Traveling with gun in pickup

[alec.mc 180]

Sorry for the stupid question, but i'm clueless.

 

I know NJ law says that if your traveling with a firearm it has to be locked in your trunk.... Well, ... what happens if you have a pick up truck?

 

I have a Dodge 1500, crew cab... Is simply putting it on the back seat floor sufficient enough in this case?

[EchoMirage 137]

i dont know the technical aspect of this, but all i do is put it in my cab. if youre paranoid, keep everything in separate cases, and putting one or two locks on the individual cases wouldnt hurt either.

[DirtyDigz 1,812]

...Is simply putting it on the back seat floor sufficient enough in this case?

 

No. You have to put it in a "locked container".

 

From NJSP:

 

...If the vehicle does not have a compartment separate from the passenger compartment, the firearm ... must be in a locked container other than the vehicle's glove compartment or console.

[njpilot 671]

If it is accessible to you in the cab, it must be locked and separate from ammo.

[BRN169 6]

If it is accessible to you in the cab, it must be locked and separate from ammo.

 

I used to drive with them in the bed under my tonnue cover and would move to the cab to lock them up once I arrived at the range...

[Dan 177]

Yup, lock up the gun in a case or bag. I use the cable locks that typically come free when you purchase a gun. Many times I thread it through the zipper and loop on the bag if it is a bag, or through the convenient lock holes that come on many hard rifle cases.

[skruft 1]

I have no vehicle with a trunk. I put the pistol in a separate section of a very large range bag that can be locked with a small padlock, or in an old-fashioned bullseye shooting box that has a lock, and put the bag or box in the back of the vehicle.

[JC_68Westy 1,024]

I do not believe the law states that a firearm has to be locked when not in a trunk. It is an OR statement. I have pasted the NJ law here and the relevant section is in the exemptions (the last paragraph I pasted in bold.

 

 

 

2C:39-6 Exemptions.

 

2C:39-6. a. Provided a person complies with the requirements of subsection j. of this section, N.J.S.2C:39-5 does not apply to:

 

e.Nothing in subsections b., c. and d. of N.J.S.2C:39-5 shall be construed to prevent a person keeping or carrying about his place of business, residence, premises or other land owned or possessed by him, any firearm, or from carrying the same, in the manner specified in subsection g. of this section, from any place of purchase to his residence or place of business, between his dwelling and his place of business, between one place of business or residence and another when moving, or between his dwelling or place of business and place where such firearms are repaired, for the purpose of repair. For the purposes of this section, a place of business shall be deemed to be a fixed location.

 

f.Nothing in subsections b., c. and d. of N.J.S.2C:39-5 shall be construed to prevent:

 

(1)A member of any rifle or pistol club organized in accordance with the rules prescribed by the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice, in going to or from a place of target practice, carrying such firearms as are necessary for said target practice, provided that the club has filed a copy of its charter with the superintendent and annually submits a list of its members to the superintendent and provided further that the firearms are carried in the manner specified in subsection g. of this section;

 

(2)A person carrying a firearm or knife in the woods or fields or upon the waters of this State for the purpose of hunting, target practice or fishing, provided that the firearm or knife is legal and appropriate for hunting or fishing purposes in this State and he has in his possession a valid hunting license, or, with respect to fresh water fishing, a valid fishing license;

 

(3)A person transporting any firearm or knife while traveling:

 

(a)Directly to or from any place for the purpose of hunting or fishing, provided the person has in his possession a valid hunting or fishing license; or

 

(b)Directly to or from any target range, or other authorized place for the purpose of practice, match, target, trap or skeet shooting exhibitions, provided in all cases that during the course of the travel all firearms are carried in the manner specified in subsection g. of this section and the person has complied with all the provisions and requirements of Title 23 of the Revised Statutes and any amendments thereto and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; or

 

©In the case of a firearm, directly to or from any exhibition or display of firearms which is sponsored by any law enforcement agency, any rifle or pistol club, or any firearms collectors club, for the purpose of displaying the firearms to the public or to the members of the organization or club, provided, however, that not less than 30 days prior to the exhibition or display, notice of the exhibition or display shall be given to the Superintendent of the State Police by the sponsoring organization or club, and the sponsor has complied with such reasonable safety regulations as the superintendent may promulgate. Any firearms transported pursuant to this section shall be transported in the manner specified in subsection g. of this section;

 

(4)A person from keeping or carrying about a private or commercial aircraft or any boat, or from transporting to or from such vessel for the purpose of installation or repair a visual distress signaling device approved by the United States Coast Guard.

 

g. All weapons being transported under paragraph (2) of subsection b., subsection e., or paragraph (1) or (3) of subsection f. of this section shall be carried unloaded and contained in a closed and fastened case, gunbox, securely tied package, or locked in the trunk of the automobile in which it is being transported, and in the course of travel shall include only such deviations as are reasonably necessary under the circumstances.

[savageshooter 10]

Same question was posed for those of us who enjoy riding our bikes to the range. Guns in one saddlebag, ammo in the other.

[PK90 3,573]

All you need to do is slip a gun sock over an unloaded firearm and you're good to go. JC_68Westy is correct.

 

What do you guys do when you go hunting with a club?

[DirtyDigz 1,812]

I stand corrected, the law does not require a locked case. I gotta stop reading those NJSP "guidelines" as law.

 

If I ever was the "victim" of an over-zealous police officer stopping me and charging with me a weapons law violation while transporting in my car (say, like the Brian Aitken case), I would hate to have to argue to a jury how a gunsock is equivalent to "...closed and fastened case, gunbox, securely tied package...", but that's just me.

 

A case or bag with a lock on it removes any doubt that I'm in compliance with the transportation provision of the law IMO.

[Sigman 41]

 

g. All weapons being transported under paragraph (2) of subsection b., subsection e., or paragraph (1) or (3) of subsection f. of this section shall be carried unloaded and contained in a closed and fastened case, gunbox, securely tied package, or locked in the trunk of the automobile in which it is being transported, and in the course of travel shall include only such deviations as are reasonably necessary under the circumstances.

 

Whenever I buy a rifle from a store it comes in a gun box and they usually put a piece of tape on it. Most pistols come in a fastened case. I think this is good to go although I do put a lock on the case when going to the range just for additional piece of mind.

[mrjam2jab 9]

I dont see in the law where it states ammo separate...as several have stated.

[PK90 3,573]

I dont see in the law where it states ammo separate...as several have stated.

You are right. There is no law that states that.

[savageshooter 10]

You are right. There is no law that states that.

Neither have I, but have heard some LEO say it. My approach is; why take a chance when some LEO's don't even know? Fits better in a separate saddlebag anyway.

[halbautomatisch 60]

All you need to do is slip a gun sock over an unloaded firearm and you're good to go. JC_68Westy is correct.

 

What do you guys do when you go hunting with a club?

I'm glad we're clarifying this. I have gone hunting for over 20 years with a pick up and always used a soft case w/o a lock. I too recently saw on the SP website the "guidelines" stating they must be locked but didn't hear of anyone changing their transportation practices. I didn't want to find out the hard way the was a new law.