Parking motorcycle on campus.

[JMod45]

So I recently received my CHL, and have been carrying as much as possible. Unfortunately, I work for a university and cannot carry into the building. I usually try to ride a motorcycle, but my bike has been out of commission ever since I got my license, so I drive my truck, and keep the gun locked inside during work. Well, as of this week, I will have my motorcycle up and running again, and really prefer to be carrying while on a motorcycle. I don't feel comfortable locking a gun under the bike seat, because it really isn't protected from weather and dust as much as it needs to be.

Not that this matters from a legal standpoint, but my office is in a remote location away from campus, where only employees of that building go, so I don't have to worry about strangers seeing me. If I were to buy a small safe that will fit in my backpack such as a http://www.gunvault.com/nano-vault-100.html can I unload the gun, lock it in the safe, and legally carry it into my office in a backpack? Locked up, unloaded isn't considered concealed carry as far as I am aware, but I have no idea what this would qualify as.

[cb1000rider]

The guns loaded or unloaded condition and/or the fact that it's in a locked container do not alter it's status as a concealed weapon when it's on or about your person.
You can't do that. You're looking at hard luggage or locking it under that seat...

[JMod45]

OK, so that solves that question Thank you.

Another question, what does parking lot count as? My CHL instructor says you can carry in the parking lot, but university police says you can't. Then getting off the bike to lock a gun under the seat could technically be carrying illegally right?

[Keith B]

OK, so that solves that question Thank you.

Another question, what does parking lot count as? My CHL instructor says you can carry in the parking lot, but university police says you can't. Then getting off the bike to lock a gun under the seat could technically be carrying illegally right?

Legally, you can carry on public university campus and parking lot but not in the buildings. Additionally, I don't think a university of any kind falls under the exemption from the parking lot law as it states specifically 'school district' or 'a private school, as defined by Section 22.081, Education Code' which specifically defines it as K-12. So, unless it meets the definition of one of those they could not prohibit a university employee from keeping it locked in their vehicle on the parking lot.

Now, the question becomes is it a private or public university? If private, then they CAN post their parking lot with 30.06, so while they can't prohibit you from having it in your vehicle, if you step off of the bike you are technically now in violation of 30.06 and could be arrested. If it is a public university, then they can't post a valid 30.06 and enforce it as they are a government entity.

There is one part that IS a issue with motorcycle riders. When you take your concealed carry weapon off to lock it up, unless you have a method of keeping it concealed, then you are in violation. You need a way to keep it hidden with you transfer from body to saddle bag or move it to lock under the seat.

[EEllis]

Legal or not you don't want to be seen locking up your gun. You need to figure something out to secure you gun without making it visible. One idea would be to keep it in a pouch or bag that would not be recognizable as containing a firearm. I have a small .380 pocket carry that I use that fits in a case that looks like it's for a cell phone or something. Heck a ziplock bag that isn't transparent would most likely be enough to disguise exactly what it is inside and also keep the gun protected from the elements.

[texanjoker]

I think you are in a tough area that you cannot win. It is not safe IMO to leave a gun locked on a MC as you agree. If you carry into the building you are risking a ride and/or loosing your job.

[C-dub]

When I had my bike I never left my gun on the bike. If I couldn't take it with me I wouldn't take it at all. Bikes are just too easy to break into whatever luggage they have on or just take the whole bike and find out what kind of treasure you have latter. Just not secure enough for me, let alone the difficulty in getting the gun from its concealed location if you carry on body while riding to wherever on the bike without being seen. Too risky for me.

[RJGold]

I have used a nano vault on my bike for short term storage. I placed the nano vault in my leather saddle bags but ran the cable out of the bag and around the frame.

As others have noted, the transfer is an issue. I get my wife to come stand by me and while she's securing her helmet, fixing her hair, digging whatever she needs out of the saddle bag, I slip the pistol into the vault and lock it up.

I also use the nano vault to lock up my blue tooth headsets rather than leave them on the helmets...

Good luck...

[RPBrown]

When I had my bike I never left my gun on the bike. If I couldn't take it with me I wouldn't take it at all. Bikes are just too easy to break into whatever luggage they have on or just take the whole bike and find out what kind of treasure you have latter. Just not secure enough for me, let alone the difficulty in getting the gun from its concealed location if you carry on body while riding to wherever on the bike without being seen. Too risky for me.

I agree that the bags of a bike are easy to get into, but so is the inside of a car. Locks are only to keep the honest people honest. A thief will get past a lock no matter what. As [abbreviated profanity deleted] how to conceal, Usually when I am riding, I have a leather vest on. It has an inside pocket that I keep my gun in those few occasions I may know I am going to a posted location. Then I just remove the vest and put it and gun in a saddle bag.

[JMod45]

Wow, thank you guys. This forum is quite helpful.

I work for Texas A&M, in an office away from campus, and park in the middle of a bunch of trees. Security is not much of a concern there, as half of our office leaves their keys in their vehicles most of the time. So as long as I don't pull my gun out and wave at people with it, I doubt anyone would know I am carrying. I ride a sportbike, so I don't have the option of hard saddlebags like a lot of cruisers have. I do have a hard case trunk with a lock that bolts to the bike that I carry sometimes, I could put a safe with a gun in there. I wouldn't want to leave something like that in the middle of campus, but I'm secluded enough, I would feel that it was safe enough.

I was curious about university parking lots, as I haven't seen them mentioned in the CHL Laws book, and have not gotten a definitive answer from the people I have talked to around here. I just wanted to make sure stepping off of my bike in a university parking lot won't consider me "carrying on campus" and would still fall into the realm of "in the vehicle", but I know motorcycles fall into some grey areas in this subject.

[BigGuy]

A magnetic tank bag can be a good place to CC. The weapon is accessible while riding and can be taken with you when leaving the bike if you're going someplace where you can carry. If you've got hard bags or a trunk, you can just drop the bag, with pistol still inside, into bags or trunk. If you're using a nano vault inside your leather bags, you can still put the tank bag into you saddle bags before transferring the weapon from the tank bag to the vault.

I actually do both. My Valkyrie has hard bags and a trunk. My Magna only has leather saddle bags. I carry both my SR9c and LCP this way.

[xb12s]

I don't feel comfortable locking a gun under the bike seat, because it really isn't protected from weather and dust as much as it needs to be.

This is what Glocks are for.

[cb1000rider]

I've learned on this forum and through reading arrest records:
1) It really doesn't matter what the law says. If the PD says they will arrest you on sight, they probably will. On this forum, you'll see this referenced as not avoiding "the ride".
2) The ride will cost you a lot of money, win or lose.

On a sports bike, I'd carry in an IPAD pouch or something similar. Something that you can move freely and in the open without having a risk of exposure. Moving a firearm to a bike on campus, even in a remote parking lot out by the vet center, it's just going to take one person seeing you and calling the PD. Once that happens, the whole over-reaction of firearms on campus will occur... My advice: don't do it if there is a chance of exposing it. Eventually, someone will see it.

[C-dub]

A magnetic tank bag can be a good place to CC. The weapon is accessible while riding and can be taken with you when leaving the bike if you're going someplace where you can carry. If you've got hard bags or a trunk, you can just drop the bag, with pistol still inside, into bags or trunk. If you're using a nano vault inside your leather bags, you can still put the tank bag into you saddle bags before transferring the weapon from the tank bag to the vault.
[ Image ]
I actually do both. My Valkyrie has hard bags and a trunk. My Magna only has leather saddle bags. I carry both my SR9c and LCP this way.

When riding, I always carried in a magnetic tank bag then just pulled the bag with me wherever I stopped.

RPBrown, I agree. It's only a level or two more difficult to break into a car than bike bag for a knowledgeable thief. I've never actually witnessed anyone breaking into a car or bike bag to really know how easy either one might be, but the bike bag has got to be more tempting because it is so much easier.

[RPBrown]

A magnetic tank bag can be a good place to CC. The weapon is accessible while riding and can be taken with you when leaving the bike if you're going someplace where you can carry. If you've got hard bags or a trunk, you can just drop the bag, with pistol still inside, into bags or trunk. If you're using a nano vault inside your leather bags, you can still put the tank bag into you saddle bags before transferring the weapon from the tank bag to the vault.
[ Image ]
I actually do both. My Valkyrie has hard bags and a trunk. My Magna only has leather saddle bags. I carry both my SR9c and LCP this way.

When riding, I always carried in a magnetic tank bag then just pulled the bag with me wherever I stopped.

RPBrown, I agree. It's only a level or two more difficult to break into a car than bike bag for a knowledgeable thief. I've never actually witnessed anyone breaking into a car or bike bag to really know how easy either one might be, but the bike bag has got to be more tempting because it is so much easier.

I have hard bags but I usually lock anyting like that in my tour pack (top bag for those that dont know). I was at the RoT Ralley last year and there were a lot of hard saddle bags stolen. They are easy to pop off if you dont have locks on them