Traveling cross country with shotgun?

[Carl Levitian]

The better half and I are panning a month long cross country trip counter clockwise, to see all the National parks. Badlands, Custer, Yellowstone, Bryce, Canyonlands, Mesa Verde. Some of the times we will be camped in National park camp grounds or KOA camp grounds, so we're not worred about that. But once we're out west we'll be camping on BLM land where ever night finds us. Then I'd like to have one of my shotguns on hand. Just in case. While on the road, the gun will be unloaded and cased in the trunk, being set up only when camped out in remote places. Not worried about 4 legged creatures, only two legged that may see an older couple camped out in a place where there may not be witnesses.

A long arm unloaded while on the road should not be a problem unless there are laws I don't know about. Just not real sure about being loaded while on BLM land camped out.

Being from the Peoples Republik Of Marylandistan, we do not had a CCW. So that's why the long arm while camping out.

Opinions?

 

[twofifty]

Bringing the shotgun is a good idea.

I've been to the areas you will visit and can assure you that you are in for a treat. iirc, 90% of the land area out West is federally managed: BLM, NPS, and NFS.

There's a lot of National Forests out West, and many of these surround the bigger National Parks. Most NFs have a few basic campgrounds, but you can usually camp wherever in a NF so long as it is not posted otherwise. BLM lands are usually open to whatever whenever wherever.

Maybe the NFS and BLM websites could give you a solid answer wrt having a loaded shotgun in camp.

edit: changed NPS to NFS in last paragraph.

 

[Arp32]

Avoid target shooting unless you know where you're at. Got arrested on BLM land once, we were a couple hundred yards on the wrong side of the boundary. Got let go with a warning, but it was harrowing when we turned around with shotguns in hand after throwing some clays to find two deputies 15 yards behind us, guns drawn and aimed at us.

To your point, they never said anything about having the guns, only that we couldn't target shoot where we were.