You want to carry a gun for your protection, and it makes you feel safe. However, you also don’t want to get yourself into any situations where you accidentally break the law in the way that you transport this firearm. Specifically, what you’re wondering about is if you can have the gun in the car with you.
The short answer is yes, that you can carry a weapon for protection in your car. You can also have it in your house, and potentially even in your place of business.
How do you move between your vehicle and a building?
One key thing to remember is that the gun needs to be in plain view if you’re ever moving between your building and your car or vice versa. Essentially, you’re not allowed to carry the weapon in a concealed manner. It has to be obvious to everyone that sees you that you are wearing it.
There are some exceptions to this. For instance, if you’re a retired police officer, then you may be able to carry a weapon in a concealed manner. But the general public needs to open carry so that it is clear to everyone around them that they have the firearm.
Why is open carry considered safer?
To those who do not own firearms, open carry often feels a bit unnerving or uncomfortable. They see someone wearing a gun and they wonder why that person has the firearm. They may even express a desire to have people conceal their weapons so they don’t have to think about it.
However, open carry can be much safer in one key way: It ensures that anyone near that person knows that they have a firearm. This is done to deter crime. Someone who conceals a weapon may try to sneak it into a place where no one knows that they have it and then commit a crime. If they have to carry it in the open, while this doesn’t prevent crime, it at least prevents the clandestine nature of that firearm.
So, while you are certainly allowed to have a gun in your car with you if it is for your protection, you do need to make sure you know exactly how to carry that gun whenever you leave your vehicle. If any type of oversight or mistake leads to criminal weapons charges, be sure you know about your legal defense options.