Transporting Airsoft in a Vehicle

[SWAT A4]

Transporting Airsoft in a Vehicle.
Written by: SWATA4

Introduction:
Many airsofters throw their guns and gear in the back of their car and head out to the field, then when they show up at the field, and start pulling guns out of the back seat, off the floor, and out of seat pockets. I'm not sure whether it's lack of knowledge, if people are in a hurry, or just don't care. I can tell you that it's carelessness. No reason or excuse will justify just throwing your replicas in the car without taking the necessary precautions.

Walking into the unknown:
Above is a picture of my SUV at night. This is a picture to show what a police officer can see at night. There are 3 guns planted right in the open, and I bet you can't find them. A police officer walking up to a car; is like a bomb squad member opening up a suitcase left in a park. It could be empty, or it could explode. They are going to be nervous, especially at night. I am going to stress the "night" situation a lot in this article. When your airsoft game ends, it's always harder to put everything back where it belongs. You're tired and you may look at the car, see it's dark and then figure no one will see the guns if you leave them in the open. Now, you get pulled over.... You have assault rifles and pistols laying in the car. You are not allowed to step out of your vehicle, the police shine their flashlight through the windows, and see those weapons. Most likely, they will not walk up and casually talk. They will then ask you to step out of your vehicle at gunpoint, and it becomes a big thing. Something so little, can become life threatening.

Below, you can see where the 3 guns are. That's what the police officer would see when he shines his light in the car, or when you turn your lights on to find your vehicle insurance.

Scare Factor:
Storing things such as a pistol in your glove compartment might seem like a good idea if you don't have a case, right? WRONG. Now, you're pulled over, he's going to ask to see your insurance, you open the glove box, and he then sees this:

If you tell him that you have a gun in your glove compartment, that's sure going to scare him. If you reach at your glove box, he's now going to think you are reaching for the weapon. Either way, you better hope the officer has some mercy on you.


This on the seat? Looks pretty intimidating to me. That's asking to get in trouble.

Hiding it is no better. This is my replica 1911. It's an airsoft gun, but can you honestly tell the difference? I had the camera flash on to show what it would look like even during the day. Looks very real doesn't it?

You NEED to buy cases for your rifles. You should put the safety's on, take the magazines out of the mag well, make sure there aren't any bb's or gas/batteries left in them, and they should be out of reach if possible. A lock would even be a great investment. A police officer is going to see that you spent the time to take the proper precautions, and that is going to make both the officer's day, and your day much easier.

Orange Tips:
Is it the law? That's answer varies country to country, state to state, county to county, and even city to city. This is something you need to look up for yourself. The state of Illinois states that during transportation of air rifles, orange tips must be present. It goes into details, but even if it's not the law, give the officers on the street a break. Several people have been shot by police officers, because they did not have orange tips on the guns. I'm not going to say you are going to get shot if you don't, but why not take every precaution you can. It may just save your life.

[Casemier]

very informative, I know this information hits home.

Great job +1 karma

[Яoman]

I have nothing else to say @ guns in cup holders

[trauby]

Whats wrong with a gun in a cup holder....man you've ruined my driving plans now ;D

[Arnwulf]

Very informative and true. I am going to start carrying my M4 in a rifle case, and take more precautions about where I lay stuff in my car. Nice post SWAT A4, it was a good reminder to take precautions.

+1 Karma

[Snip]

Thats pretty good SWAT. I think you should go one step further and insist that they be stored in the trunk.

[Rustpot]

narthis said:

Thats pretty good SWAT. I think you should go one step further and insist that they be stored in the trunk.

Real firearms need to be placed in the trunk of a vehicle and be inaccessible from the passenger compartment. If your vehicle doesn't allow it (SUV, wagon, sedan with passthrough, etc) a key or combination bolt/trigger lock must be present and the firearm must be in a case. No firearm can be transported with it in plain sight from outside the vehicle.

Also, firearms cannot be in the car unless you are traveling to or from a range or gunsmith, etc.

I'm not sure about locks on airsoft, but trunk/case is a must. I'm actually quite upset with myself because with my new station wagon I can't take my shotgun to the range since I can't lock double hair triggers, I have to look in to transporting the shotgun disassembled.

I'm not sure about Illinois or other states, but that's the law in MI for real guns, and I don't know about all of you, but I treat airsoft exactly like real firearms until I'm ready to fire on someone with knowledge they are being shot at, and have full protection.


May seem like it's overboard, but when I keep my trap shotgun next to my airsoft guns, I don't want some buddy of mine that knows jack shit about guns walking in, picking up my shotgun and pointing it at me, thinking a plastic BB at 200 fps will come out, instead of a load of lead BBs at 2500 fps.

[SWAT A4]

narthis said:

Thats pretty good SWAT. I think you should go one step further and insist that they be stored in the trunk.

Yeah sorry. I have an SUV, no trunk. And, I had one of those rear covers, but it broke... So for the sake of pictures, I had to do that.

Sorry, I know the article is not perfect, I don't know exactly all the rules, nor do I have a car for it.

[kdogg]

I've actually spoken to police about this. They highly recommend you treat airsoft guns like real firearms when transporting them for safety reasons. Anything thats looks like a firearm and is openly visible in an automobile makes police officers very nervous.

99% of the time if I police officer finds a firearm being properly transported, they won't even question it or ask to see it.

[CrossBones]

Plus 1 SWAT.

[Connors]

This thread should be stickied. everyone should at least make sure they are transporting their guns the "RIGHT" way before they even go anywhere with them.

[SWAT A4]

smart1 said:

This thread should be stickied. everyone should at least make sure they are transporting their guns the "RIGHT" way before they even go anywhere with them.

Good suggestion, and thanks to the mod who did it.




Thanks for the feedback guys.

[pearldrummer]

this would be very helpful to one of those teens who just got their license and their first replica handgun.



every gun i have, airsoft or real steal (other than real handguns cause i cant legally transport them yet *too young*) i will keep in a case in the back of my jeep and if i run out of room, i stow it under my back seat. i have never once put a replica gun in any compartments of my car. i work with a lot of law enforcement agencies and they will all say the same things, "if i see a person pulling out something that resembles a gun, i WILL pull out my gun and take the necessary actions"

im fortunate enough to have never gotten pulled over *knocks on wood* a few times i knew that i was only going to be in a car for less than five minutes to go over to a friends to play. i was tempted to just throw the gun in my center glove box thing. even if its a short trip, keep the guns in a case located where you would stow a real gun.



plus 1 A4! i think this should be stickied too! very informative.

[Trooper]

+1 Swat.

[operatordoc01]

This is information that is good for all to know. Common sense should provail in this case but we know it wont in most cases.

All Team Commanders should put this info out to their team