Carrying pistols to the range hall

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okshooter

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OK, this one is a silly question, but bear with me. I fully understand the requirements to legally transport handguns from home to the range and back. Opaque container, locked, with the gun unloaded and trigger locked. No issue there.

My question is about "soft" range bags. Would it be legal for me to do the following:

  1. Drive to the range with the handgun within a hard case container that meets the legal requirements for transportation
  2. Park the car at the range
  3. Remove the handgun from the hard case and place it in my range bag
  4. Walk into the range hall with the range bag which contains the unloaded gun. The range bag however has no locks on it as it's a regular soft case bag.

Because if this is not fully legal and above board, I'll just bring both in the range or buy one of those expensive hard case range bags.
 
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okshooter said:
OK, this one is a silly question, but bear with me. I fully understand the requirements to legally transport handguns from home to the range and back. Opaque container, locked, with the gun unloaded and trigger locked. No issue there.

My question is about "soft" range bags. Would it be legal for me to do the following:

  1. Drive to the range with the handgun within a hard case container that meets the legal requirements for transportation
  2. Park the car at the range
  3. Remove the handgun from the hard case and place it in my range bag
  4. Walk into the range hall with the range bag which contains the unloaded gun. The range bag however has no locks on it as it's a regular soft case bag.
Click to expand...


Between 2 and 3 are you still in your vehicle?

if so, no
 
OK, you are going to be in a parking lot, outside the range building, handling a pistol while transferring it from its locked case to an zippered carrying case.

Bad idea.

Safety zones - many ranges have rules about where a pistol may be uncased. Might be off to one side where you uncase your pistol and holster it, or right at the firing line.
 
tiriaq said:
OK, you are going to be in a parking lot, outside the range building, handling a pistol while transferring it from its locked case to an zippered carrying case.

Bad idea.

Safety zones - many ranges have rules about where a pistol may be uncased. Might be off to one side where you uncase your pistol and holster it, or right at the firing line.
Click to expand...

Ok, got it. I will just bring them both in. So I'm 100% sure to be compliant with the law. Thank you for your input.
 
IMHO, once you are on contiguous range property the transport regs of the firearm act have been satisfied.
Switch to gun club rules at that point.

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend uncasing until you have reached the firing line or
other designating handling areas.
 
It's a grey area I wouldn't touch. One range I belong to is an outdoor range and I park my car 15 feet from the firing line. The other range is an indoor range and has a busy parking lot next to a busy street. If a Mountie pulled up alongside me I would feel fine about switching pistols in the trunk at the outdoor range but would expect a few hard questions if he saw me switching cases in the parking lot outside the indoor range building. IMO the range owner of the indoor range and police would consider the firearm still in transit to the indoor range if you were in the parking lot. My outdoor range has a locked gate and is back a 1 km long private road.

I don't understand why the OP wants to switch cases? Lighten the load you have to carry?
 
Any club around here you are only allowed to handle your pistol either in the safe area, or with it pointed downrange at the firing line. The trunk of the car in the driveway satisfy neither of those. Best to check your club rules before getting banned.
 
BlackWatch said:
I don't understand why the OP wants to switch cases? Lighten the load you have to carry?
Click to expand...

I think it's nicer to walk in with a single bag. Less stuff you can trip on, leave behind, etc. But as I said, it's clear that it's safer to just bring both. So I'll do that.
 
rodregier said:
IMHO, once you are on contiguous range property the transport regs of the firearm act have been satisfied.
Switch to gun club rules at that point.
Click to expand...
Nope. Just being on the property doesn't cut it. My club's property is a couple of hundred acres but I can't carry a loaded handgun while shooting sporting clays. Until I get to the firing line or designated safe area my guns stay cased and trigger locked.
 
It can get a little expensive but you can buy a larger hard pelican case that will accommodate more than one pistol, some will house an AR and a pistol or two. I have a 5.11 range bag that I can throw two factory pistol cases in. Depends how many pistols you have but you should be able to narrow it down to one gun case and one range bag which will sling over your shoulder. Edit: or just one range bag with the factory pistol case inside it.
 
Claybuster said:
Nope. Just being on the property doesn't cut it. My club's property is a couple of hundred acres but I can't carry a loaded handgun while shooting sporting clays. Until I get to the firing line or designated safe area my guns stay cased and trigger locked.
Click to expand...

Same here. Although if your holstered and unloaded no one cares if you switch between ranges. (We have more then one handgun range). I sure wouldn't be walking around anywhere else though.
 
Claybuster said:
Nope. Just being on the property doesn't cut it. My club's property is a couple of hundred acres but I can't carry a loaded handgun while shooting sporting clays. Until I get to the firing line or designated safe area my guns stay cased and trigger locked.
Click to expand...

These sound like "your rules" or "club rules" not legislation. There was no mention of loaded or carried handguns in the question.

We have a large property as well..with several ranges..and guns can be freely transported between them, but should only be handled in designated areas..which are just about everywhere. You aren't required to trigger lock and hard case a gun to go from range to classroom or range to range. Maybe you are..but that doesn't mean 'reiger' is.

Not suggesting loaded and carried handguns on the skeet field is the rule of the day (no one else did either) but common sense rules are in play more than the transport regs. Our rule seems closer to Crash's..a holstered gun between ranges that allow them would likely pass..but not in the common areas. Certainly a handgun in a case of any kind can be freely transported around the facility without meeting a more stringent transport reg.
 
okshooter said:
Ok, got it. I will just bring them both in. So I'm 100% sure to be compliant with the law. Thank you for your input.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you are on range (private) property at the time you are contemplating this. Therefore it has nothing to do with the law and everything to do with regulations at your club. You can check with the club to be sure, but it is unlikely they would allow it. I understand why you are asking, it would be handy. Now if the gun was locked and in the soft bag and the soft bag was locked in your hard gun case on the trip from your house to the range, taking the soft case out of the hard case in your trunk might be allowed. Again, club regulations rule.
 
Might be a club law that might only be able to un pack at the range table. Should check on that.

I know mine firing line only, but the shotgunners start unpacking in the parking lot.
 
You could use something like this. When I'm taking just one or two to the range I will use these inside my range bag. They are lockable with a padlock, as is my range bag. I picked them up from Princess Auto for $6 each.

ED64BBC9-BF24-47AE-B69E-CFF80D338075_zpstt9x0ktz.jpg
 
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