Trip to Pacific Northwest

[Rex B]

Wife and I are going to fly up to Reno May 1, rent a car, and drive a sightseeing loop through Oregon and washington.
checked Handgunlaw site and found to my dismay that none of the 3 states has CHL reciprocity with Texas.
However, all 3 are open carry states. It looks like I have two choices: Open carry, or keep a pistol locked in my trunk, ammo separate.
I'm not comfortable with the first option, and the 2nd seems almost pointless.

I don't think I have enough lead time to get another CHL from a state that has reciprocity with those states.

I really don't want to spend a week in rural areas with no protection.

Suggestions?

[joe817]

Do any of those states have an equivalent MPA and "Traveler's" statute like we do? If so, that might be your saving grace.

You might want to go on each of those state's concealed carry forum and ask those questions there.

There's a sticky thread that lists a whole lot of other states CHL forums up at the top in "Other States" section of our Forum.

[marksiwel]

you can legally Open Carry? Go for it

[Keith B]

you can legally Open Carry? Go for it

If you do decide to open carry, be cautious. Oregon allows cities to preempt state law and prohibit carry in public places. And while Nevada has state preemption, Las Vegas has ALWAYS had its own rules and kinda thumbs its nose at the state laws if they want to do something.

A good resource to get links to state laws is from http://www.opencarry.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. There are also links to forums where you can check out how 'friendly' the state and municipalities are to open carry, legal or not.

[Rex B]

I checked out most of the suggestions.
As I said I'm not comfortable with open carry, and a little research shows some minefields as mentioned.
So far it looks like I'll be buying a big can of Bear Repellent early in the drive.

[sooeey2u]

I see by your post date that you may have already taken your trip thru our beautiful state of Oregon. Oregon & Washington state are both open carry states without permits, however without a reciprocity CHL you may not be able to carry in some cities or on school premises. In Oregon, you would be able to open carry in restaurant serving alcohol or a bar, tavern, etc or even a bank as long as there aren't any No Weapons signs posted. Even ghostbuster signs are legally enforced here.

I carry OC 40% & CC 60% depending mostly on what type of clothing I am wearing.

I was looking at the reciprocity map at http://www.usacarry.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and it shows that you as a Texas CHL holder are legal in Utah but not in Oregon nor Washington state, yet if you possessed a non-resident Utah CHL you would be legal to CC in Washington state but not Oregon.

Good luck and have a safe trip,
Robert

[Rex B]

Robert, I did go, and spent the entire week "naked".
Enjoyed the trip, beautiful country. We wound up on some seriously remote roads that concerned me a bit at times, but no problems at all.

Did not know about open carry, but then I'd have been uncomfortable doing that, particularly as a visitor.

Thanks for the input.

[sooeey2u]

Dang, I was hoping I caught ya before going. Anyway hopefully while in Oregon you saw the deepest & bluest lake west of the Mississippi, Crater Lake, the Rogue River (an unspoiled, rugged river in southern OR thats fantastic for rafting, the Lava Beds and volcanoes of eastern OR, Mt. Bachelor (yr round skiing), the rugged coastline and most photographed lighthouses in the US or my Willamette Valley abundant with deer, elk, trout & salmon.

Whoops, digrested somewhat...sorry.

Bet that feeling nekkid was no fun at all. No one can legally carry in the "gun control state" of Kalifornicate but I for one would rather deal with the consequences of defending myself. FYI, when pulled over by a LEO when out-of-state, your home state CHL does not show up on his background check of your vehicle license as it would in your home state.

Yes its not uncommon to see OC throughout the vast high plains of western Oregon esp on the cowboys there or us bikers open carrying on our rides. Do alot of varmit hunting over there, just havta check in with any grass seed farmer to find out where they're working or have machinery located and you can shoot sage rats till hand blisters!

Neighbors alike, here in Springfield, can be seen mowing or weeding their lawns while OCing. Walmart and grocery stores here don't blink an eye to someone with a handgun.

Heck an Oregon (unfortunately) is a Blue state. I lived in and around Houston back in '72-80s and never could understand why such a conservative Republican state would not allow OC.

Keep informed & keep fighting for all your rights!
Robert
aka Sooeey

[Rex B]

We spent most of the trip driving along the coastline, stopping dozens of times. Saw the lighthouses, the Sea Lion cave etc.

Rogue River was on the list, but we did not see it other than crossing it.

Western Washington was also scenic, running through rain squalls and sunshine, through valleys and forests. Too beautiful for for my meager words.

We did see Crater Lake, last stop before heading back to Reno. Roads were icy and snow was piled 8 feet high on the roadsides, like a 30 mile long bobtail chute. We got there at 8:00 AM, hiked over a snowbank to see the lake. It was otherwise almost deserted. Perfectly clear, snow, pines. 22 degrees. Gorgeous place, breathtaking!

I was glad we had a car that handled well. All those curvy mountain roads were a workout

[sooeey2u]

So glad you enjoyed the scenery here! Born in AL, high school in FL, grad Sam Houston State U, lived all over the US but settled here back in '87 because of the scenery & weather......gun laws were good too.

If I may ask about your two signs out there, is is really a felony offense getting caught with a gun (with CHL) in both a premise posting a 30.06 sign and a premise posting a 51% sign?

Here if a no weapons sign is posted on a premise be it at the mall, movie theater, bank, retail store, bar, restaurant, etc and you get caught by the owner or LEO the only thing they can do is ask you to leave otherwise you are charged with tresspassing. So I just ignore the signs when I conceal carry.

Of course, don't get caught at the Post Office or other govt bldgs...!

[Rex B]

I'm pretty sure it's a misdemeanor here in Texas.
Anyone?

[LarryH]

Trespass under 30.06 is a class A misdemeanor.

Carrying into a 51% establishment [46.035(b)(1)] is a third degree felony.

In either case, it's "bye-bye CHL" if convicted.