Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

Good afternoon everyone. I have a question regarding transporting a handgun from my apartment unit, to my vehicle in the apartment garage without a CHP (for now). I am waiting on my CHP, but would still like to carry the handgun in my vehicle until I receive it, since a permit is not required to carry in a motor vehicle. However, I live in an apartment, and I do not want to take the elevator down to the garage open carrying a handgun since people will probably freak out, and putting it in a backpack seems like basically concealed carrying, which I am not yet able to do until the permit is mailed to me. What I have been doing is unloading it completely, putting it into its case, and then putting that case in a backpack, and then taking it out and reloading it once in my vehicle and storing it in a closed compartment.

Is all of that necessary, or will I be okay to put it in a backpack without unloading it, putting it in its case, and then inside a backpack, just to get to my truck? I get that I could probably 'get away' with just throwing it in a backpack, but if that is breaking the law then I'd prefer not to.

If anyone has any insight into this it would be helpful, since unloading, putting it in the case and then a backpack, and then taking it back out and reloading in the vehicle is quite a process. Even if the process is a bit laborious, I am trying to make sure that I follow the law and prevent other non-CHP holders from getting upset in my apartment.

Thank you in advance for your comments!

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/tit ... n18.2-308/

You will notice the exceptions section often states "unloaded and securely wrapped while being transported". That's the key for you to stay in compliance with the law until your CHP comes.

Unloaded: No ammunition in the chamber, no magazine containing ammunition inserted into the firearm.

You are going to be loading/unloading a lot you may want to do some research on projectile setback. Each time your chamber a round the projectile has a chance to be pushed back into the case a very small amount. In most situations this is a non-issue as seconds later the ammunition is fired. But there are some examples from law enforcement where they load/unload multiple times a day, that when they went to the range for training some officers were having cases splitting, or in some occurrences damage to the firearm itself.

I don't know of any studies that have found how many times is too many, but you should be aware that the problem is real, and does exist, and as CHP holders we don't often shoot our carry ammo, but that first round does need to be retired after it has been re-chambered over and over.

Welcome to the forums.

I dont think you can have a loaded gun stored in a vehicle without a CHP. I could be wrong.

If it is indeed legal than I would simple open carry the gun to your vehicle and then store it.

As was mentioned above you dont want to be unloading and reloading that much with a semi pistol. If you have a revolver it's not as much of an issue aside from inconvenience.

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This all sounds like a nuisance. I'd just OC between my front door and my car. Most people probably won't notice, anyway.

I used to OC in Williamsburg, regularly, when I lived there. That place attracts all manner of looney libs, carpetbaggers, and other undesirables. I found that 99% of the population there was so wrapped up in their own little worlds, that they simply didn't notice the revolver (with a 6" barrel) hanging from my belt. (I'm nowhere near tall, and very skinny; my mother said that "the gun wears you", lol. So, it was a very obvious thing.) Of those that DID notice, most were law enforcement or other gun owners. I never got a negative reaction.

Based on my own experiences, I really wouldn't worry about it. (Obviously, as with most things, YMMV)

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@ Jon, unless something changed (which is possible!), it can be "secured in a container". Your glove box or center console counts as a secured container.

Off the top of my head, I don't know the code that states that...

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FWIW:

https://www.robertslaw.org/can-i-keep-m ... -virginia/

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