Do you Pack

[BA80]

[ecoviper9]

Theres alot of good conversation going on here.. I was gone all weekend for my monthy Army obligation but im glad this thread didnt get out of hand..

I agree with everyone so far as to the sensitivity of the subject but as one member responded, it is a good question for someone traveling from state to state. I have a couple of police officer friends of mine and they said that if you can follow the strictest states laws, then you will be fine in all the others.

Meaning that if you want to travel.. its best to just follow IL law.
Firearm must be locked with an approved firearm lock, unloaded, amunition stored in a separate compartment. Compartments in vehicles are defined as an area that is closed from the outside of its immediate elements.

SO ... if you have your firearm in your center console, that is fine because thats a compartment however you must store the amunition in another compartment (ie glovebox).

BUT... if you DO NOT have your firearm locked, then it needs to be in the trunk.

I would be willing to say that you bagger guys could follow these same rules and be fine..

For us non baggers,, its to your own discression.. but im pretty sure a back pack is not considered as CC.. so if you follow the compartment rules you would be fine.

I guess we would all be SOL if you go onto an Indian reservation... I have never heard of that one before..

Once again thanks for being professional but i dont think im going to try and get an oppinion without asking one of the forum Administrators first

[Danny Crawdad]

It's interesting to see some of the reactions here. I do have a concealed carry permit and have legally carried for a long, long time. It's just part of everyday, it doesn't seem like anything crazy to me. My wife is the same way. I also carry into reciprocal states regularly. Have been pulled over while legally carrying a number of times (right foot takes control in the car sometimes ), and have never had an issue in the slightest, none of the officers cared a bit.

My Firstgear jacket has a gun pocket that works really well.

[fredintoon]

- - - Meaning that if you want to travel.. its best to just follow IL law.
Firearm must be locked with an approved firearm lock, unloaded, ammunition stored in a separate compartment. Compartments in vehicles are defined as an area that is closed from the outside of its immediate elements.
SO ... if you have your firearm in your center console, that is fine because thats a compartment however you must store the ammunition in another compartment (ie glovebox) - - -

Hi Viper,
that's fine to transport a firearm from one place to another but to me, anyway, "packing" implies carrying a firearm for self defense.
So when threatened by deadly force you take the firearm from the console, remove the trigger lock, take the clip from the glovebox, insert the clip and chamber a round?
Instead of hoping the threat would wait for all this to happen, I'd fovour the Hill family battle cry:-
RUN AWAAAAAAY!

[madmax-im]

not sayin wether I pack or not but if i do i dont consider any laws except one...the law of survival...which takes precedence over any frivolous laws on the books...and i wouldnt separate gun from ammo...the whole idea is self defense and being prepared...so taking the gun out of one compartment and the ammo from another then loading it...just not going to cut it if you ever need the damn thing and needed it yesterday(so to say).
In NJ I do believe they are just as strict as IL...I have known former cops who have had alot of trouble trying to get a CC..and for a regular joe shmoe...you can fugggedabouditt. Here in NC you dont even need a permit to buy a rifle or shotgun....and no background check either...just walk in and walk out...Handguns and CC permits do require the proper permits to buy and own...but its still much easier than anything in NJ. And this is the proper way to discuss a topic without it becoming HBT...

[TopCatGr58]

First, thanks Big Dick for the links, very enlightening!

Secondly, with regards to just transporting it from one location to another, the separate parts, gunlock and such is okay, but I'm with BNE with regards to IF I'm going to want to carry one, I want it READY FOR USE when needed, not having to fiddle with the lock, loading it, etc.! Guess I'll be looking into the CC permit vs just the OPEN CARRY type. Again, thanks to all for the discussion and information.

The next thing to think about is what size/type of gun. We've got an old retired Policeman's 357 Magnum revolver for the "house", along with my BIL's 12 ga shotgun. I have hollowpoints for the Magnum because I wanted stopping power. But I know I'm limited to only 6 shots before reloading, and I don't have a quick loader cartridge. In the house, I'm hoping that 6 shots is all I'll need to stop/deter someone. But out and about I think that most folks now have the semiautomatic type, so I'm thinking that I would possibly want a 9mm or such with a 10 or 15 count clip?? Thoughts and Polite opinions regarding this aspect?

T.C.

[BA80]

I'm in agreement with Fred, unloaded and locked it's just a projectile. You might as well be carrying a big rock.

I don't carry and never have. I've seen too many people get into trouble that way. If you need to carry where your going then you going to the wrong place around the wrong people. A gun will usually just escalate a situation like that.

I'm 53 years young and I've been in some tight spots, and I'll leave it at that, but a gun was never needed. Maybe I've been lucky but I prefer to think I've been smart. If it looks like trouble then GTF out of there.

Nuf said.

[ecoviper9]

Hey TC. i used to carry a 38 special as my sidearm for a security job (same as a 357 just the bullets are different) the reliability is what has kept these around for so long the only problem is the amount of ammo... I have purchased a ruger SR9

http://www.ruger.com/products/sr9/index.html?r=y

They are extremely reliable as well and hold 17+1. meaning 17 in the mag and 1 in the chamber. some neat features are the pop up bar that tells you if you have a round in the chamber, the ammbidextrious mag release, and the glock type locking trigger. I find this perfect for the house because of the ease of use and the safety features. They also released this gun to compete with the glock and the USP (smith&weston). Before anyone says it, they did have a few issues with this gun when the first production run went out... that it would fire if it was dropped... it was narrowed to an issue with the trigger assembly and was fixed by adding the glock type locking trigger.

But over all, have shot just about every calliper round there is and the 9mm action was the smoothest. Many will say that the only reason they own a 45 is because they dont make a 46, but you dont need that much round for self defence in my opinion. You need precision and acuracy. both from the shooter and the weapon.

[DGXSER]

TC, the 357 for home use, just remember that at that caliber, the walls and such are basically canon fodder at best, so be sure who is behind the wall where your aiming. You might hit your target, you might hit a stud, but your family is not worth the other end of the might. Insert now the folks who just know they will keep their head and aim true, and no worries of missing, but really, you can train all you want, and prepare all you want, but until your there and aiming at a real live human being, your only guessing what you will do.

Really, IMHO a 22 is best for in the hosue use. But reality is that for 99.9% of us, the only thing that pistol will ever do is let you sleep easier at night, so have whatever does that best for you. Unless your dealing with a serious mean, ohnry, person, once you shoot them with anything, they will be on the ground crying, or running away as best they can. If a shot does not stop them, then even your hollow point 357 is only going to do the job if you hit a vital organ. Again, JMHO.

I do like a 12 ga for home protection, even bird shot will work well. Use a shorter barrell if you can. And again, not as likely to penetrate the walls to un known areas.

For out and about use, again, unless you suspect your going up against a gang of some type, what you have is plenty. Typically, one shot is going to either take them down or scatter them like the wind. If your up against a gang, well, like you said, they will have semi if not full auto weapons. So 6 or 15 will not make a big difference.

Now a quick true story. My uncle took my aunt out in their 10 acre wood and taught her how to shoot his 357. He made home made sausage and delivered it in the middle of the night, so he wanted her to have some protection. Kept it loaded in the night stand. One night he came home, went to the bed room, and here his wife stands with that loaded cocked weapon pointing at him, except it is dangling from her finger by the trigger!! She was so freaked out she could not keep hold of the thing. He fortunately got it from her before it went off in her shaking hand. Again, just food for thought.

Me, I have 12 ga shotguns and a 22 pistol. All stay unloaded, the pump shotgun is stored disassembled, the DB 12 ga is unloaded. Ammo is in a different location than the weapons. But the clip is loaded and close to the pistol. But you have to know where both are to be of use. There is the theory that a loaded weapon in your house may just be arming your intruder if he finds it before you wake up.

[tom clisham]

Illinois Law

Remember, the gentleman was refering to ILLINOIS law.
In Illinois you're only allowed to transport a firearm beacause it has to be moved from one location to another. Not for protection or any other use. An example would be taking it to a range,or moving your household. That's the reason it must be broken down & out of reach. You can't have a gun in your vehilcle for protection in Illinois. Or on your person.

You can have one in your home or business for protection. I.E. a bar owner can legally carry a concealed gun while in his establishment. Or, any other business owner or his employee, if authorized by the owner.

[Danny Crawdad]

A gun doesn't prevent you from GTFO, it just makes it so that if GTFO fails, you aren't all out of options. Of course you shouldn't go to areas where you need a gun -- I don't plan on needing to use my helmet when I get on the bike, but I sure strap it on anyway. I hope I never have to use the helmet, but best laid schemes, etc.

TC, I'd check and see if there is a range that rents guns nearby (many of them do). You can pick up a couple of guns and see what you like the best. I preferred to carry revolvers in the past, but over the years I've started to carry semi-auto. I still prefer to shoot a revolver, but you can pack more into a smaller space on a semi-auto frame.

[crazy steve]

I don't carry and never have. I've seen too many people get into trouble that way. If you need to carry where your going then you're going to the wrong place around the wrong people. A gun will usually just escalate a situation like that.

I'm 53 years young and I've been in some tight spots, and I'll leave it at that, but a gun was never needed. Maybe I've been lucky but I prefer to think I've been smart. If it looks like trouble then GTF out of there.

Nuf said.

While I carried in the past, I quit packing that lump around a long time ago. First, there's so many places you can't take it, it's a PITA to deal with. Second, I totally agree with Greg, too often a gun is the last thing needed and what are you doing hanging around people like that....

I used to have a friend who was a big advocate of packing; he pulled his during an altercation, and ended up getting shot dead with his own gun. I've heard of more cases similar to that than I have of people who successfully defended themselves, plus once one comes out it seems like the cops end up getting involved, rarely to anyones profit except the legal establishment.

[XJfan1]

So basically I was the only person who saw "Do you pack" and thought he might be talking about camping supplies?

huh.

When I was riding in in Guatamala and Mexico and Columbia (all those places where you are supposed to be killed or kidnapped just for showing up) not once, ever, did I feel like being armed would help in any way. I rarely even felt threatened. That said, Whenever I was stopped (you can get stopped a lot, mostly it's just because they want to look at the bike or practice English) I was asked where my gun was. Europeans and Canadians weren't asked that question.

Sorta make you wonder how the rest of the world looks at us.

I'm with you on that pain. I thought it was about what to pack on a cycle when traveling.

[jetmechmarty]

Home protection = big barking dog and 12 ga shotgun. If the big dog barking doesn't do the trick, the sound of the slide going home should do the trick. If it doesn't you'll likely only get one shot off. With a 12 ga, that should be all that's needed.

[geobiker]

Home Defense

TC

If you were leaning toward home self-defense I would consider a 9 mm on the light side . . . If you want a semi-auto with a little more oomph I would opt for the .40 S&W. All said, the best home defense in my opinion is a dog that looks like it could eat a criminal for lunch. If an intruder gets past him, the second best choice is a short barreled shotgun loaded with OO buck shot. It doesn't take much skill to hit something.

If you have kids in the house or grandkids that visit, always make sure the gun and ammunition are locked-up. Too many kids are killed each year because adults do not take this precaution!