TexasCHLforum.com

Next week we are taking our summer vacation. This time we are heading west. Going to be stopping at carlsbad, grand canyon, hoover dam and vegas for sure. Other stops and exact route unknown as of now...

I have used the search feature here as well as handgunlaw.us and I THINK I have it down, but it is really OVERWEALMING for a newbie like me.

So... looking for some help in laymans terms!

1. DRIVING: I gather that for sure having it locked up in the car, I am good to go anywhere? Except for reservations, but I am not going to any. I may however be driving THROUGH some, who knows, I dont have my route planned yet lol.

2. CARRYING: From what I read, seems like I can carry pretty much anywhere I would be likely to be going. I am not going to schools, courthouses, etc..

3. Vegas/hoover dam: I know we dont have reciprocity with Nevada, so, I wouldnt be carrying, but I will have it in the car.

4. What about border patrol check points? I dont know if they even have those, but one of the multiple posts I was reading mentioned they went through one.

In all likelyhood, what I will be doing is having in my car, in a lock box, in the back of the Expediton, 99% of the time, but it would be nice to know that, say I stop to get gas or pulll over at a rest stop and I have a bad vibe about the place, late at night, etc, that I can slip my pistol behind my belt and be legal.

My plan is that when we get to where we are stopping for the night, that I take my lock-box and cable into the hotel with me and secure the weapon inside.

Those are the questions I need help with, but I also have a general, hypothetical question for ya'll as well:

One of the main reasons we (the collective "we" not me and my family lol) travel with a firearm is protection in case of a breakdown. Having a firearm in your vehicle is fine in most states, loaded or not, has a little more variance. But, the point is, say you break down out in the middle of nowhere, having it locked in the trunk, with the ammo in a seperate location, etc, etc, etc, is not going to do you any good when that mexico drug gang, or any other ill meaning person pulls up, so you are going to load up and have it "on or about your person" while waiting for help. So.. what to do IF the local law shows up to give you a hand while waiting for tow truck, AAA, etc?

It's funny how getting you CHL changes your thinking on things. Last year, before I even considered getting my CHL, we drove all the way to Disney World and back and I kept a loaded weapon under my seat for "just in case" and never even worried about it lol.. Boy, was I stupid and naive lol

I have done pretty much the same trip. I can't quote you chapter and verse, but Once in Nevada I moved y pistol to the trunk area lockbox.

What I often do is carry a long gun instead, as rifles are pretty much legal anywhere.
I keep a Keltec SU16A folded in a carry bag, with a couple of AR magazines.
If that carload of gang-bangers pulls up, I'd be much better off than with my handgun, and at a greater distance.
Alternately I have carried a beater Winchester 94, which has the advantage of not being an EBR.

Hoover is BeuRec (Bureau of Reclamation) and their rules are different than NP or BLM or any other fed agency. It has been posted than on their land all firearms must be unloaded and you are limited to having 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

CCreyeder wrote:Next week we are taking our summer vacation. This time we are heading west. Going to be stopping at carlsbad, grand canyon, hoover dam and vegas for sure. Other stops and exact route unknown as of now...

I have used the search feature here as well as handgunlaw.us and I THINK I have it down, but it is really OVERWEALMING for a newbie like me.

So... looking for some help in laymans terms!

1. DRIVING: I gather that for sure having it locked up in the car, I am good to go anywhere? Except for reservations, but I am not going to any. I may however be driving THROUGH some, who knows, I dont have my route planned yet lol.

2. CARRYING: From what I read, seems like I can carry pretty much anywhere I would be likely to be going. I am not going to schools, courthouses, etc..

3. Vegas/hoover dam: I know we dont have reciprocity with Nevada, so, I wouldnt be carrying, but I will have it in the car.

4. What about border patrol check points? I dont know if they even have those, but one of the multiple posts I was reading mentioned they went through one.

In all likelyhood, what I will be doing is having in my car, in a lock box, in the back of the Expediton, 99% of the time, but it would be nice to know that, say I stop to get gas or pulll over at a rest stop and I have a bad vibe about the place, late at night, etc, that I can slip my pistol behind my belt and be legal.

My plan is that when we get to where we are stopping for the night, that I take my lock-box and cable into the hotel with me and secure the weapon inside.

Those are the questions I need help with, but I also have a general, hypothetical question for ya'll as well:

One of the main reasons we (the collective "we" not me and my family lol) travel with a firearm is protection in case of a breakdown. Having a firearm in your vehicle is fine in most states, loaded or not, has a little more variance. But, the point is, say you break down out in the middle of nowhere, having it locked in the trunk, with the ammo in a seperate location, etc, etc, etc, is not going to do you any good when that mexico drug gang, or any other ill meaning person pulls up, so you are going to load up and have it "on or about your person" while waiting for help. So.. what to do IF the local law shows up to give you a hand while waiting for tow truck, AAA, etc?

It's funny how getting you CHL changes your thinking on things. Last year, before I even considered getting my CHL, we drove all the way to Disney World and back and I kept a loaded weapon under my seat for "just in case" and never even worried about it lol.. Boy, was I stupid and naive lol

I regularly pass through the big border patrol checkpoint near Sarita after visiting the Rio Grande Valley and have never had a problem. I don't think I've ever passed through it without at least one gun in the car. OTOH hand I've always been waved through so I've no idea what would result if I was stopped and searched. Also, I've had contacts with BP agents in remote areas of West Texas and found them to be quite friendly --while on foot taking photos and carrying. If they noticed I was carrying they didn't say anything.

Check some of my previous posts of this being that I was just their. Yes your CHL is NOT honored in Nevada but open carry is legal. You may open carry in your car. Open carry is even legal of the Vegas strip but not recommended. I contacted both Vegas PD and Nevada Highway Patrol. Check some of my old posts!

They never checked my car at the Hoover Dam they just slowed us down at a check point and then waved us on. I left my gun in Vegas that day. Grand Canyon is a National Park and Arizona is constitutional carry. So you don't even need a CHL and you can open carry in that state. Just remember that all buildings will be posted that you can NOT enter in a national park. Carlsbad has MANY restrictions even though it is a national park. Check the park website. Ok, here is the link http://www.nps.gov/cave/parkmgmt/lawsandpolicies.htm. It is better to just leave it in your car! You can't go any where in Carlsbad with it. Check every park you go to! Some have strict regulations like Carlsbad. Almost all parks that have caves have restrictions pertaining to the caves.

Also, remember that many Native American reservations might not honor your CHL.NM specially says no reservations unless given permission by that nation. They are sovereign and don't have to abide by state laws. If you don't know ASK! Call the parks or the reservations you travel through!

Also, states like NM, CO, AZ, and NV have open carry but I don't recommend you do it out of your car. It will just attract undo attention and not be worth it! Each state has different laws and rules pertaining to concealed and open carry. Keep it simple and do yourself a favor and print out all the laws in the states you are traveling through before you leave encase you need to go back over it. Keep it concealed in every state that you can! If you know your route you can PM me and I will try and give you a few pointers. The route to avoid when going west is northern NM and northern Arizona. There are a lot of Indian Reservations to travel through! I have called a few of the Res. so I can tell you which ones are fine to travel through, which are ok to travel through (I got several "you should be ok" by trible police), which ones are not or I couldn't get a hold of.