Keeping a pistol in my 5th wheel across all lower 48 states

[DanZemke]

Thanks everyone, for all of your advice.  It's caused me to reset my perspective.

Today, I was finger printed for my gun license (it covers hand-guns and long-guns).  As an aside,  I've also chosen to switch my preferred  gun type from a pistol back to a shotgun.

I underestimated the complexity, and byzantine maze of laws, about handguns. Would getting a CCW reduce the complexity for many States?  Sure, but it wouldn't for many of the States I want to spend time in (all of my relatives live in California).

Choosing a shotgun, instead of a pistol, seems to be a much more pragmatic path for me.  As Ray said about shotguns: "Possessing one eliminates nearly all of the hurdles one must pass when possessing a handgun and crossing state lines." 

Thank you Ray!

[Jinx & Wayne]

10 hours ago, whj469 said:

It may not be legal to do so in some states but if I need one I will be glad that I have one.

That is the I'd-rather-be-judged-by-twelve-than-carried-by-six theory.  The other side of the coin is being adversely judged by 12 when the firearm wasn't needed an losing the right to possess everywhere.  That's a matter of personal choice.

[Twotoes]

In Calif you still can not travel with a loaded shotgun in your vehicle. You must have the shotgun unloaded. You can not even have any shells attached to or near the weapon as it will be considered loaded. I know of a case where the person had shells attached to the outside of the gun on a sleeve attached to the butt and it was considered loaded even no shell was chambered. You can have it in your fifth wheel just not in your truck. 

[Kirk W]

15 hours ago, DanZemke said:

Choosing a shotgun, instead of a pistol, seems to be a much more pragmatic path for me. 

Even though I have owned pistols for many years and used to do competitive shooting with them, I still believe that a shotgun is a far better choice for self-defense and especially so in an RV. If you fire most pistols inside of an RV and miss the intruder, that bullet can pass through the wall of your RV and then into the one next to you. I have spoken with someone who was in bed in his RV when a 38 caliber bullet passed over him because the person in the next RV accidentally fired his gun. A shotgun will not do that. 

[agesilaus]

Yeah but do not use double ought buckshot in the shotgun. It will penetrate walls too.Use duck shot number 4 or something like it. At short ranges it works just as well

[Ray,IN]

5 hours ago, Twotoes said:

In Calif you still can not travel with a loaded shotgun in your vehicle. You must have the shotgun unloaded. You can not even have any shells attached to or near the weapon as it will be considered loaded. I know of a case where the person had shells attached to the outside of the gun on a sleeve attached to the butt and it was considered loaded even no shell was chambered. You can have it in your fifth wheel just not in your truck. 

 Don said he will leave the weapon in the 5er all the time in his initial post.

[Jinx & Wayne]

4 hours ago, agesilaus said:

Yeah but do not use double ought buckshot in the shotgun. It will penetrate walls too.Use duck shot number 4 or something like it. At short ranges it works just as well

I like a 410 mossberg pump, spreader choke and 2-1/2" Defender ammo made for the Taurus Judge pistol.  It is 12 BB's and 3 discs.  Not penetrating the neighbors but ugly at close quarters.  It cycles just fine.

[DanZemke]

1 hour ago, Jinx & Wayne said:

I like a 410 mossberg pump, spreader choke and 2-1/2" Defender ammo made for the Taurus Judge pistol.  It is 12 BB's and 3 discs.  Not penetrating the neighbors but ugly at close quarters.  It cycles just fine.

You are much more knowledgeable about guns than I am.

I currently plan to take a more simplistic approach.  Go with a basic, widely available shotgun and ammo.  I was intrigued by Ray's encouragement to look into the Mossberg 590 Shockwave, presumably because of its short length.  TShort length was the primary reason I switched my intended gun purchase from a shotgun to a pistol about a year ago.  But the pistol grip on the Shockwave is much different than the shotguns I've used.  And I thought it would be awkward, and less effective for me,  if I ever needed to use it in an emergency.  So my current (and hopefully last) pick is a Mossberg 590 that is a foot longer than the Shockwave.  The retail price of the two shotguns is the same.  Personal preference.

https://www.mossberg.com/product/590-7-shot-50778/
https://www.mossberg.com/product/590-shockwave-6-shot-50659/

[beemergary]

Had a situation in Mi. driving this summer going on a camping trip. Woulda have felt safer with a firearm on me or in the side door of truck. Not in the trailer.

[dartmouth01]

Im now semi permanently fulltime in Nevada so I'll be getting a handgun at some point for our backcountry jeep adventures, but when we were traveling we had a standard Mossberg 500 in the rig.  Its not always handy, but was a good compromise of having protection without having to think so much about local laws.  Im not a gun nerd but i did tell my wife that for the sake of space savings I'd like to trade in the mossberg for a keltec ksg or even better, the DP12 lol

[gjhunter01]

I have a Texas CCW and I never carry on me. My thought for getting the CCW was that if I ever needed to step outside the RV with any firearm for defense reasons, then I might have a better chance of staying out of jail if I could show the LEO's that I was a legal permit holder.

[Ray,IN]

Dan the standard stock will make using it in confined quarters unwieldy, not what you want when you must move quickly. I respect your choice though.

[Twotoes]

You can get the Mossberg 500 or 590 in an 18 inch or 20 inch barrel. I have a Winchester Defender 18  inch barrel next to my bed and a Mossberg 500 18 in the closet.  I also have a Ruger 357 loaded with shot in the pocket on the back of my drivers Capt Chair right up front. Remington 870 is also a popular shotgun. 

[dartmouth01]

2 minutes ago, Twotoes said:

You can get the Mossberg 500 or 590 in an 18 inch or 20 inch barrel. I have a Winchester Defender 18  inch barrel next to my bed and a Mossberg 500 18 in the closet.  I also have a Ruger 357 loaded with shot in the pocket on the back of my drivers Capt Chair right up front. Remington 870 is also a popular shotgun. 

But one of these would save so much space in an RV (thats what im trying to convince the DW lol)  https://www.mcarbo.com/dp-12-vs-ksg.aspx

[Twotoes]

3 minutes ago, dartmouth01 said:

But one of these would save so much space in an RV (thats what im trying to convince the DW lol)  https://www.mcarbo.com/dp-12-vs-ksg.aspx

Twice the price of a Mossberg 500. 

[dartmouth01]

3 minutes ago, Twotoes said:

Twice the price of a Mossberg 500. 

Twice as many barrels and capacity tho.  😉 our Mossberg has been perfectly adequate for the times Ive had to fire in danger (0 times), but that doesnt seem to be the decision making value premise used by my gun fanatic friends.  

[richfaa]

Handgun laws.us is a good start. We are good in 39 of the lower 48 + Alaska with our Ohio CCP

[DanZemke]

13 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

Dan the standard stock will make using it in confined quarters unwieldy, not what you want when you must move quickly. I respect your choice though.

Ray, I think I'm going to be OK with the 39", 6.3 lb shotgun with its 18.5" barrel. Tried a simulated "test drive" using my photography tripod in my front door hallway.  The tripod was set to 39" and weighs 5.7 pounds.  I'm sure that a Shockwave would be more maneuverable, but I don't think the 39" length will be a major problem for me in my trailer.  Still, I'll do some dry-fire practice, starting from various locations in my 5th wheel, to reduce my risk.  However, I realize I won't to be able to avoid all risks: "Mommy, there's an old man running around inside the trailer next to us with a gun!"

My secondary concern is legal exposure.  The Shockwave appears to be deliberately designed to just barely slip by Federal gun law specs and apparently did not make it past several state's laws.  Since it was announced in June of 2018, it probably hasn't faced all the legal challenges it will encounter.  If I really lusted for a Shockwave, would that risk have stopped me?  No!  And if some new laws were enacted to make it illegal, there's a good chance that purchases, prior to the new laws, would be grand-fathered.  Still, this smells a bit like the reason I abandoned the idea of buying a pistol.  Inconsistent State gun laws, that are unstable.

BTW, fun fact, at least for me.  Mossberg is about an hour's drive from my house.  

Best wishes.

P.S. In spite of the linked Mossberg press release, it appears the Shockwave was announced in Jan of 2017.

https://www.mossberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Mossberg-Introduces-590M-Shockwave-Pump-Action.pdf
https://www.fflguard.com/articles/state-law-mossberg-shockwave-in-north-carolina/

 

Click For Full-Size Image.

Edited October 31, 2020 by DanZemke
clarity

[DanZemke]

11 hours ago, dartmouth01 said:

But one of these would save so much space in an RV (thats what im trying to convince the DW lol)

Honey, I need it protect you.  It's much less than a dollar a day for 4 years, and then it's free.  It's cheap insurance, but even if it wasn't, you're worth it.  🙂

 

[Ray,IN]

This is kinda off-topic, a full-timer on escapees was parked at a repair shop awaiting said repairs. He and his wife returned to the MH that evening  and were confronted by a man waving a pistol in their face. It was the full-timers pistol he had gotten after he broke into their MH. Perhaps many of the senior members remember that post, I won't mention his name.

Anyway, Dan it is sound reasoning you will secure your weapon from theft and unauthorized use.

Edited October 31, 2020 by Ray,IN

[bigjim]

15 hours ago, dartmouth01 said:

m trying to convince the DW

Are U the man of the house?  Tell her how it is going to be.   It worked for me in 1980 and I haven't had to deal with a wife denying me since..😮🤣

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

This is kinda off-topic, a full-timer on escapees was parked at a repair shop awaiting said repairs. He and his wife returned to the MH that evening  and were confronted by a man waving a pistol in their face. It was the full-timers pistol he had gotten after he broke into their MH. Perhaps many of the senior members remember that post, I won't mention his name.

I thought about that incident when reading this thread. I also remember saying on another thread that I would not own a gun because I would not be able to shoot another human being so any gun I owned would likely be used against me. While many people thought otherwise for themselves they agreed that it would not be good for me to own a gun.

Linda

[sandsys]

1 minute ago, bigjim said:

Are U the man of the house?  Tell her how it is going to be.   It worked for me in 1980 and I haven't had to deal with a wife denying me since..😮🤣

So you bully your wife? And are proud of that? Lovely marriage you must have. Or is the lack of denying indicative of the lack of wife?

Linda

[bigjim]

2 hours ago, sandsys said:

lack of denying indicative of the lack of wife?

Right and we were both happy about it until she passed away and I am carrying on the tradition.

That was in jest but on a serious note I highly respect your thoughts on having one in your case and I believe a lot of folks that have one probably should not.  Sometimes I even question myself having one as I get older.  Lots of people don't really think it through and just want to rest on the fact that it is their right so I gotta have one.

I remember the incident Ray,In related and I consider that scenario every once in a while.

Wish I had found a good one like you, or KIrk's wife of Rv's wife.  ( I do remember both of their wives in my prayers sometimes😃.

Edited October 31, 2020 by bigjim
More me thinking I'm funny

[k4rs]

In all our years of traveling there was only one incident where a firearm was needed.  It was a road rage incident on an interstate highway.  An aggressive driver stopped in front of me and exited his vehicle with a tire iron.  As he approached the front of my truck, I opened the door and told him to stop.  He paused a few seconds then spit on my hood before returning to his vehicle.  I am sure he never saw the .45 ACP I was holding behind the door but I am sure glad that I had it.  If my pistol had been in the fifth wheel it would have been useless.

Safe Travels (or not)...