in case I get shot by some rookie cop I can give the video to my lawyer and laugh at the settlement I get.

For what it's worth, and I'm nobody really, but when I open carry, I notify the cops. All of them. I want my experience to be as positive as possible for all concerned, and an extra bonus is when the referred to soccer mom calls said dispatchers, the dispatchers then calmly tell them that everything is fine, and the person is within the law. Soccer mom gets an education from someone not in the legislature or the media, or the brady bunch. Plus you get to be known by the local LEO, the dispatchers, the highway patrol in your area, etc. Good for business

[AyatollahGondola]

I used to ride my MC every week through East Palo Alto with my Benelli M1 in a soft case slung on my back. It was obvious what it was, but I never once got pulled over. Granted I was on a BMW and every cop in EPA knew there was a shotgun range by the bay, so I don't think they ever even looked twice.

Why someone would want to open carry, I have no idea. Just seems silly.

May I answer that? Why thank you.....

Not everyone in the next generation is getting an education about the 2nd amendment or firearms for that matter that isn't biased by anti 2A or anti gun propaganda. Many younger people get only what they learn in school, or community centers and the 'hood, if they live in one. If you've ever wondered why kids don't believe in the constitution, religion, morals, and other concepts that many of us have come to like, look no farther than the education they are NOT getting. Do you think they'll get a lesson in the 2A in school? Lots of kids come from single parent homes that have no hunters, no shooters, and no exposure to the good side of firearms. If we don't teach those kids today, who will bat for 2A in 10 years, 20, or 30?