|
RVers who carry firearms need to be aware of differing state laws where they travel. By Chuck Woodbury When we surveyed the readers of RV Travel about whether they carry a firearm with them on the road, we were surprised at the results. More than half of the 2,300 respondents said that they carry a gun all or most of the time. We knew that many RVers bring along a gun, but we never suspected how widespread the practice. Most of these RVers, we believe, are aware of the gun laws in their home state, but we suspect many are not aware that what is perfectly legal at home may be a felony after they cross the border. Many a horror story exists in which the unwary, nonresident traveler is arrested on a firearms felony charge for a violation that wouldn't even quality as misdemeanor in the traveler's home state. A routine traffic stop can suddenly degenerate into a nightmare journey through the criminal justice system. The unsuspecting traveler is hauled off to jail and forced to wait the intervention of an attorney while his vehicle is searched and perhaps even impounded. One story that typifies the humiliation of such a situation occurred several years ago on the New Jersey turnpike. A businessman from North Carolina was traveling to Maine via New Jersey when he was stopped by a New Jersey state trooper for a speeding violation. During the routine questioning, the trooper asked the North Carolina man if he had any firearms in the vehicle. Having a concealed carry permit in North Carolina, the man assumed he was operating well within the law. He told the trooper that he had a semi-automatic pistol in his briefcase which he was licensed to carry and would be more than happy to allow the trooper to inspect it. Before the traveler could utter another word, the trooper had drawn his sidearm, pointed it at the man and began shouting to him to exit the vehicle at once with his hands in the air. The stunned businessman, who had never had so much as a parking ticket, did as the officer demanded. He soon found himself spread eagle on the ground while the agitated trooper called for assistance. In the days after his arrest, the traveler was charged with a felony and spent three days in a Newark jail. He was eventually placed on a diversion program while the felony charge was pled down to a misdemeanor. But if the man had not had such an exemplary prior record, he may have faced the original felony and prison time. In traveling through New Jersey, the traveler f
A question that often arises among motorhome owners is whether their motorhomes are considered vehicles or residences. Attorney J. Scott Kappas, author of Traveler's Guide to the Firearms Laws of the Fifty States, explains: "The statues in most states consider RVs to be readily mobile and thus subject to all firearms laws concerning vehicular travel," he says. "But courts have held that RVs in a fixed state, in a campground and hooked up to utilities, are residences." Kappas advises all travelers including RVers to pay close attention to the rules of the states where they travel. "Knowing how to carry a firearm in a legally correct manner is as essential to a safe, efficient trip as a good road atlas, he says." Kappas's book is the only one on the market we know of that explains each of the 50 U.S. states gun laws.
|
