Posted: 2/26/2003 4:45:17 PM EDT
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I am considering a trunk gun at all times. Where can I find information on legalities on doing this and the exact details as to lock method, having ammunition nearby etc... For example, is it legal to carry a unloaded rifle in the trunk with a fully loaded magazine next to it both locked up in a combination lock case? |
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Nothing wrong with a trunk gun. Some localities (Madtown) require gun locks. Ammunition must be stored separate, i do beleive....no loaded mags in the same case. If it's unloaded and encased, you're in the clear. A trigger lock might be a good piace of extra insurance. |
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I'm no lawyer. With that in mind, I have had the DNR question me (i was in the truck warming up, rifle cased in bed of truck) and they did check our rifles to make sure they were encased, and opened the cases to make sure they were unloaded. I don't know if that was legal of them or not. But at the time i knew i was within the law, so i had no reservations. I tend to be more lenient with game wardens. THey seem to be nicer and more flexible that alot of the local cops. |
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i know that game wardens have the authority to search vehicles, more so than a regular LEO..although i heard/read somewhere in the last year that a lawyer was contesting that. not sure if this was in MN or WI. when i go hunting i'm always within the law but when i drive to the range (less than 10min from my home) i just throw everything together. usually there isn't anything within reach. |
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Gun locks required? I didnt know that about Madison. If I need to transport a gun to Rusk on the west side, I have the gun locked in a box in the back of my van. Are gun locks required even if the gun is in the trunk in a locked box? I wonder exactly how the law reads on that. Paul. Mt.Horeb,Wi. |
Madison has a bunch of wacky laws. I got asked by my FFL about their "NO HANDGUNS" law just last year. I said, yeah, it's on the books but is SUPERCEDED by State Law. Madison can have all the cute, cuddly, fuzzy, feel-good and sounds really safer-than-thou among the soccer mom crowd laws they want but it's Wisconsin and Federal law I pay attention to until I hear otherwise. |
Did they actually pass that no handgun BS? I know they have been trying for the longest time. Heh.... I agree....state law. Only problem is....are you willing to stay in jail and pay the lawyer costs related to this? Ultimately i have no doubt you are in the right, but usually i'll just avoid madison and not have to deal with it. Madison has a female mayor. ....not that im sexist... |
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Trunk guns OK, as long as they are encased & unloaded... This is a DNR/game regs law... The ammo-stored-separate thing is the GCA/FOPA 'federal minimum' that all states must permit... IIRC the WI supreme court has not held that a 'loaded mag/ammo in the gun case = a loaded gun' (I found such a ruling for IL, but that's beside the point), and all the law says is 'unloaded'. I could not find anything on the DNR or legis.state.wi.us to indicate that 'unloaded' means ammo-separate-from-gun... The 'within reach' issue may come up if they try to prosecute you for CCW violations, but if the gun is unloaded that should not be a problem... Again, the 'guns-in-cars' law has 2 parts: a state SC decision holding that a LOADED UN-CASED pistol locked in the glove box is a concealed weapon, and a hunting law prohibiting loaded and/or un-cased guns in cars (to prevent drive-by hunting)... That's why the game wardens are so interested in the contents of your gun cases... The 'cased & unloaded' law is from their part of the state code (hunting regs)... According to the DNR, a 'gun case' is any portable item that completely encloses the firearm it is encasing... Holsters of a design that completely enclose the gun they contain are considered 'cases' for the purpose of the law (source: DNR website, under hunting regs. It's a PDF)... |