Protection in the Woods: Do you bring your gun?

It does not take a great deal of social media posts or watching Youtube videos posted by members of the bike touring community to figure out they lean in the Bohemian portion of the population. After all, these are people who believe slogging around on a bike for thousands of miles, in inclement weather often with no modern niceties like a running toilet, is a great time. They are not—generally — firm members of the starched shirt and strait-laced members of society.

Keeping this in mind, it should not be too surprising that within the community there are strong opinions about the need—or rather lack of need—to travel with firearms. I’ve come across more than a few popular biking and backpacking influencers on Youtube talking about the subject. Ryan Duzer of Youtube channel, Get Out There, recently biked the Great Divide and addressed the subject. His feeling was he never felt the need for guns while traveling anyway and so did not want to carry them. Nor could he imagine using one against animals, even if he was traveling through Grizzly country.

I thought the sentiment was naïve, but it spurred me to do a little research and the results—at first—surprising. I found more travelers that felt as Duzer did, than the opposite. Facebook groups on bike touring, packing, and even Overlanding have long threads on the subject with people engaging in all out, posting wars. Still, the numbers skewed toward those that did not want to bring them and are not fans.

As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletter entries, the endless hours I have watched on Youtube and in interacting with tourers on Facebook make it clear that the kindness of strangers is a real thing. There is something about seeing individuals traveling by bike that appears to consistently bring out the best in fellow humans. I’m too cynical to not keep in mind that plenty of people go missing while hiking in the woods, get attacked by large predators, or have to deal with the top two legged predators in world. Most people are good. It only takes one bad one to end your trip permanently.

This presents a challenge. The US Constitution gives all American the unquestioned right to bear arms.

Settlers traveling west, east, south, and north on horseback, in covered wagons, or two feet carried weapons. Still, the right IS questioned and curtailed in many states. Being aware of the laws in each is a necessary burden. States like New York and New Jersey for example, do not care about your second amendment rights. You could save someone’s life with a gun in those states, and they will still arrest you.

I live in Florida and have a concealed carry permit. This allows me to carry my firearm with me in most places as long as it is concealed. Good for Florida, but I’m traveling the country. That means I must know which states have reciprocity. Reciprocity means that if you have a ccw permit in your state, it is valid in another state. In theory, that means you can carry outside your hotel, or car.

The US Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) a group that provides legal representation for gun owners, offers a tool on their website that will allow you to see which states are reciprocal, based on your home state. Below is a map of my results.

The states I’m visiting circled in green, I’m good legally. The states in red are a problem. Further compounding the issue is that many of the green states still have restrictions that probably revolve around how you have the firearm secured in your car. That is fine, but when what about when I’m biking?

The quick, non-expensive, years waiting to go to the Supreme Court answer is that I’m screwed. New York for example not only does not recognize non-New York Licenses, but when traveling through New York:

“It is legal to transport a legal firearm through New York under Federal interstate transportation law 18 USC § 926A provided the handgun is unloaded, with neither the firearm nor any ammunition readily accessible from the passenger compartment. In the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment, the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. If you don't have a NYPL and happen to stop at a motel overnight, then you are in violation of the law and subject to arrest if found with a firearm.

Clearly these laws are dumb. What good is a gun to protect against a carjacking if it’s in the trunk, unloaded and locked up? Worst—at least for me—on a bike I would have to convince a judge that a side pannier is the same as a compartment on a motorcycle. And what would be the point? Locked and inaccessible is the same as not having the damn thing with me. Which is probably the point in these un-American states. Nudge [that has a political connation believe or not. Click the hyperlink for more] the public toward giving up their rights, by making it too difficult to assert those rights. New Jersey and California have similar laws. Both states are where I’ll be using the car, not the bikes, so that is good, but I still must make sure I do not get stopped.

It’s all a pain in the rear end, so why bother? The answer is simple. Having a gun that you never need to use is great. Needing to use a gun and not having it is a problem.

I plan on visiting 18 different states. I am going to have to read every one, then make some decisions. Do I assert my God-given and American rights to have a firearm to protect myself and brother in an emergency, and just pray I do not get searched by the police in certain states? Or do I leave them home and hope I do not need to use it while traveling. Which option provides the most risk?

Honestly, I do not know.