# Guns in cars, how common is it and are they loaded? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [December 3, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050 "2021-12-03T23:13:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 4:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/21 "2021-12-04T04:31:30Z")
> [@weekend-warrior](#): > > I have found a lot on handgun rules for transport but nothing really on rifle transport. I hate to continue this but everyone is all keyed up about hand guns. Look under the DNR regulations for long guns. That would likely be where it would be covered. It is my belief that when transporting either hand guns or long guns from one state to another, the rules are the same for either. Cased, unloaded, out of reach, etc. Hold your breath until out of NY then I think mostly friendly until Florida and freedom. (If that is you want to be protected by the special federal statute that allows transport.) It’s just a little different if you have a carry permit and a hand gun and if the state recognizes permits from other states, but why push it. South Dakota doesn’t require a permit but Minnesota does. So I could go to from Minnesota to SD with no problem if the wife would let me have one. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 4:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/22 "2021-12-04T04:46:56Z")
Now that I think about it, I always had a shotgun in the trunk for hunting going from MN to SD for school, for hunting, and later to the cabin. Never ever gave it a second thought. I had planned on doing some target practice with the others rifles too in SD. Its just normal out there. But safety is the issue so unloaded and in a case. That is also to prevent or restrict road hunting. So we used to keep the case open so you could stop and quick pull the gun out and put a shell in if you saw a bird. Sheesh wish folks would loosen up. At the restaurant I worked at in high school, the owner had a trap range in the back so he could practice between rush hours. This is normal stuff. ---
**Author:** ![bscar2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bscar2/32/2468_2.png) [@bscar2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bscar2)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 5:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/23 "2021-12-04T05:17:29Z")
In the few restrictive states, you might as well just disassemble the thing to its basic components before you enter the state and have about 10 different locked cases to hold all the different parts. Would be very difficult to prosecute for gun trafficking when all the parts are scattered in various boxes inside the trunk/cargo area if the police pulled you over and tried to trump up some charges while you were pulled over. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 5:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/24 "2021-12-04T05:39:41Z")
More common here than one might think. I carry and yes it’s always loaded. Per the old saying, better to have and not need than to need and not have. Some years ago I called the local PD, state patrol, and county sheriff wanting to know what OK laws were pertaining to firearms on a motorcycle. I never heard so much contradictory nonsense in all of my life. None of the 3 agreed. One of them said you have to carry the gun on one end of the bike and the shells on the opposite end. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 5:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/25 "2021-12-04T05:43:51Z")
> [@bing](#): > > I hate to continue this but everyone is all keyed up about hand guns. Many people carry handguns in vehicles. I never found a long gun in a customer’s car, people in the city don’t carry long guns year around, impractical for self-defense. Do you keep a shot gun in your Pontiac? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 5:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/26 "2021-12-04T05:55:04Z")
> [@ok4450](#): > > One of them said you have to carry the gun on one end of the bike and the shells on the opposite end. Heh heh. Sounds like the answer I got when I asked if the kid could drive the lawn mower around the block to cut the grass on our vacant lot. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/27 "2021-12-04T06:00:55Z")
> [@Nevada\_545](#): > > Do you keep a shot gun in your Pontiac? No. No reason anymore. I did put it in when I suspected a rabid coon at the cemetery that was following me. I ended up going through Menards lumber yard not thinking anything of it, but the kid mentioned it when checking out and opened my trunk. I suppose they would prefer you not do that. The coon ended up dead in the road anyway. Must have wandered out there like it was drunk and got run over. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 6:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/28 "2021-12-04T06:49:06Z")
Just to complicate matters my lever action 22 rifle is now illegal some places due to the number of rounds it holds. Will not be putting that in my car. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 12:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/29 "2021-12-04T12:50:59Z")
> [@ok4450](#): > > Some years ago I called the local PD, state patrol, and county sheriff wanting to know what OK laws were pertaining to firearms on a motorcycle. I never heard so much contradictory nonsense in all of my life. None of the 3 agreed. If cops knew the laws well, they would be lawyers. Pays better. I remember awhile ago I was working on a neighbor’s SUV. Thing wouldn’t start. “Key’s in the center console,” he said. So I opened it and found a handgun just sitting there. No protection. Car had been unlocked when I got there too. Brilliant. Several years later some other dope left his gun in the car and a bunch of high school kids who were roaming the neighborhoods stealing stuff out of unlocked cars found it. Couple of days later we heard a bunch of gunshots coming from the woods near my house. I figure the kids were playing with their new toy. Strikes me as an incredibly stupid thing to do, leaving a gun lying around in an unlocked car. Probably stupid enough that it should be evidence that you can’t handle the responsibility of gun ownership. Or maybe even car ownership. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 1:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/30 "2021-12-04T13:20:22Z")
> [@shadowfax](#): > > Probably stupid enough that it should be evidence that you can’t handle the responsibility of gun ownership. Or maybe even car ownership +1 Yes, Yup, Yeah! A reddit site that gets posts from a lot of mechanics shows handguns left in cars in for service all the time just like @Nevada_545’s picture. Handguns, and drugs and drug paraphernalia, and cash… as well as cars whose insides look like toxic waste dumpsters… ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/31 "2021-12-04T14:43:04Z")
At work we can’t have firearms or ammunition in the car. If you are caught, you are fired, no exceptions. Seem severe? My last employer is the largest manufacturer of dumb munitions in the US. They made it clear that no one was allowed to carry guns or ammunition in their vehicles. We could buy ammo at the buddy price and pick it up at the shipping and receiving office, but had to leave company grounds immediately or face job loss. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/32 "2021-12-04T14:56:17Z")
Of course we are all replying as reasonable, responsible, law abiding, citizens. Drive by shooters are none of the above… ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/33 "2021-12-04T15:24:06Z")
> [@old\_mopar\_guy](#): > > In New Jersey, we have very strict firearms regulations here, and carry permits are almost impossible to obtain. And, our rate of violent crime is one of the lowest in the US. In fact, 45 states have violent crime rates higher than that of NJ, and many of them are **far** higher. > **[Reported violent crime rate in the U.S. by state 2022 | Statista](https://www.statista.com/statistics/200445/reported-violent-crime-rate-in-the-us-states/)** > > In 2022, the District of Columbia had the highest reported violent crime rate in the United States, with 812.3 violent crimes per 100,000 of the population. 👍 ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 5:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/34 "2021-12-04T17:17:48Z")
Plus, when was the last time we had a school shooting in NJ,? Maybe the Seton Hall one, years ago. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/35 "2021-12-04T19:08:34Z")
In NH it’s very very common. I live on the border with MA which has much stricter gun laws. I know people who avoid driving in MA for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![Scrapyard-John](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Scrapyard-John](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Scrapyard-John)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/36 "2021-12-04T23:30:14Z")
> [@VDCdriver](#): > > And, our rate of violent crime is one of the lowest in the US. > In fact, 45 states have violent crime rates higher than that of NJ, and many of them are **far** higher. Those rates are “per 100k population”. Doesn’t mean X state has less violent crime than Y state. I understand why they do it that way (per 100k), but it kind of makes rural states with low populations and one or two crime ridden metro areas look worse than they are and heavily populated states possibly look better than they are. Probably why Alaska is always at the top of the list. Would be interesting to see a list of total number of violent crimes per state without the “per 100k population” caveat. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/37 "2021-12-04T23:37:03Z")
I think city specifics would be more accurate than state statistics, Take Chicago for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Scrapyard-John](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@Scrapyard-John](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Scrapyard-John)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/38 "2021-12-04T23:46:30Z")
> [@Barkydog](#): > > I think city specifics would be more accurate than state statistics, Take Chicago for instance. Probably right. I see TN is pretty high up that list. But I’d feel ok out at night in most of TN. Although I don’t feel safe in Memphis at noon. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2021, 11:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/39 "2021-12-04T23:58:34Z")
> [@Scrapyard-John](#): > > Those rates are “per 100k population Yeah good point. So just as a comparison of totals: (not exact. Just rounded from 2020 population figures) New Jersey 17,940 DC 6,785 South Dakota 4,438 Minnesota 15,789 (But if you took Minneapolis and St. Paul out of it the total would be significantly lower) Now before any pats on the back, how many by people with legal carry permits. In Minnesota it would be about 2. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050/40 "2021-12-05T14:41:45Z")
> [@bing](#): > > Now before any pats on the back, how many by people with legal carry permits. In Minnesota it would be about 2. Don’t know the exact number, but it’s not difficult to get. I know a couple dozen who have legal carry permits. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/guns-in-cars-how-common-is-it-and-are-they-loaded/181050.md?page=3)