Long haul trucker ccw permit...carry, yes or no?

[itsallgood]

I drive cross country for a trucking company and can travel through 12 states in a week. Some of the areas and truckstops I drive through and stop at, a person would be nuts NOT to "carry". As we all know, some states are more CCW friendly than others. My question is this, how do other CCW permit holding truckers handle traveling through all the different states with all the different laws concerning CCW. Do you carry/not carry depending on the state you're traveling through? Do you always carry because concealed carry means just that "CONCEALED"? Im asking for ideas on how you all handle this. My thoughts are this, If I decide to carry, I should ALWAYS carry...no matter what! My CCW instructor said "Dead is dead"...always carry! What are your thoughts on this?

[OldOwl]

That was when I decided to get my CC. I bought property in Maine and used to leave at 3:00 AM from the south shore through Boston during the Big Dig days. They'd move the damn road EVERY week and detour everyone downtown with no signs. I used to kn ow Boston well but its changing so fast. So I found myself every week in dark deserted streets at 3:15 AM asking strangers where the hell the road is with thousands of dollars worth of tools and equipment in the back of my pickup, and a grand in cash in my pocket.

My advice would be, if you're going to carry illegally, minimize your risk. Keep a trigger lock on the gun maybe in the top of a duffel bag within reach, but don't lock the lock. Keep the mag out of the gun but close by NOT in the duffel bag. Now, you have wiggle room in BOTH directions. If I were going to do it, that's how I'd go about it.

[m1gunr]

There are NO federal laws against truckers carrying weapons, however there may be Employer rules against weapons in and on company property. If you are licensed to carry in the states you visit, you are legal to carry. For those states you are not licensed then you will have to unload and case per Federal travel laws.

Here is a document from Office of Hazardous Materials Standards that firearms do not fall under hazardous materials in commercial vehicles.

http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/C...dFirerarms.pdf

<edit>
NY has the most asinine laws on the books. If you travel through and stop for gas/food, you are good to go BUT if you stop for the night then you are now a felon. Each weapon you carry could get you 7 years.

[G50AE]

What states do you travel through?

[Axeanda45]

I have 5 yrs OTR experience.... Concealed means Concealed.... ONLY thing I would worry about is the remote possibility of having to load or unload on Federal property........


I do have a CCW, and I do announce being armed when dealing with LEO and DOT when State law requires, Never had a problem, never disarmed or looked at sideways, but it hasn't helped out with getting out of tickets, lol

[Edsworld]

carry.

[JSDinTexas]

[QUOTE=Axeanda45;170284]I have 5 yrs OTR experience.... Concealed means Concealed.... ONLY thing I would worry about is the remote possibility of having to load or unload on Federal property........


Did 20 years of OTR starting in the 70s and had guns in the truck all the time for a while, for the first 5 years I was only running in TX, AR, OK, LA. When I went coast-to-coast, I quit carrying cause I was in NY and CA routinely. My problem was I wanted to carry but couldn't count on not being sent to some ignorant state that prohibited and didn't want to run the risk of the felony.

Only solution is get an intrastate run or dedicated run where you will know where you are going, otherwise, consider a big stick.

[oldbanjo]

I would find a place to hide a Gun in the Truck when in the wrong States. I would NOT CC, you can get stopped and inspected at any time. Some of my Drivers have been stopped and inspected. I've always had a Gun in my Vehicle/Motorcycle sense the mid 60's no matter what State I was in.

[Gordon Shumway]

Great idea!!!

[mkuisi8mo]

...NY has the most asinine laws on the books. If you travel through and stop for gas/food, you are good to go BUT if you stop for the night then you are now a felon. Each weapon you carry could get you 7 years.

+1 on that.

However, it's not only a Felony for the "Illegal Possession of an unregistered handgun without a valid NYS Pistol Permit" for the overnight stop. If going through and you are, let's say, planning on having lunch with your old college buddy or your aunt Tilly who live along your route, well that too is the Felony Possession rap, BTW: ALL handguns are registered in NY, their "Assault Weapons Ban" did not "sunset" (thanks to Chucky Schumer's help). Pistols have a 10 Rd max limit...and on & on!

Also, all the major cities in the state have their own weird laws, e.g., You can legally own a pistol-grip 12 gauge In Kingston, but not in Rochester.

Don't even think about driving through NYC carrying any firearm. People have been arrested for a misdemeanor "illegal possession" at all the NYC airports who simply unboarded one plane to catch another connecting flight on route to their final destination out of NYS...regardless if they already were legal with the TSA. The City cops check every flight manifest to see who has a handgun in their cargo-stowed luggage. If you are one of them you're going up "****** Creek" & not your final planned destination.

Albany is worse. The county DA has an Albany County Sheriff Deputy specifically assigned to do the same thing as in NYC at their airport...the only difference is in Albany you get a Felony.

If you don't already know it...NY does not recognize any other state license either, only their own Pistol Possession Permit (No non-resident permits either). It's also a crime to simply hold a handgun in your hands without that damn Pistol Permit with your name on it.

AND, the LEO's are everywhere giving out "bogus" tickets anytime they can, but they will let you plea your case down later in court if you plea "not-guilty" as a state & local revenue stream. Your chances of crossing the state without getting pulled over for something is just the "Luck of the Draw".

I lived there for about 42 years. I finally had enough and "voted with my feet". I made one last run there on family estate business last May/June. Then, I had to disarm completely and stash everything at my sister's place in PA before I crossed the border. (Never mind I am licensed to carry concealed in 34 states)

Well, I got in and then out ASAP, less than a week. I still managed to get stopped for one of those "bogus" tickets the night before heading out. BTW: Road-side searches can go down for "Probable Cause"...LEO's make that call "on the spot"! I'm never going back! I'll do everything in my power to avoid even transiting through that state.

My best advice is top off your fuel tanks & drain your bladder before heading in, then drive straight on through non-stop. During that pit-stop, lock up your firearms and stash them per the Fed standards.