The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Conference Center > Law and Civil Rights

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old December 11, 2011, 04:52 PM   #1
Kleinzeit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 30, 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 566
Carrying a handgun on your ranch - CHL needed?

Some friends of mine own a ranch and are talking about getting handguns to protect themselves while working on the property. If you are on your own property and a long way from any public ground (perhaps not even in sight of a road), do you still need a CHL and do you still need to keep the weapon concealed?

I'm assuming this is the case, but I'd never thought about it before, and it seems a little weird if you do. I couldn't find anything online about this.

This is Texas we're talking about.

Thanks.
Kleinzeit is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 05:14 PM   #2
csmsss
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 24, 2008
Location: Orange, TX
Posts: 3,078
No permit necessary - you may carry as you wish on your own property. Concealed, unconcealed, whatever. As long as you don't disobey other laws (such as threatening others), you are within your rights to possess and carry firearms on your own residential property as you see fit.

Doesn't mean, however, that your neighbors will necessarily understand and adore your choice - they may, in fact, call the popos on you - but it is their ignorance, not yours.
csmsss is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 05:28 PM   #3
Webleymkv
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 20, 2005
Location: Indiana
Posts: 10,435
As always, check state and local laws, but in most places you don't need and sort of permit or license to carry on private property so long as you are the owner of said property or have permission from the owner, the firearm and ammunition are legal to posess in that particular jurisdiction, and you are not otherwise legally prohibited from posessing a firearm due to felony conviction, history of certain mental illness, or other "disqualifying factors". The only place I know of where this does not hold true is Chicago as, last I knew, your 2A rights are literally restricted to the confines of your own home (not your yard, porch, deck, patio, or detatched garage) in the Windy City though I imagine there is some sort of exemption for transporting a firearm to and from a gun shop, gunsmith, or firing range.
Webleymkv is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 05:41 PM   #4
Nico Testosteros
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 24, 2010
Location: Austin, Tejas
Posts: 110
Your friends can carry however they want on private property.
Nico Testosteros is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 06:08 PM   #5
BRE346
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 11, 2011
Location: Victoria, TX
Posts: 158
IN TEXAS

You carry whatever however on your property or at your place of business. Now you can carry the whatever in the car too but it may have to be concealed. No license needed. IANAL and just MHO
__________________
Ancient Airman
BRE346 is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 06:11 PM   #6
Kleinzeit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 30, 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 566
I am both surprised and relieved. Thanks.

So, even in a residential neighborhood, it's perfectly legal to walk around your front yard with a handgun on display to all the world, so long as you remain within the boundaries of your property?

I'd just assumed you can't do this.
Kleinzeit is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 06:23 PM   #7
csmsss
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 24, 2008
Location: Orange, TX
Posts: 3,078
Quote:
So, even in a residential neighborhood, it's perfectly legal to walk around your front yard with a handgun on display to all the world, so long as you remain within the boundaries of your property?
Yes, and your neighbor(s) is/are perfectly within their rights to call the police and file complaints against you. Just because it's *legal* to do something doesn't necessarily make it a fantastic idea.
csmsss is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 06:45 PM   #8
Kleinzeit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 30, 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 566
Ain't that the truth.

Thanks.
Kleinzeit is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 07:50 PM   #9
MTT TL
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 21, 2009
Location: Quadling Country
Posts: 2,780
Don't step off without it concealed however (and a CHL) open carry is illegal in Texas.

I am curious however. Why hand guns on the ranch? Texas hardly has a mountain in it and South Texas hardly a tree. In wide open terrain you could be at a great disadvantage with a handgun. I would carefully evaluate the threat and consider if a rifle might not be a better choice.

Open carry of a long gun is legal most everywhere in Texas.
__________________
Thus a man should endeavor to reach this high place of courage with all his heart, and, so trying, never be backward in war.
MTT TL is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 07:53 PM   #10
Kleinzeit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 30, 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 566
I'm really not sure why they are thinking of handguns. They already have rifles.
Kleinzeit is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 07:58 PM   #11
Rusty35
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2011
Posts: 140
Quote:
MTT TL
Senior Member
Don't step off without it concealed however (and a CHL) open carry is illegal in Texas.

I am curious however. Why hand guns on the ranch? Texas hardly has a mountain in it and South Texas hardly a tree. In wide open terrain you could be at a great disadvantage with a handgun. I would carefully evaluate the threat and consider if a rifle might not be a better choice.

Open carry of a long gun is legal most everywhere in Texas.
Hard to work while carrying a long gun.
Rusty35 is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 08:06 PM   #12
JustThisGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 29, 2010
Posts: 311
Quote:
"Hard to work while carrying a rifle."
And that is why God (and Steve McQueen) created .45 caliber cut-down Mare's Leg Rifles, easily holstered on your thigh.

http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-mares-leg.cfm
__________________
JustThisGuy

Mediocrity dominates over excellence in all things... except excellence.

Last edited by JustThisGuy; December 11, 2011 at 08:13 PM.
JustThisGuy is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 08:35 PM   #13
MTT TL
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 21, 2009
Location: Quadling Country
Posts: 2,780
I was thinking rifle racks or rifle scabbard within an easy reach and perhaps an armed lookout if whatever it is they are doing is higher risk. If the threat of attack is so high they would have to carry rifles all the time then they should have a lot more security or not be working and instead preparing for attack.
__________________
Thus a man should endeavor to reach this high place of courage with all his heart, and, so trying, never be backward in war.
MTT TL is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 09:02 PM   #14
Rusty35
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2011
Posts: 140
Quote:
MTT TL
Senior Member

I was thinking rifle racks or rifle scabbard within an easy reach and perhaps an armed lookout if whatever it is they are doing is higher risk. If the threat of attack is so high they would have to carry rifles all the time then they should have a lot more security or not be working and instead preparing for attack.
Cant speak for the OP, but for us there is almost always multiple long guns in the Pickup's.
Some times the pickup is not close enough, most threats are the 4 legged or no legged variety.
Snakes,coyote's,rabid skunks possum, porcupine and such.

oh, last but not least is those vicious soda and beer cans.
I spend spend a lot of time protecting my self from those sneaky conniving cans.
You will be just walking along minding your own bussiness and pow, out of nowhere they have you surrounded.
Rusty35 is offline  
Old December 11, 2011, 10:32 PM   #15
hermannr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 24, 2011
Posts: 730
In TX, WA and even places like IL, you can OC or CC on your own properly, or on private property you are a welcome guest on.

What you do on private property is your business.

To csmsss...if it disturbs the neighbors if I OC on my property..tough...if I want to OC on my property it is none of the neighbors business.

If they call the police, the police cannot do a single thing, (they cannot even come on my property and check my ID or gun) unless they have reason to suspect that a crime has occured or I allow them.

Actually, If the neighbors were to call here where I live they would be laughed at and mybe charged with misuse of the 911 system.

OC on private property is not a crime anywhere I know of except maybe DC.
hermannr is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 08:16 AM   #16
Uncle Buck
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 21, 2009
Location: West Central Missouri
Posts: 2,592
Quote:
I'm really not sure why they are thinking of handguns. They already have rifles.
Tossing haybales.
Fixing water pipes
moving cattle to the different pens.
Working on machinery.

There are a lot of good reasons to carry a handgun as opposed to a rifle.
__________________
Inside Every Bright Idea Is The 50% Probability Of A Disaster Waiting To Happen.
Uncle Buck is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 08:45 AM   #17
JimPage
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 21, 2010
Location: Rome, NY
Posts: 941
hermannr (and others): Your open/carry statement is not valid in all states. In NY, MA, for a couple, you cannot own a pistol without a license/permit much less carry it. Just saying so that people know your statements on legal considerations is state specific. It would be more enlightening if you identify the state to which you refer.
JimPage is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 08:47 AM   #18
Glenn E. Meyer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2000
Posts: 20,064
Critters abound. Also, depending on where the ranch is - migrants can be found walking across your place. Also, plain old thieves sometimes come by ranch houses and barns, trucks, etc. Rifles can be heavy to carry in the TX heat.

I once on a dawn walk, followed a big old porcupine through a foggy set of trees - it was really neat. He didn't have a care in the world.
__________________
NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens
Glenn E. Meyer is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 08:55 AM   #19
Skadoosh
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2010
Location: Virginia Beach
Posts: 2,016
Quote:
Yes, and your neighbor(s) is/are perfectly within their rights to call the police and file complaints against you. Just because it's *legal* to do something doesn't necessarily make it a fantastic idea.
If enough hand-wringing neighbors make the call to complain, I am willing to bet that after the police have investigated the initial complaints and found no crime, the dispatcher will eventually come around to informing subsequent callers that there is nothing the police or they, the neighbors, can do about it. Fantastic idea or not, the operative word here is *legal*.
Skadoosh is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 09:31 AM   #20
dahermit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near
Posts: 6,501
Quote:
...operative word here is *legal*.
Several posters have missed this point. Inasmuch as we land owners feel that we have the right to do what we want on our own land (and in our own houses), there are many things that we might do that are not legal. You may not carry a loaded gun in/on a vehicle in my state (Michigan), and you may not shoot deer from a vehicle, you may not carry a loaded gun in an area frequented by game without a hunting license, etc. Even though I opt to ignore several laws as being in the realm of "none of the state's business", there are practices that are not legal...even on one's own land. In a practical sense, if a person carries a gun on their own land it is very unlikely that anyone would even notice or care regardless of the law.
dahermit is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 11:10 AM   #21
Double Naught Spy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX
Posts: 12,714
Quote:
Cant speak for the OP, but for us there is almost always multiple long guns in the Pickup's.
Some times the pickup is not close enough, most threats are the 4 legged or no legged variety.
Snakes,coyote's,rabid skunks possum, porcupine and such.
Right. A pistol on the hip is infinitely more useful than the rifle back in the truck. For the most part, if you are in your truck, you are going to be safe from most ranch threats and not need a rifle or a pistol for that matter. It is when you are out of the truck that you are vulnerable to various threats and it can be quite cumbersome to try to carry a rifle while loading hay, getting a calf untangled from the barbed wire, fixing your water gates, filling feeders, etc.
__________________
"If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011
My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange
Double Naught Spy is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 03:00 PM   #22
csmsss
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 24, 2008
Location: Orange, TX
Posts: 3,078
There is that old statement I've seen attributed to Col. Jeff Cooper (though in fact it may not be his) - the handgun is for fighting your way back to your rifle.
csmsss is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 03:05 PM   #23
csmsss
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 24, 2008
Location: Orange, TX
Posts: 3,078
Skadoosh and others who made similar points - my intent isn't to argue that you should or shouldn't do every last thing you are legally entitled to do. It's to suggest that all actions have consequences, even if they are 100% within the law. So, if you wish to engage your neighbor in a time-consuming feud involving the local gendarmerie, by all means feel free to do so. But most of these sorts of scenarios can be avoided in advance by the simple act of a friendly conversation.
csmsss is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 05:43 PM   #24
Glenn E. Meyer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 17, 2000
Posts: 20,064
If there are enough feral hogs, coyotes, mountain lions, zombies, etc. that I have to fight back to my rifle - they already ate me up.

Nice cliche - not reality.
__________________
NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens
Glenn E. Meyer is offline  
Old December 12, 2011, 06:09 PM   #25
wxl
Member
 
Join Date: November 8, 2005
Location: Texas
Posts: 81
Minor (?) point in Texas, you might be legal to carry on your residential property BUT not on sidewalk or the parkway between sidewalk and street as that is usually classified as public access and not private property. I used to carry on my property because crime can happen anywhere.

I always carry on my hunting lease in South Texas for 2-legged and 4-legged threats and snakes.
wxl is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:56 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10095 seconds with 8 queries