Have gun, will travel

January 14, 6:22 AMCleveland Gun Rights ExaminerDaniel White

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Some of the most frequent questions I get have to do with traveling with firearms.

Even something as seemingly simple as traveling in a motor vehicle can bring up a host of questions. If you don't have a concealed handgun license, your options are pretty limited. The firearm must be unloaded and in a closed package, box, or case; in a compartment that can be reached only by leaving the vehicle; in plain sight and secured in a rack or holder made for the purpose; and if the firearm is at least twenty-four inches in overall length and if the barrel is at least eighteen inches in length, either in plain sight with the action open or the weapon stripped, or, if the firearm is of a type on which the action will not stay open or which cannot easily be stripped, in plain sight.

If you do have a concealed handgun license, a few other options open up to you, but they only pertain to handguns. With a CHL, you can have a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle if it is in a holster on your person; if it is in a closed case, bag, box, or other container that is in plain sight and that has a lid, a cover, or a closing mechanism with a zipper, snap, or buckle, which lid, cover, or closing mechanism must be opened for a person to gain access to the handgun; or if it is securely encased by being stored in a closed glove compartment or vehicle console or in a case that is locked.

In Ohio, statewide preemption has made all Ohio gun laws (except zoning and discharge regulations) uniform throughout the state. This means that you do not need to worry about accidentally violating some local law you didn't know about. However, when visiting other states, you need to do some research first.

Some states allow non-residents to open carry in their state. Others have different means of recognizing non-resident concealed handgun licenses.

Recognition is a statutory coding of the requirements for automatically allowing a non-resident to carry a concealed firearm in that state if they meet certain requirements. It may be as simple as saying that any ccw permit issued by any state is recognized, or a preset list of conditions may need to be met first. Recognition is often a one way street... nonresidents can carry in that state, but their own residents cannot carry in the other state unless that state also has recognition.

Reciprocity, on the other hand, is a formal, signed agreement between two states to recognize each other's issued licenses. These are by far the most common. For Ohio, you can view the list of states we have reciprocity with by visiting the Ohio Attorney General's website.

As I said, when carrying in another state, be sure to review their laws first. Nearly all states require you to follow their laws when carrying in that state. One, I'm told, does allow you to follow the laws of your home state, though I do not recall which state that is (bonus points to anyone who can identify that state in the comments section below!).

Whenever I mention that I frequently fly with my handgun, I always get a lot of interest. It really isn't that difficult, though does require some preparation.

The Transportation Safety Administration has a set of guidelines for traveling with firearms. An individual airline may place additional restrictions, or could conceivably ban them altogether (though I have yet to come across an airline that had a ban). The most important requirement, of course, is that the firearm must be unloaded and checked as baggage. Except in some very specific law enforcement situations, firearms are banned in the secure area of the airport and in the passenger area of commercial planes. The unloaded firearm must be in a hard sided, locked case (note: an incident recently occurred where a hard case was deemed too fragile and was rejected by the airline, so be sure it is sturdily constructed). Most allow that case to be placed inside of another piece of luggage (I like to put mine in a gym bag to help disguise it to discourage theft).

For ammunition, the standard seems to be to allow up to 11 pounds of ammo, and I've never had a problem with the ammunition being in the same case. Some airlines require ammunition to be in the original factory box, some allow any box designed to hold ammunition, and I know of at least one that allows loaded magazines as long as the primer on all cartriges are covered.

Firearms cannot be checked at curb-side check in and must be taken to the ticket counter. When at the counter, request a form for declaring an unloaded firearm. Some airline agents may ask you to demonstrate the firearm is unloaded, others go with the letter of Federal law and only require that you declare that it is unloaded. The declaration tag is signed by you and placed inside the case. Nine times out of ten, you will then be walked over to the TSA screening station (only once in five years have I been sent unescorted) where they may ask you questions and are supposed to verify that the case is locked. After that, it is simply a matter of picking up your firearm at the end of the flight with the rest of your baggage.

Keep in mind that this article was merely an overview, and there are many other laws and regulations to keep in mind before traveling with your personal firearm. Always do your research first!

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  Courtesy Oleg Volk

I'm not interested in getting into the debate of whether or not homosexuality is "right" or not, but I will say that what most certainly isn't right and is completely unacceptable is attacking someone over their sexual preference.

Central Ohio's Channel 10 news is reporting that is exactly what happened to two men in Columbus back in September.

John and Larry Charlton were hospitalized following the beating on Harris Avenue in September, 10TV's Glenn McEntyre reported.

The men, who have been together more than seven years, said the attack began when a group of men yelled a gay slur at them.

"Next thing I know, one of them's on (John's) back, whooping on him," Larry said. "I pulled that guy off. He turned around and smashed me a couple times in the head and knocked me down. Then three more guys were on top of John."

Yesterday, after their SUV was set on fire, they came forward to tell their story. Being physically attacked and having your property destroyed simply because of a lifestyle choice is a hate crime, and I hope the men who committed these crimes are brought to justice. I also hope John and Larry realize that there are options available to them to keep them safe if someone tries it again.