Back to the OP's questions... He asked what we own and how do we keep track of the laws state to state. I don't think any opinions were asked except why you have the firearm you have. Pretty simple really.

To answer the op's original question.
What: Semi Auto S&W Shield 9mm
Why: Small, compact, easy to conceal, and will do what I want it to do.

If you don't like cleaning and maintaining the gun then get a revolver. They always fire.

Shotguns are also nice to have but I wouldn't want to leave a gun in the motorhome so I don't bring one. I will for Alaska because thats about the only firearm Canada will allow into their country if you get the proper paperwork completed prior to entry.

State laws I can't help you with. Being a retired police officer I am allowed to carry concealed in all 50 states. With that said I may not in New York because they are nuts there and have arrested cops in the past for carrying. Don't know if I'll be taking or driving through NY always.

Hope this helps you and hopefully this thread doesn't get any more political or heated.

Jerry

You're right: it's much better that you don't bring one here... :nonono:
New York State doesn't recognize any out-of-State permits, so you'd be at the mercy of the LEO who bumps into you... :o

Ive heard of several cops being arrest for carrying but the cases have all been thrown out of court. Fed laws trumps state laws. I have lots of family in New York and New Jersey. I will visit but most likely fly so no gun anyways.

Jerry

Thanks for the info. A couple of things:

I'll be retiring in July, then we become full time RVers. Our plan is to use the Good Sam mail service which will give us residence address in Florida. So, I'll probably be subject to their gun laws, mostly.

As for the comment about maybe not leaving home; it's not that I see the boogey man behind every tree. I'll use 911 but there aren't a whole lot of places to hide in a motorhome while you're waiting for the police. I'd like to be able to say years from now that the only time I took my gun out was to shoot at the range and to clean it. As I said in my original post, "Plan for the worst, hope for the best."

Actually you will always be 100 percent subject to the laws of the state you are in and like most things “Ignorance of the law is no defense “. Do your homework if you carry.

well i carry because i can. MH, store, car does not matter. there has been a gun in my pocket for 50 years.:thumb:

My two cents. I’ve kept a handgun in my motorhomes and travel trailers for over 40 years without incident. I do not carry on my person, do not advertise the fact I have one, I keep it in a concealed location, and have thankfully never had to pull it out. I am a Marine veteran and worked as a police officer for almost six years while attending college so I do have experience with firearms.

I believe that using common sense and not advertising you have a gun in the first place will get most people thru most situations.

Makes a hell of a good self defense weapon too! I carry the 25mm flare gun in my boat, if you look at the business end of that it’s pretty scary!!!

I would agree with your planning 100%! Like Jerry and Kev, I am a retired LEO. Including my time in the military I have pretty much carried a firearm as part of my public service jobs from my 18th birthday.

A year from now if you were camped in some remote area of New Mexico and a crack head decided he wanted your RV at 3am you would be glad you packed a firearm. You could wait 40 minutes for a deputy or trooper to get there and just hope for the best, but I prefer not to put myself or my DW in that kind of critical situation.

I don't plan on having a flat tire on my toad but I still carry a jack, spare, and lug wrench. So, just like your said "plan for the worse, hope for the best".

Larry, I know you have gotten a lot of ideas on what type of firearms to carry. Let me throw out my ideas. I only own 3. I have a S&W Shield 9mm, a Taurus 5-shot 2" revolver (polymer), and a single shot 12 gauge sawed off shotgun.

The polymer Taurus revolver is my everyday carry and I use a Sticky holster (inside the pants style). It is light weight, sweat/rain can't hurt it, and very concealable. The other two are more for "home defense" even though I do carry the S&W Shield in another Sticky holster once and awhile.

It isn't rocket science when wanting to stay legal. If you want to conceal carry then get a permit and find out where that permit will allow you to carry. As far as having the firearms in your RV, that is a two part issue decided more by constitutional law rather than local laws. If you are stopped and using your RV as a residence (camped), then that loaded firearm can be sitting on your driver's seat, kitchen counter, or any place else inside your "home". If you are traveling down the highway then without a legal CC permit you would be safe by having it unloaded and out of your reach while driving (generally speaking).

Even if the charges eventually get dropped: do you want to go through all the fun of an arrest, the ride in the back seat of a Squad Car, the primping and preening for that custom portrait?
Never mind the custom finger painting that they're gonna do with you! :eek:

The best way to win a fight, is to not be there when it happens.
Don't put yourself in the postion for the battle, and your life will be much less stressful.

Jerry,

HR218 will cover you in NYC , the only place that you need to be aware of is NJ.
They have a law that prohibits hollow point ammo for anyone except their own LEO's and they will arrest if you have them , one count per round.
When we travel back to the northeast I carry a legal defense round .
I do my HR-218 training with a group of retired NYPD guys that live in my area and have asked the NYC question to them and the HR-218 instructor and there is no problem.

Pete

Im not worried about ny or nj. Ive just read some articles in my monthly porac magazine of rare situations that have happenned there.

Old cliche, “I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6”. I’ll worry about any possible consequences later, AFTER I know my wife is safe!!!

That's my 1st choice also.... Mossberg 590A1

I'd just as soon use a "Legal in all 50" shotgun, than an unlicensed sidearm.
You can purchase a hinge-action double-barreled version for almost next to nothing...

And two shots in the narrow confines of ANY RV will be more than sufficient. :thumb:
Use #9 shot loads to limit penetration. and reduce the chance of hurting anyone that just happens to be parked nearby.

Rock Salt "lightly soaked" in DMSO solution.

my cc choice for last few years is a 4th gen glock 26 compact pistol.

I've never loaded rock-salt: why do you add the DMSO?
That DOES sound like an even better way to limit penetration! :thumb:

Even if you're in a 45' rig: this is still nothing more than "Close-quarters" self defense. You DON"T need a lot gun, because the miscreants will not want a lot of problems. They get a whiff of the fact that you're ready to end them: they'll be long gone! :thumb: