Firearms and Travel Trailers

[redram]

A few states still consider all firearms illegal. The only time my trailer was searched was when I crossed over into Canada. I believe in don't tell.

There are no States that consider ALL firearms illegal. Should not spread false rumors. Just come toTEXAS and don't worry about it. Don

[LCBoyer]

Don, you are correct! No states, just some cities and DC. We're heading your way next month!

[RamGunner]

I always like to look at practical examples from the real world.

First, take a look at http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/207223446-story

There is a video of a woman defending herself against 3 ARMED intruders. One is wearing a wig and possibly a mask. Only two of the armed intruders left alive. Guess which one didn't? Watch the video a few times, and keep an eye on the one in the wig. There are some lessons to be learned.

We don't have any NRA decals, 2nd Amendment bumper stickers, or other things on our truck or trailer. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have them. I'm an Instructor and a Recruiter for the NRA. But as an instructor, I understand the principle of OPSEC. Don't reveal what you have or what you know. You don't want to tip your hand. If someone sees an NRA decal, it says gun owner.

Now, will they be thinking "If I go in there I'll get shot" or "There are guns in there, and I can sell them for cash"?

Meth is a hell of a drug. I have a video I use in classes of a guy in Canada that is on meth and steals a "bait car", which is used to attract car thieves. His behavior is quite eye-opening. It didn't work out the way the police thought it would. Meth isn't the only thing out there. Many drugs make people do things that, to them, seem perfectly normal but to us are clearly insane. Expect that. What you see as rational, they won't. How you would react, they won't.

Lasers are great for quickly getting on a target when you can't get a proper sight picture. That what they are for. There was a technique taught for a while for LE to get a guy to focus and surrender by drawing a laser from the top of the head, over the eye, to the chest. The idea was that it would make him focus on the laser, look down, and seeing the laser on his chest would make him consider surrendering. In a stress situation, it doesn't work. What sounds good sitting around a table, like shining the laser down the hall, doesn't work as well when it counts.

Just like weapon-mounted-lights, lasers also give away your position. Remember wiggy? Did you watch his body language and actions in the video? If he had seen a laser, I don't think he would have run. Something about him tells me that he would have started hunting the source. I'll tell you about my PDW in a minute, and I have both a laser and a light on it, but I won't be using either until I'm ready to shoot.

As for projectiles - I don't recommend a shotgun. You are responsible for every projectile you fire and accountable for whatever damage they do. You may consider bird shot to reduce penetration and risk of collateral damage. It's not a good defensive item. I can go into ballistics, how projectiles work, and what they do to human bodies, and how people often don't react when they are shot because they don't feel it, and how people don't fly 12' backwards or explode when they are shot.

You think if the bad guy hears the pump and the action cycle, he will run. That MAY work if he's not on drugs. If he's on meth or something else, you just let him know where you are. He may not react with the fear response you'd expect. To someone on meth, he most likely won't be thinking "Oh crap, I'd better run". He may very well be thinking "This guy is trying to stop me from taking his stuff. I'm going to have to kill him before I can take his stuff." because to him, in his mindset, his is going to take your stuff, and he will work through obstacles to do it - obstacles that people in a normal mindset would not even consider trying to breach.

Personally, I like a firearm that's designed for close-quarters, had a light and a laser that can be triggered quickly, and shoots a stopping-capable round that's designed to reduce the risk of over-penetration. Personally, I keep http://www.momentumgunner.com/ps90.htm ready to go. The reasons are in the article.

As for interactions with LE, in some states it is MANDATORY that you tell LE if you have any firearms in your motor vehicle upon contact. Know the laws where you are.

If they think you are lying, they can go through the warrant process, or they can get a drug dog and walk around. You might be very surprised to see a dog give a "positive reaction" when you know there isn't anything for them to react on. Lots of things can be "misinterpreted" as positive reactions, and dogs aren't perfect.

Keep in mind that you are towing a trailer. Lots of drug mules do too. If you have out-of-state plates and are towing in certain areas going in certain directions, it can make you much more likely to attract some interest - profiling. Eventually, most drivers do something that provides cause for contact with LE. This has been made much easier with "mandatory seatbelt laws". If they think they didn't see a seatbelt, it's now cause for contact in many places, sadly including Utah.

Many years ago, when I couldn't sleep on night, I was driving around Beaverton, OR at about 3:00 AM. At one point, a Beaverton Police car began following me. I could see that he ran my plates, and finding nothing, he kept following me - eventually over 10 minutes just randomly driving. I obeyed EVERY traffic law. He had no cause to pull me over. Eventually (he didn't realize it) I made my way to the Beaverton Police department offices. When we got to the parking lot, I parked, opened my window and motioned for him to pull up next to me.

I asked if he had anything he wanted to discuss, and we had a little conversation. He was hoping I'd give him an opening to pull me me over, just to see why I was out at 3:00 AM (he could tell by my driving I wasn't DUI), and was frustrated that I didn't give him that chance. He said normally he could pull someone over within 2 blocks for something minor. He made me his project for over 15 minutes when all was said and done, and got nothing. It happens. It's a game to some, and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

Just a few thoughts for you to consider.

[redram]

Food for thought, At 3am. aint nobody out except Cops and BAD guys.....

[dannysdaddy]

Food for thought, At 3am. aint nobody out except Cops and BAD guys.....

And here's something, man. Drugs are illegal, but ATM machines are open twenty-four hours a day. Twenty-four hours a day. For who? Who the **** is it open for? Have you ever taken out three hundred dollars at four o'clock in the morning for something positive? ****, when you press that machine at four o'clock in the morning, I think a psychiatrist should pop up on the screen and go, "Come on, man, save your money, man. Don't buy drugs, buy some rims" - Chris Rock

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Cate&Rob]

At 3am. aint nobody out except Cops and BAD guys.....

Unless you live in a town supported by 3 shift manufacturing/hospitals/etc. We have 24 hour Fast Food, Grocery, Pharmacy, even Home Depot. If you are working 3pm to 11pm, you might actually be looking to buy legitimate stuff at 3am .

Rob

[Phu Bai]

As a retired LEO I must tell the people saying that they need a warrant......generally you are correct. However, there is a thing called a "mobile exception" meaning if it can be moved prior to the warrant being obtain, under certain circumstances a search can be made without it. But, also for just a traffic stop, if there is a firearm in the trailer, no one is going to care, unless maybe you are in California. Even I don't trust California.

[goducks14]

What about keeping a handgun in a locked safe in the 5th wheel and the ammo in the truck?

[Bob/OlallaWA]

Why would you do that if you want it for protection? Or do you remember to make them one and easy to get to each time you set up on a site?

[goducks14]

CA does not support any non resident CCL's. Being from Oregon it's how I transport through the state. Guns is in a locked safe under the bed and the ammo's in the truck. Once setup then the trailer becomes your residence. Can't take the gun anywhere concealed but at least in the trailer it's usable.
It's my understanding that without a CA CCl you can't have the pistol and ammo in the same vehicle. The pistol needs to be in a locked compartment like a trunk. Hard to do that in a truck.