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Its a hotly debated topic....the legality of carrying a firearm in a truck...but it IS perfectly legal, the problem is many LEO's believe the same myth that many truck drivers believe...and that is that there is some sort of federal law that says you can't carry a firearm in a truck...THERE IS NO SUCH LAW...as a matter of fact, Title 18 section 926(a) "The Peaceable Journey Act"...under part 1, chapter 44...clearly says that under federal law...you "CAN" carry a weapon in a truck (or any other vehicle), there are however provisions (unloaded, locked away separate from the ammo)...there are also city ordinances and other "local laws" that come into play...but those are too vast and varied for me to cover here (but I do know them quite well)
I have spent hours upon hours over the last few years tearing the myth down, I've nearly lost my job over it twice...and as I was walking in a truckstop (Flying J in Columbia, SC) tonight I noticed something on the cover of one of those free magazines (trucking related magazines)...I never pay much attention to these magazines, but I got one and read the article (link below)...its good to finally see it "in print"... we truckers have a dangerous job, often having to park in some "not so good" places (Charlotte, NC is as bad as any place in the country)...and we do have the right to carry firearms!
The title of the article..."Risky Business"
http://www.truckersnews.com/risky-business-2/
(I'm not sure how long the article will stay there...)
Back to this truckstop I'm at....A few years back I was here and I had a minor "encounter"
I was walking into the truckstop and a guy came up to me trying to say he knew me from the Navy (I was never in the Navy), I didn't know him...and while I suck at remembering names, I NEVER forget a face.
I told him "No...I don't know you" and kept walking (I'm not a very friendly person unless there is a reason behind it, and he should have taken the hint)...as I walked out past a truck another guy grabbed me by my left arm and jerked me back and around...I never saw his face, and honestly didn't care if he was my best friend...I drew the pistol as I came around (an all steel 1911...makes a good club too), and whacked him right up side the head with it, HARD. He went out like a light, with a pretty good gash across his temple and fore head.
His buddy was still standing there a few feet away...I asked him if he wanted to continue this...he took off in a hurry without even saying goodbye.
Myself...I would have left that other guy laying there and not gave him another thought (dead, alive...I don't care)...but there were several witnesses to this, and they called the police before it was even over (and it didn't last long)...cops showed up, I explained what happened, they told me they had been looking for that guy that was knocked out...he was wanted for failure to appear in court, and he had priors (aggravated assault, burglary, etc...I forget what else, this has been a while back)
In the end...it worked out good, I didn't even have to press any charges...he was going to jail anyway, and that was good enough for me. (I would likely lose my job if ever had to shoot...there are no company policies against it where I work, but I'd rather not press the matter on them when it comes to their "public image"...this is why I prefer to avoid getting involved in the red tape whenever possible)
The cops told me "Good job, drive safe"...and that was it.
And in case anybody is wondering why I didn't shoot them...I never saw a weapon on either of them, thats why. The cops did find a 9mm (Jennings ) on the guy that was knocked out....but it never made it out of the pocket of those baggy @$$ jeans.
Another time...this one was in Georgia. (actually, this happened before the one mentioned above)
I pulled into a TA truckstop to get fuel and food at about 10:30 am. after fueling I went inside to Burger King and got a meal to go, then went back to the truck to eat. I was sitting in the sleeper...about 3 bites into my Whopper when my truck door came open and a guy climbed in and sat down for about 1 second, then turned toward the sleeper...it was about this time that he decided he had gotten in the wrong truck (I could see it in his eyes)... What he saw was me chewing up a bite of Whopper with a 45 pointed at his head.
He quickly said he had accidently gotten in the wrong truck...I replied "You're damn right you did"...then he carefully backed out of my truck and left.
Maybe he was telling the truth...after all, I have stuck my key in the wrong truck door...a couple of times.
Maybe he just didnt expect the 45...I'll never know.
I ALWAYS lock my doors when I'm in the truck...why I didnt that time is beyond me.
At any rate...I just wanted to put it out there here on MO's so any LEO's that may not have the facts on the matter could see it...and hopefully understand it from a drivers point of view.
And, as always...the pistol is a last resort...its better to avoid the situation entirely, but they sneak up on you sometimes.
Jeff Cooper was right...
I have spent hours upon hours over the last few years tearing the myth down, I've nearly lost my job over it twice...and as I was walking in a truckstop (Flying J in Columbia, SC) tonight I noticed something on the cover of one of those free magazines (trucking related magazines)...I never pay much attention to these magazines, but I got one and read the article (link below)...its good to finally see it "in print"... we truckers have a dangerous job, often having to park in some "not so good" places (Charlotte, NC is as bad as any place in the country)...and we do have the right to carry firearms!
The title of the article..."Risky Business"
http://www.truckersnews.com/risky-business-2/
(I'm not sure how long the article will stay there...)
Back to this truckstop I'm at....A few years back I was here and I had a minor "encounter"
I was walking into the truckstop and a guy came up to me trying to say he knew me from the Navy (I was never in the Navy), I didn't know him...and while I suck at remembering names, I NEVER forget a face.
I told him "No...I don't know you" and kept walking (I'm not a very friendly person unless there is a reason behind it, and he should have taken the hint)...as I walked out past a truck another guy grabbed me by my left arm and jerked me back and around...I never saw his face, and honestly didn't care if he was my best friend...I drew the pistol as I came around (an all steel 1911...makes a good club too), and whacked him right up side the head with it, HARD. He went out like a light, with a pretty good gash across his temple and fore head.
His buddy was still standing there a few feet away...I asked him if he wanted to continue this...he took off in a hurry without even saying goodbye.
Myself...I would have left that other guy laying there and not gave him another thought (dead, alive...I don't care)...but there were several witnesses to this, and they called the police before it was even over (and it didn't last long)...cops showed up, I explained what happened, they told me they had been looking for that guy that was knocked out...he was wanted for failure to appear in court, and he had priors (aggravated assault, burglary, etc...I forget what else, this has been a while back)
In the end...it worked out good, I didn't even have to press any charges...he was going to jail anyway, and that was good enough for me. (I would likely lose my job if ever had to shoot...there are no company policies against it where I work, but I'd rather not press the matter on them when it comes to their "public image"...this is why I prefer to avoid getting involved in the red tape whenever possible)
The cops told me "Good job, drive safe"...and that was it.
And in case anybody is wondering why I didn't shoot them...I never saw a weapon on either of them, thats why. The cops did find a 9mm (Jennings ) on the guy that was knocked out....but it never made it out of the pocket of those baggy @$$ jeans.
Another time...this one was in Georgia. (actually, this happened before the one mentioned above)
I pulled into a TA truckstop to get fuel and food at about 10:30 am. after fueling I went inside to Burger King and got a meal to go, then went back to the truck to eat. I was sitting in the sleeper...about 3 bites into my Whopper when my truck door came open and a guy climbed in and sat down for about 1 second, then turned toward the sleeper...it was about this time that he decided he had gotten in the wrong truck (I could see it in his eyes)... What he saw was me chewing up a bite of Whopper with a 45 pointed at his head.
He quickly said he had accidently gotten in the wrong truck...I replied "You're damn right you did"...then he carefully backed out of my truck and left.
Maybe he was telling the truth...after all, I have stuck my key in the wrong truck door...a couple of times.
Maybe he just didnt expect the 45...I'll never know.
I ALWAYS lock my doors when I'm in the truck...why I didnt that time is beyond me.
At any rate...I just wanted to put it out there here on MO's so any LEO's that may not have the facts on the matter could see it...and hopefully understand it from a drivers point of view.
And, as always...the pistol is a last resort...its better to avoid the situation entirely, but they sneak up on you sometimes.
Jeff Cooper was right...
DECISIVENESS:
When "the ball is opened"-when it becomes evident that you are faced with violent physical assault-your life depends upon your selecting a correct course of action and carrying it through without hesitation or deviation. There can be no shilly-shallying. There is not time. To ponder is quite possibly to perish.
And it is important to remember that the specific course you decide upon is, within certain parameters, less important than the vigor with which you execute it. The difficulty is that the proper course of action, when under attack, is usually to counterattack. This runs contrary to our normally civilized behavior, and such a decision is rather hard for even an ordinarily decisive person to reach.
AGGRESSIVENESS:
In defense we do not initiate violence. We must grant our attacker the vast advantage of striking the first blow, or at least attempting to do so.
But thereafter we may return the attention with what should optimally be overwhelming violence.
"The best defense is a good offense." This is true, and while we cannot apply it strictly to personal defensive conduct, we can propose a corollary:
"The best personal defense is an explosive counterattack."