It’s just a few days before Christmas and you’re probably getting ready to travel. Hopefully, if you live in a gun-friendly state (and not a terrible state like MD, NY, NJ or CA) you’ll be bringing a firearm with you.
But before you do, let me give you a few quick thoughts on Christmas travel with your gun. First off, make sure you’ve mapped your travel plans if you’re driving. You need to know if you can drive straight through to your destination with a gun on your hip, or if you go through one of the states mentioned above where your gun has to be unloaded, in a case, in the back of the car. (See: Concealed Carry Maps)
Once you arrive at your destination, I believe you should ask for the owner’s permission before you bring a gun into their house. It’s the right thing to do and if Aunt Ida doesn’t want you to bring a gun in her house, then you’ll have to obey her request or go somewhere else.
Personally…
I’ll be traveling to my father’s house and he knows I’ll be carrying and obviously doesn’t care. This year I think I’ll have my Springfield 1911 on me just because lately I’ve been in the mood to carry that gun instead of my Glock.
Also, when I go to my father’s house, I will still bring a case with a lock. Even though there are no children in the home and there won’t be any children there for Christmas, I believe you should always have a way to lock up your gun. If you are going to a place with children you may want to consider a Gun Vault safe or the Stack-On PDS safe. I own both of them and use them to store the many firearms throughout my house.
Now, not to get too technical or paranoid…
But wherever you’re visiting and staying for Christmas, at least know a simple layout of the house if you’re bringing a gun. For instance, if you’re sleeping in the basement are there any other bedrooms in the basement that you need to be aware of? In other words, if a burglar invaded the basement and you had to shoot them, is there another room the bullets could go through and potentially hit an innocent person?
Another thing you want to do is know who else is carrying a gun in the house. You may be the only one if your family isn’t really into guns. But if you come from a gun family you want to know who else is armed so you know who you can count on if a home invasion did occur. You’ll also want to make sure the person knows the four rules of firearms safety so they don’t accidentally shoot you if the two of you are investigating a bump in the night.
That’s pretty much it. Nothing too crazy or difficult to do, just know your state laws and protect your family wherever your travels take you.
Also be prepared to surrender your guns to law enforcement officers in case of a accident, if you are transported by ambulance, to a hospital.
One problem with the federal safe travel law. Some jurisdictions in New York State do not observe it. The prosecutors consider it a defense, not an excuse.
I
had one of my NRA instructors ask ,, Does your wife have a FEDERAL FIREARMS ID
CARD..
My
answer like many gun owners NO.. Than what would happen if me ( the gun owner )
got sick and maybe had to go to the hospital .. Who in the house is AUTHORIZED
to be in possession of my firearms ,, if the answer is no one ,, be prepared to
surrender your firearms to a law officer till you recover,, . If the wife has
her own ID card ( just the fed ID card ) your guns can stay in the house with
her ,, .. Something we should all address BEFORE something like that happens ,,
Maybe a car accident ,, you need to go to the hospital .. than the wife can take
possession ( not carry )
Think about it .. stay safe
Tony D …NJ
I disagree with asking Aunt Ida’s permission to carry in her home. The fewer people that know that I am carrying, the more effective that I can be if the weapon is needed.
If I’m really concerned that Aunt Ida might be offended then I’m going stay in a hotel and deep carry for the few hours that I’m in her home.
Holidays and other celebrations are a time when we tend relax and possibly become too altruistic for our own safety. I don’t believe that an estranged family member or mentally off balance co-worker is going to show up with intent to do harm to any of the celebrations that I attend. Nonetheless, I don’t dismiss the possibility. What brings happiness and goodwill to most us can be very depressing and upsetting for somebody that feels ostracized or vengeful.