Trucking and guns

[Jcp123]

So, I see there’s a lot of unrest and negativity in our nation. I drive a truck and go to a lot of different places. I understand very firmly that there are a lot of jurisdictions which will frown upon a handgun, but company policy aside, what if I hypothetically carried a shotgun?

I’m not a terribly paranoid person and despite having the ability to carry fairly easily in a legal manner, I choose not to for a variety of reasons. Still, I don’t like the climate these days, and I feel like packing some heat might actually not be a bad idea.

EDIT: my territory is basically as follows: draw a straight line up I35, go East. I’m all the way out to the Atlantic, but basically sheltered from anything north and east of I81 in PA. That means no NJ, NY, etc., but plenty of MN, WI, IL and WI, among others.

I generally don’t go west unless they need extra folks, which I always volunteer for. I’m from California and the desert Southwest is my happy place, but that’s twice in five years.

 

[Chevusa]

Who would frown upon a handgun but be fine with a shotgun? I don’t understand the logic. A handgun can be concealed where nobody would know about it. You also don’t risk the truck being broken into and having your shotgun stolen. Do you have a pistol permit? What states do you drive in?

 

[Tisto]

When I drove OTR ( 25 years ago ) I kept a cruiser in the cab despite company policy. Better to have it and have to find a new job than not have it and find yourself in need. Some of the places I went were downright scary in the daytime, much less than pulling in at 3:00 am.

As far as legal compliance, a legal shotgun would be fine as long as it wasn't loaded if you were searched. This would NOT be the case in Canada, of course. Check with your lawyer, but I think a cruiser or a shockwave would be fine.

 

[Jcp123]

I addressed the states I drive in previously, I was editing while you replied. If you haven’t seen my intro, I live in Texas but am moving to NY soonish. The reason I ask is because when the chips are down, I feel like a long gun might only get me fired vs a handgun could be some jail time, and because I feel like a scattergun is kind of better than a pistol in some ways. Also not entirely sure how concealed carry translates in a vehicle vs on your person.

 

[Jcp123]

When I drove OTR ( 25 years ago ) I kept a cruiser in the cab despite company policy. Better to have it and have to find a new job than not have it and find yourself in need. Some of the places I went were downright scary in the daytime, much less than pulling in at 3:00 am.

As far as legal compliance, a legal shotgun would be fine as long as it wasn't loaded if you were searched. This would NOT be the case in Canada, of course. Check with your lawyer, but I think a cruiser or a shockwave would be fine.

Interesting. I don’t go to Canada, so that’s not a big deal. Load it when parked, unload when driving?

I’m thinking about my .410 Stoeger coach gun, keep something between birdshot and buckshot in one barrel, a .45 in the other? It’ll take 3” shells, which makes a .410 non-crappy in my world.

 

[Steal2B]

What you suggest makes sense. More than once I have heard a U.S. Marshall advise Motorhome and Truck drivers (who had concealed permits but not in states they were travelling / visiting) to have shotgun in their vehicle but not have it loaded when on the road.

 

[Jcp123]

What you suggest makes sense. More than once I have heard a U.S. Marshall advise Motorhome and Truck drivers (who had concealed permits but not in states they were travelling / visiting) to have shotgun in their vehicle but not have it loaded when on the road.

Ok, makes sense.

Next question is, since that’s the gun I trained my wife on for home defense, do I take that, or borrow a 20ga from my Pa? Since he gave up the awesome house with a shooting range out back, there’s not much around to train myself or my wife on using a shotgun, just pistols or a rifle.

 

[Steal2B]

Ok, makes sense.

Next question is, since that’s the gun I trained my wife on for home defense, do I take that, or borrow a 20ga from my Pa? Since he gave up the awesome house with a shooting range out back, there’s not much around to train myself or my wife on using a shotgun, just pistols or a rifle.

The male chauvinist pig in me would leave my wife with the gun she is most comfortable ... but honestly my wife would never be down to just one gun.

 

[Jcp123]

Lol my wife is hard to describe. She is basically not really that good at the basic mechanics or safety protocols of guns. Part of that is sort of a fear of them, part of it is that although she’s “one of the guys” in a lot of ways, she’s just not interested. Her mindset is sort of in tune with guys in a lot of ways, but mechanics aren’t one of them, so things like manipulating safeties or driving a manual transmission just aren’t her thing.

 

[Podmonkey]

Do what you have to do and don't talk about it. There aren't any regulations specific to CMVs, you are subject to the laws of whatever state and municipality you are in.

 

[spat]

Who would frown upon a handgun but be fine with a shotgun? I don’t understand the logic. A handgun can be concealed where nobody would know about it. You also don’t risk the truck being broken into and having your shotgun stolen. Do you have a pistol permit? What states do you drive in?

NYS would frown on a handgun but be OK with a shotgun for an out of state driver (unless they really want to be dicks about it and claim you are poaching, but that was another thread)

 

[cgrutt]

NYS would frown on a handgun but be OK with a shotgun for an out of state driver (unless they really want to be dicks about it and claim you are poaching, but that was another thread)

Ironically NYS would also be fine with NYS permit holder carrying a concealed loaded handgun while driving but not a loaded shotgun....

 

[Chevusa]

If you live in Texas just get your carry license. You can carry in all blue states below. This is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Also if you dig in deep you will see that while you may not carry on your person with a TX permit in IL, they do allow loaded carry in a vehicle. So you’re basically covered everywhere except the coasts.

 

[Saltwater60]

Get yourself a new shotgun and leave your wife with the one she’s comfortable with.

 

[Shadow2]

So, I see there’s a lot of unrest and negativity in our nation. I drive a truck and go to a lot of different places. I understand very firmly that there are a lot of jurisdictions which will frown upon a handgun, but company policy aside, what if I hypothetically carried a shotgun?

I’m not a terribly paranoid person and despite having the ability to carry fairly easily in a legal manner, I choose not to for a variety of reasons. Still, I don’t like the climate these days, and I feel like packing some heat might actually not be a bad idea.

EDIT: my territory is basically as follows: draw a straight line up I35, go East. I’m all the way out to the Atlantic, but basically sheltered from anything north and east of I81 in PA. That means no NJ, NY, etc., but plenty of MN, WI, IL and WI, among others.

I generally don’t go west unless they need extra folks, which I always volunteer for. I’m from California and the desert Southwest is my happy place, but that’s twice in five years.

You have a great case to get reciprocity through all 50 then most. But you'd need to be denied by the states or get arrested to take it to court. In the mean time get a Shockwave

 

[Acer-m14]

get 3 .. drivers side , passenger side and one for the bunk

 

[BDinPutnam]

Get yourself a new shotgun and leave your wife with the one she’s comfortable with.

Ditto.

 

[Acer-m14]

make it 4 if you have the same trailer .. one on the wall in there

 

[dsdmmat]

Grab a Remington 870 detachable magazine and about 3 or 4 spare mags. You can load it in a flash and reloads are quick

 

[Different Drummer]

In eight years of crossing the the country in a MH ( NY to the southern sections of Cali. near Yuma AZ ), I had a Mossberg 5oo aboard.
Though I usually had a sidearm as well. Even took the Mossberg through Canada on a trip to Alaska one year. ( applied for and paid for authorization to transport ). Having a shotgun with me was never an issue.
The negative is not being able to have it loaded while traveling. ( A different discussion ) I was always going to have the Mossberg modified to accept a magazine to address the loading issue. Never did get around to it. As mentioned earlier you could go with a semi auto to cover the speed in loading issue. Just run it enough to make sure it is VERY reliable.
If you are happy with two shots and needing to reload just run with your coach gun. Can't get much simpler than that.

 

[Jcp123]

If you live in Texas just get your carry license. You can carry in all blue states below. This is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Also if you dig in deep you will see that while you may not carry on your person with a TX permit in IL, they do allow loaded carry in a vehicle. So you’re basically covered everywhere except the coasts.
View attachment 81737

I have never sought a CCW largely because I believe my fight-or-flight adrenaline dump would make it hard to use a pistol effectively, while putting the confrontation in a life-or-death frame for the assailant. In other words, it raises the stakes and lacking combat experience where I could handle that as a matter of course, I feel like it’s a bad choice.

Having said that, legal issues aside, I do think I have a couple of advantages. One is my truck as a defensible space. Locked doors and curtains preclude easy entry or visibility. Two, I sort of like the WWII doctrine of issuing the M1 Carbine: a long gun is easier to wield effectively, for folks not really expecting to have to use it, than a pistol is. Downsides are the adrenaline dump and comparatively close quarters in a truck.

 

[Jcp123]

Grab a Remington 870 detachable magazine and about 3 or 4 spare mags. You can load it in a flash and reloads are quick

I actually kinda like that idea, but I don’t have spare dough right now. I’m also usually parked next to other trucks, so overpenetration is a thing; it’s one of the reasons I went .410 in the first place. Mag-fed shotguns are a fantastic freaking idea though.

 

[Jcp123]

In eight years of crossing the the country in a MH ( NY to the southern sections of Cali. near Yuma AZ ), I had a Mossberg 5oo aboard.
Though I usually had a sidearm as well. Even took the Mossberg through Canada on a trip to Alaska one year. ( applied for and paid for authorization to transport ). Having a shotgun with me was never an issue.
The negative is not being able to have it loaded while traveling. ( A different discussion ) I was always going to have the Mossberg modified to accept a magazine to address the loading issue. Never did get around to it. As mentioned earlier you could go with a semi auto to cover the speed in loading issue. Just run it enough to make sure it is VERY reliable.
If you are happy with two shots and needing to reload just run with your coach gun. Can't get much simpler than that.

I do rather like the simplicity. I’m not terribly worried about some Mad Max road warrior stuff, so rolling while empty isn’t a big deal for me. Two shots kinda sucks, but I also have a variety of ammo - including .45 Colt - plus a damn good club if needed.

I can’t swing it, but I almost do want a pump just because the sound of pumping it should be a fantastic deterrent.

 

[Chevusa]

I can’t swing it, but I almost do want a pump just because the sound of pumping it should be a fantastic deterrent.

Terrible mindset IMO. Not only is this wildly inaccurate, but in a small truck cab if someone's coming in you have no time to react, get your bearings and load a gun. They are already right on top of you. It's too late.

 

[Jcp123]

Terrible mindset IMO. Not only is this wildly inaccurate, but in a small truck cab if someone's coming in you have no time to react, get your bearings and load a gun. They are already right on top of you. It's too late.

Excellent feedback. Thanks.

 

[Tisto]

As far as magazine fed shotguns go, most States consider a long gun "loaded" if the magazine is loaded, even if it is not inserted into the gun. Your best bet to remain legal is a shockwave or something comparable.

 

[Jcp123]

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As far as magazine fed shotguns go, most States consider a long gun "loaded" if the magazine is loaded, even if it is not inserted into the gun. Your best bet to remain legal is a shockwave or something comparable.

Ok, let’s tread carefully. Magazine meaning a detachable mag, or does that cover something integral like a tube mag?

Doesn’t make a huge difference to me as I’d use it, but I’d like to be clear.

 

[Tisto]

Both. Your gun is considered loaded if there are rounds in the magazine.

 

[Jcp123]

Both. Your gun is considered loaded if there are rounds in the magazine.

But loaded detachable mags can count as a loaded firearm when not actually inserted into said firearm?

 

[Tisto]

That is correct. If there is ammunition in the magazine, the gun is loaded no matter if the magazine is in the gun or not. In N.Y. that is a DEC (hunting) regulation, but it's likely that there is a penal code as well. As far as I know, most States use that definition for "loaded weapon" in a vehicle. As always, check with your lawyer for official advice, because (s)he is going to be the one defending you in court. I can post the portion of the DEC regs that covers this here in N.Y. if you wish.