Actually, there is a little book published basically for bikers that
outlines the gun laws in each state. You can find ads for it in American
Rifleman (one of the magazines from the NRA) or probably any biker related
magazine. I would imagine this would be helpful for cruisers.

--


Keith
__
If you love something, let it go free. If it doesn't come back, hunt it down
and kill it.
"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Sean" none wrote in message
...


For the record, since mass is such a pathetic state, I hired an
attorney who specializes in gun law months ago to assist in my
application process. I've also put the question to him (he's on
vacation) but it never hurts to hear a first hand account from someone
who's been in the same position.

Attorney: Good idea. That was going to be my next suggestion - ask a
lawyer
you'd trust to defend you if you inadvertently crossed any boundaries.

Sean,

I used to live in Ma. but it's been around 10 years since I
had gotten my handgun permit renewed there. At least when I was
licensed there, the ONLY place you could leave your gun
unattended was in your house. i.e. If you had it locked in the
trunk of your car, someone stole the vehicle and then used the
gun in the commission of a crime, YOU were held responsible.
This at least applied to handguns, but I'm unsure about long guns.
One of the problems in Ma., at least when getting a permit, was
that the usage listed on the permit was at the discretion of the
local jurisdiction. This was a problem if you wanted to carry for
personal protection and the local chief of police would issue a
permit for target shooting. If the permit usage was listed as
target shooting, you were theoretically only allowed to carry your
handgun to and from the range.

I believe it was GOAL (Gun owners action league) which was
pushing for the usage to be listed as 'For Any Lawful Purpose'
which was a big help and a lot of jurisdictions agreed since
there wasn't a rash of vigilanteism or wild west shootouts that
the anti-gun crowd always predicts.

In summary, be VERY careful and get as much info as possible
before even considering a handgun on the boat! I also suggest
you check out GOAL's website as well as support them. They are
there to help gun owners of Ma. and I suspect will have the
info on long guns if you choose to go that route.

-Jim


Sean wrote:
(Already posted this on rec.guns)

Hi,
I keep my boat in massachusetts waters and need to know the law
regarding secure storage on a boat.

Does anyone know what's required for both long guns and hand guns?

Is a locked wooden locker good enough?

Do I need trigger locks?

Can I leave guns on board "permanently" if they are properly stored?

Any help appreciated,
Thanks
Sean

Perhaps he should skip the handgun and carry what most gun "experts" agree
is the best thing for defense: a 12 gauge. If he has to list a purpose for
the thing, he can list duck hunting. Things could still get sticky if the
state doesn't allow him to have it out of the house if it's not duck season.
But, how often is his boat going to get tossed by the police???


Good suggestion. I know the lethal destruction and doom that a Remington 870
12GA can do with #00 Buckshot! I own one! One day at the local skeet range
at the wildlife game area, someone left a gallon milk jug sitting on a tree
stump. It was already peppered with shotgun shot. So anyway, I couldn't
resist the temptation, so I got a #00 buckshot round out of my case and
chambered it. Taking careful aim, I pulled the trigger and two things happend:

1) I almost broke my shoulder from the 3" magnum #00 buckshot shell! ...Ouch!

2) I totally destroyed the gallon milk jug. It blew into pieces all over the
place! (Yes, I picked up the remains of the jug and pieces of plastic and
threw them in the trash).

They say that for a shotgun, #00 buckshot is the equivalent of 8 or 9 rounds of
9mm bullets all hitting at the same time. The absolute, lethal,
be-all-to-end-all, firepower.

Butch Ammon

"Butch Ammon" wrote in message
...
Perhaps he should skip the handgun and carry what most gun "experts"
agree
is the best thing for defense: a 12 gauge. If he has to list a purpose
for
the thing, he can list duck hunting. Things could still get sticky if the
state doesn't allow him to have it out of the house if it's not duck
season.
But, how often is his boat going to get tossed by the police???


Good suggestion. I know the lethal destruction and doom that a Remington
870
12GA can do with #00 Buckshot! I own one! One day at the local skeet
range
at the wildlife game area, someone left a gallon milk jug sitting on a
tree
stump. It was already peppered with shotgun shot. So anyway, I couldn't
resist the temptation, so I got a #00 buckshot round out of my case and
chambered it. Taking careful aim, I pulled the trigger and two things
happend:

1) I almost broke my shoulder from the 3" magnum #00 buckshot shell!
....Ouch!

2) I totally destroyed the gallon milk jug. It blew into pieces all over
the
place! (Yes, I picked up the remains of the jug and pieces of plastic and
threw them in the trash).

They say that for a shotgun, #00 buckshot is the equivalent of 8 or 9
rounds of
9mm bullets all hitting at the same time. The absolute, lethal,
be-all-to-end-all, firepower.

Butch Ammon

Not only that, but at least in theory, racking a shotgun eliminates one
question that needs to be dealt with at the split second when you're
wondering if you're really going to have to pull the trigger: Anyone who
hears the sound of a shotgun being loaded, and still attacks, is clearly out
of their mind.

Perhaps he should skip the handgun and carry what most gun "experts" agree
is the best thing for defense: a 12 gauge.

A long barrelled shotgun might work very well at close quarters on deck, but in
the confines of most boat cabins that long barrell would be an impediment. What
good is a weapon 4 or 5-feet long in a cabin that's 10 feet wide? Two steps and
your target is closer than the muzzle. Oops.

Saw it off down to the stock, and when you go for the kill make sure you aim
*above* the waterline.

Or, boat without a firearm. Most folks do,
and if you're just doing recreational cruising in US waters it's a real stretch
to come up with a compelling reason to be armed. Still, it is your right to do
so and if you're so inclined- enjoy.

On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 18:36:46 -0500, "Keith"
wrote:

Can you cite that specific Federal law? I'd like to read that one
completely.


My mistake. The law that states long guns must be stowed unloaded and
locked in a container when not in use on a boat is Massachusetts law
which obviously only applies to Mass. waters. It's Chapter 131 Section
63 of mass gun law according to my lawyer.

Sean