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For those who know about guns...

ratsncorns

ratsncorns

Bird Nerd
As some of you know, I do a fair bit of traveling. Usually alone. I have been contemplating this for a while but I would really like to find a small gun for personal protection while I travel. Something that will also fit in a lockbox under the seat of my truck since I do a lot of cross country moving. Im not even sure where to start! I dont know anything about guns, although I have shot my fair bit of them for fun, nor do I know anything about the permitting process for my needs. My residence is in IL, but I really only live here 2-3 months of the year. This new year sees me living in CA for pretty much the entire time.

I have small hands so something that would work well for women would be great!

Thanks for any suggestions!!
 
I would suggest a 9mm or a .40... there are many different companies that make them.

I found the Sw99 .40 fit perfectly in my small hands and was easy to shoot.
smith and wesson also makes the M&P .40 has interchangable grips to fit different size hands.

Berretta makes a mini cougar that will fit in small hands.

And of course there is always the ever popular Glocks. I am not a fan but a lot of people like them because they a durable and have the compact series.

Then there is the revolvers. My favorite but not really practical some say. They have .38 specials that are small and compact.

I would suggest looking around and holding the guns to see how they feel in your hands. It took me and my husband almost 6 months before I found the SW99 that I liked and felt good in my hands.

As far as permits go, it depends on the state you are driving through. I would research your planned driving route. There are a lot of states that have open carry laws and others that have mush stricter gun laws. Most of the time however if you get pulled over for speeding per say, if you immediately tell the officer you have a gun and where it is, they are cool!

Good Luck with your travels and your new gun purchase. It is always fun!
 
I think you are going to have all kinds of issues if you actually want to travel across different states as its not just as simple as getting a carry permit in your own state/county and then travelling each state and often different counties have their own requirements so you would need to comply to each individual one you entered into..... Plus on top of that different states have different rules to what they regard as a legal handgun
 
But as far as guns go a Ruger LCP .380 is a nice small one :D .... we are actually looking at picking up a couple of handguns at income tax time this year and will be going for something like a Ruger LC9 or CZ-USA P07 DUTY
 
See I think thats going to be my biggest problem/hurdle, is the permits. I travel a lot and my routes vary depending on the weather and where I feel like going. It would be nice to have one though since Im always alone and sometimes sleep overnight in rest stops. Although this year, I will be spending most of my time in CA/AZ so that will give me an idea of where to start as far as carrying. I dont plan on doing concealed carry, just something to have with me in my car and/or hotel or field housing.

I really need to find a gun show or something where I can try a bunch of different guns. I just dont know where to start and if I have a few suggestions that will be very helpful!

I guess in reality, if I get pulled over and tell the cop about the gun they probably would just see me traveling alone and wouldnt really care. But with my luck I would get the jerk cop!
 
If you don't mean to shoot it often I would just get a little j frame 38. As far as carrying in CA I dont know much about that except good luck.
 
I would suggest you go to a local gun range and hire someone to train you with a variety of guns. Learn how they work and shoot them to learn how they feel. What is right for me is not necessarily right for you. It is a very individual thing.

Gun laws vary a great deal from state to state but California is the strictest of them all. I would not rely on the idea of telling a cop you are breaking the law will influence him to let you off. Many states and many cops take concealed carry very serious. A gun under your seat is concealed.

In most states, if the gun is unloaded and in a locked hard case you are legal. But then a gun that is unloaded in a locked hard case is not much of a defense weapon. You might be better off with a big stick.
 
I'd definitely go with the Lancer Assault Rifle from Epic...Got yerself a good magazine, some purrty blue lights to help locate the contraption if needed, plus you got a chainsaw at the end for utility purposes. All around it's a good buy and what you sacrifice in portability you more than make up for in substance!.

gearsofwar_lancer_triforce.jpg


PS: *I know nothing about guns* lol.
 
ratsncorns said:
See I think thats going to be my biggest problem/hurdle, is the permits. I travel a lot and my routes vary depending on the weather and where I feel like going. It would be nice to have one though since Im always alone and sometimes sleep overnight in rest stops. Although this year, I will be spending most of my time in CA/AZ so that will give me an idea of where to start as far as carrying. I dont plan on doing concealed carry, just something to have with me in my car and/or hotel or field housing.

I really need to find a gun show or something where I can try a bunch of different guns. I just dont know where to start and if I have a few suggestions that will be very helpful!

I guess in reality, if I get pulled over and tell the cop about the gun they probably would just see me traveling alone and wouldnt really care. But with my luck I would get the jerk cop!
Click to expand...



Illinois is a crap state for gun owners, you have to apply for a state permit to even have a bullet or shell in your possesion if you do not have said permit is a federal offence. It all goes back to the gangster days so I was told when I lived in the state for a while. All it is, is a background check and a fee and they mail you said card. I would go and get a firearms safety course and let them teach you about guns. And you can shoot a variety to see how much recoil and thump you are comfy with.
 
You should look at the US Concealed Carry Association website. Lots of info. It's probably best to find a state that has reciprocity with many other states, like Florida or I think Utah, and see if you can get a non-resident permit. Even if you aren't going to carry a gun, it will cover transporting it in your vehicle.

Have you considered a good pepper spray, like Kimber Guardian Angel? I like the original black canister, not the red gun-shaped one (very awkward, doesn't have a clip on it). You can take that _anywhere_.

It's nice in theory to carry a gun for self defense, but if you're going to, you need legal insurance, too, because if you use it you're going to trial. It's just such a major step. You'd need to commit to shooting a lot, to be safe and comfortable.

California has pretty restrictive gun laws- so you should make sure whatever you decide on is allowed there.
 
Oh yeah, like Wade says, I would HIGHLY doubt a cop would cut you slack for carrying a gun (in your vehicle) without a permit. It's even somewhat likely you're going to get arrested when you _are_ carrying legally, because all LEOs are not so familiar with the laws covering that.
 
Maybe its just not worth it. Ive survived this long without one! I just dont see myself staying in California for the long haul so maybe I will just get a can of mace LOL. Or just do nothing, like Ive done my entire life.
 
I carry a beretta .380 and like it alot. California is quite restrictive about carrying and unless you live in Northern California you'll never get a carry permit. I lived there for more than 40 years, went through guard class and handgun class, applied for a carry permit and was denied. Still carried it with me in the car though. I worked at 4 in the morning and didn't like having nothing. Here in SC I can carry it in the car and getting a carry permit is easy. Crossing state lines is different though. I can go into Florida with a carry permit (they honor reciprocity) but Georgia does not.
 
If you traveling cross country and have a gun in plain sight and are stopped by a cop, its usually not a problem. But like I said you need to check each state you are traveling through. My father in law is a retired cop and that is how he travels anywhere he goes!
 
You can have it in sight...in most states...but you can't have it loaded or ammunition where it can be placed in the gun. At least in a lot of states. California requires you to lock both gun and ammo in separate areas in a vehicle....big help there!
 
When we moved from Utah back to New Mexico, my husband carried his gun in plain sight. He was stopped for speeding and told the cop about the gun. It was in the console of his jeep. The cop just asked him to step out of the car while he wrote the speeding ticket.
Of course Utah and New Mexico have open carry laws as well as concealed carry. I provided a link of states that permit open carry or even in the glovebox. You just need to make sure you do your planning ahead of time and that you are comfortable with the gun you choose.
 
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