With the height of the travel season upon us, many of us are trying to figure out the logistics of carrying concealed while vacationing. One common question is the issue of whether you can bring your firearm into your hotel room.
The first thing gun owners need to do is to read up on the laws of the jurisdiction of the hotel in which you will be staying. Does the state recognize your concealed carry permit? If not, you may need to leave your gun at home – or reconsider your travel plans.
If you’re legally allowed to carry your CCW, you will still need to check the individual hotel’s concealed carry policy. Many hotels don’t allow guests to bring a firearm, even a CCW, onto hotel property. Some hotels require guests to surrender their firearms to the hotel security while on the premises. Other hotels do allow guests to bring their CCW onto the premises, but for storage purposes only.
When storing a CCW in a hotel room, make sure your firearm is unloaded. Secure it in a locked, hard-sided container and safeguard it in the guest room or personal vehicle. It’s best not to leave your weapon in the room when you are not present due to the risk of theft.
Most likely, as a concealed carry permit holder, you’ll be carrying your CCW as you normally do. However, some situations make it impractical to carry a concealed handgun. If you’ll be spending time at a beach, pool, amusement park or other location in which you can’t safely or legally carry a firearm, you may need to leave your CCW behind.
If you need to store your gun in the room, you may need to be a little creative. Some gun owners have used the room safe to store an unloaded gun. Others recommend storing their locked gun case inside a locked suitcase and using a locking cable to attach the suitcase to a heavy object in the room, such as the bed or dresser.
Carrying concealed is an important decision and requires a great deal of preparation and planning. Always plan ahead before you carry concealed to make sure you are carrying and/or transporting your firearms safely and legally.
