Gun Thread: Easter Bunny Edition!

A Gunthread Easter favorite!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Shitballs! Happy Easter everybody! Has everyone bitten the head off their chocolate bunny yet?

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

OK, so summer is nearly upon us which means summer road travel with firearms. Let's review some fundamentals with our pals the Armed Attorneys.

Federal Safe Passage Act

Here's the text of 18 U.S.C. section 926A

Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That 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.

So theoretically you're protected as long as you follow three key provisions; the weapon is legal for you to possess in both the beginning and ending jurisdictions, you don't stop along the way, and it's properly secured in your vehicle.

Q: Weasel, are you a lawyer?
A: No, no I am not. Please pay no attention to anything I say.

Q: Are you sure?
A: Yes. Absolutely.

See that giant gray area of quoted text just up above? There is stuff in there that can get you in big trouble, as opposed to saving your ass, if you aren't very careful. What constitutes stopping, for example? A pee break or to fill up with gas? How does one define "readily accessible?" Floating around on the back seat cool? Whose definition matters? Yours? Hopefully you get the idea.

I think the sensible thing to do is to know the law in the jurisdictions you will be passing through, and plan accordingly. "Planning accordingly" can easily be interpreted as avoiding altogether. Here is a good website from USCCA with an interactive map of gun laws in the 50 states (and territories, in the event you are driving to Puerto Rico). Another good resource is the CCW app which I have on my phone for easy reference.

Next, how to act during a traffic stop.

and...

Just be polite and be respectful. If you think the cop is wrong about something, the side of the road is not the place for you to seek a redress of grievances. If the cop asks for your license, give him or her your license. If him or her ask you to take it out of your wallet with your toes, then take it out of your wallet with your toes. I am not saying the cops are correct even close to all of the time, but by being polite and respectful, you at least have a chance of not making matters worse.

So how do all y'all feel about intrastate travel with firearms? Does it make you a nervous wreck or is it no biggie? Whatever the case, I hope you all have a safe and trouble-free summer of Happy Armed Motoring!

The official date is Saturday, June 21st, so mark that on your calendars. We will again have a sign-up process but have decided to forgo the pre-paid buffet in favor of just having people order for themselves from the casual cafe-style menu. We'll have more exciting news and specifics to share soon!

As I mentioned last week, bluebell and I sincerely hope you can join the festivities. We promise you this event is as laid back and non-anxiety inducing as humanly possible, and nothing makes us happier than to meet new people who have been reluctant to join in the past. If sitting on the sidelines and just observing is your thing, you can do just that with zero pressure from anyone and we will have strategically located potted plants for you to hide behind. I hope some of the past NoVAMoMe participants will jump in and share their thoughts on the event to inspire the scairdy-cat lurkers out there to throw caution to the wind and come meet your pals!

Remember last week when you thought you heard me say that actual updates were coming soon, possibly as soon as this Sunday? Well, you were obviously mistaken.

Details coming next Sunday. Swearsies!

In keeping with our happy motoring theme, this week's episode is Detour to Death!

Here is Filter with Hey Man, Nice Shot

Cigar of the Week

This week our pal Marty reviews the San Cristobal de la Habana

Slavyanka is the observant one. Yesterday I went to an Eastern European grocery (what a zoo! - Orthodox peeps really go all out at Easter) and picked up a bunch of meat, cheeses and other things that will go in the Easter basket to be blessed at midnight mass tomorrow. I'll go with her but she's been 3 times this week already.

I busied myself putting together a shelf for my cordless tools, making some char cloth, changing the brake fluid on my ATV, tuning the new carb on the rototiller and making basil pesto and cod for dinner.

Now I'm relaxing with a San Cristobal de La Habana a friend brought back from Cuba. A really nice smoke, paired with some 15 year old Dawhinnie. The cigar had an excellent draw, burned clean and was just the perfect thing for a very mild spring night.

Thank you, Marty! For those interested, The San Cristobal cigars start around $20 each, and up (way up).

Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.

Cigarsinternational.com
Cigarpage.com
Famous-smoke.com
Cigarsdaily.com
Neptunecigar.com
Smallbatchcigar.com
Bobalu Cigar Company
Cigarbid.com
Nicks Cigar World New!

A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid

Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!

Ammo Link-O-Rama
I'm really very seriously not kidding around anymore. Buy Ammo
AmmoSeek - online ammo search tool
GunBot - online ammo search tool
SG Ammo
Palmetto State Armory
Georgia Arms
AmmoMan
Target Sports USA
Bud's Gun Shop
American Elite Ammo NEW!

Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

posted by Weasel at 07:00 PM

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