Constitutional Carry American states for salty sea dogs.

A

AlongCameJones

Moderator
"Constitutional Carry" (Permitless-for-the-Most-Part) American states for salty sea dogs.

I love the sea, sea-going fish and strong gun rights so I made this thread just for fun. It's nice to be able to go to the beach, surfing, dune-buggying, marine scuba diving or salt-water/salmon fishing packing without a CCW!


The following Permitless-for-the-Most-Part states have sea coast:

1. Alaska: Pacific and Bering sea coast, non-Lower-48, highly expensive to live there

2. Maine: Atlantic sea coast, one of two Lower 48 Permitless-for-the-Most-Part states with sea coast; Maine is somewhat wishy-washy with regard to true "Constitutional carry" (you might not be able to enjoy some salt-water activities, including beachcombing, carrying permit-less)

3. New Hampshire: just a tad of Atlantic sea coast, 18 miles of shoreline


The following Permitless-for-the-Most-Part states have Gulf coast:


4. Texas: Gulf of Mexico, Permitless-for-the-Most-Part for residents only

5. Mississippi: Gulf of Mexico


Honorable Mention: the following Permitless-for-the-Most-Part state has no salt water coastline but has a river system in which ocean salmon migrate there to be caught. Many "salty sea dogs" like fresh salmon and/or salmon fishing and might settle for salmon, especially Pacific salmon, from a fresh-water body.

6. Idaho: wild migratory salmon, trout and steelhead can can be sport fished there, the only Lower 48 CC state which Pacfic salmon can be caught there; requires "enhanced permit" to carry on public college campuses

there's still these weird notions that "guns don't belong on campus" as if these places will "never be hit by armed criminals"


There is no Lower 48 state with Pacific coastline that is CC or Permitless-for-the-Most-Part. Alaska is the only Pacific coast state that is Permitless-for-the-Most-Part at this time. Sadly at this time, there are no CC or Permitless-for-the-Most-Part states with WARM or HOT sunny beaches along an OCEAN. I don't think New England beaches are particularly warm or hot even during the summertime.


PS - Georgia and at least one of the Carolinas have been considering becoming Constitutional Carry or perhaps Permitless-for-the-Most-Part lately. Before this decade is over, American soil might actually have a warm/hot/sunny ocean beach to pack a concealed pistol there without a license.
 
Last edited:
When I saw the title of this post/thread, I thought it was going to be about Concealed Carry. After reading it, I'm guessing that you are talking about "Constitutional" Carry. Since the acronym "CC" can have multiple meanings and connotations, I respectfully submit that you should have spelled out the words.

Since you mention Maine, I should point out the caveat: Maine requires a Maine carry permit to carry in state parks. Since the National Park Service now defaults to following the law of the states in which national parks are located, this means that you need a Maine permit to carry in Acadia National Park. (As well as Baxter State Park, if you're tempted to climb Mount Katahdin and be the first person in the U.S. to see the sunrise.)
 
Then one must have a CCW to carry

at Maine's state beaches too? Can one carry permitless to any of New Hampshire's beaches, what few there are? Some of these states that Wikipedia lists as "Constitutional Carry" are still wishy-washy. There seems to be hidden strings attached somewhere.
 
AlongCameJones said:
at Maine's state beaches too?
Click to expand...
If by "Maine's state beaches" you mean state parks, then yes -- those, too.

https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/sites/maine.gov.dps.msp/files/inline-files/LD 652 Summary.pdf

The law does not otherwise change where a person may carry or who may
possess a firearm. It will still be illegal to possess a firearm in the following
places, with some very limited exceptions:
• Courthouses (17-A M.R.S. § 1058)
• State Parks (12 M.R.S. § 1803(6), (7) and Bureau of Parks and Lands Rules Chapter 1)
• Acadia National Park (12 M.R.S. § 756)
• Schools (20-A M.R.S. § 6552)
• Federal buildings (18 U.S.C. § 930)
• State Capitol area (25 M.R.S. § 2904 & DPS Rule Chapter 41)
• Private property when prohibited by the property owner
• Establishments licensed for on-premises consumption of liquor, if the premises are posted. Note that even if there is no posted prohibition, it is illegal to carry on these premises while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs. (17-A M.R.S. §1057)

There will be some circumstances in which an optional handgun permit will authorize the permittee to carry in certain locations or during an activity when an unpermitted person could not:
• Acadia National Park (Maine permit required; 12 M.R.S. §756)
• State Parks (Permit required; open carry not permitted; 12 M.R.S. §1803(7))
• Regular archery hunting-deer only (Permit required; 12 MRS § 11403)
• Employees’ vehicles on work premises (Permit required; vehicle must be locked and firearm must not be visible; 26 M.R.S. §600)
Click to expand...

I don't know about New Hampshire. You can research it as well as I can.
 
It sounds like Maine is somewhat wish-washy. If states were truly "constitutional carry" there would be absolutely no restricted public places.

It sounds like Maine is SCC, "sorta constitutional carry"

I think all the so-called "permitless" states fall to some degree in the "sorta" catagory.
 
Last edited:
I have not researched all the permitless carry states for exclusions peculiar to each state. I knew about Maine because Acadia National Park has historically been a favorite vacation destination for me, so I paid particular attention to Maine and Acadia.

The point here is that your opening post listed several states as "Constitutional" Carry, without alerting readers to the possibility that those states may have exclusions. I hope this will warn readers to do their homework before accepting any blanket statement at face value.
 
The only thing these "Constitutional Carry" states seem to all have in common is that handguns may be carried "permitless" virtually in city streets within city limits, public highways (excluding state/national parks) and perhaps public areas under jurisdiction of counties.

It would be too complex to try to research all the exceptions unless one is visiting that state or considering moving there.


Perhaps "Constitutional Carry" states should be rebadged "PMP", Permitless-for-the Most-Part.

A perfect "Constitutional Carry" state is still a mythical notion. Some so-called CC states lean closer to this perfection than others. That Idaho even allows permitless carry in the state Capitol, bars (at the discretion of bar owners), state parks, polling places on election days (at least on public/non-campus properties) and at gaming establishments (at owner discretion) makes me think that this state might be the one state that leans closest to the perfection of CC. There is still that "little" annoyance of having to get an "enhanced permit" in ID to carry on public college campsues. in Idaho, you can still fish for Pacific salmon in rivers packing a "heater" sans CCW.

The main scope of my thead is being able to particpate in maritime activities
armed sans CCW. Most seacoast states and more than half of gulf-coast states are not CC or PMP. Coastal America seems to lean largely anti-gun. Being near large bodies of water seems to make many jurisdictions not gun-rights-friendly. The largest and most-populated metropolitan areas are seaports. Larger cities tend to lean anti-gun.

Maritime activities include:

-sailing
-yachting
-boating
-fishing for saltwater species
-beach-going
-beachcombing
-diving
-surfing
-water skiing
-swimming
-snorkeling
-parasailing
-jet-skiing
-crabbing
-marsh/shoreline duck hunting
 
Last edited:
In theory, a gun could be carried in some waterproof container. Sometimes spear guns are carried scuba diving. It's feasible to carry a firearm on the deck of a boat.

Remember Roy Scheider in 1975
 

Attachments

  • sysob.jpg
    sysob.jpg
    86.6 KB · Views: 13
In theory, a gun could be carried in some waterproof container. Sometimes spear guns are carried scuba diving. It's feasible to carry a firearm on the deck of a boat.
Click to expand...

If you mess around with lobster traps in Maine you could find out how common it is.
 
Mainah said:
In theory, a gun could be carried in some waterproof container. Sometimes spear guns are carried scuba diving. It's feasible to carry a firearm on the deck of a boat.
Click to expand...
If you mess around with lobster traps in Maine you could find out how common it is.
Click to expand...
Ayup.

If you thought Whale Wars was fun, wait for the sequel: Lobster Wars.
 
In my [not so] humble opinion, the entire concept of permitless ("Constitutional") carry is just a gigantic trap, due to the federal Gun Free School Zones Act. I have posted about this before, so I apologize if this is beating a dead horse but if I reach just one person who isn't aware of this, it's worth repeating.

The GFSZA makes it unlawful -- under federal law -- to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of any school property. An exception is if you have a carry permit issued by the state in which the school is located.

That's what the law says. The law doesn't open the door to permitless carry. The law doesn't mention reciprocal recognition of carry permits from other states. It says a permit issued by the state in which the school is located.

In most parts of states like Maine, this may not matter. However, it might -- IIRC, a main road leading from Southwest Harbor to Bar Harbor passes right by Mount Desert Island High School. In larger cities, it's virtually impossible to cross from one side of the city to the opposite side without passing through multiple school zones, most of which overlap.

Each of us has to decide just how risk averse we are. Personally, I'm highly risk averse. I maintain non-resident carry permits for multiple states that allow permitless carry, just to keep me safe from the GFSZA. YMMV.

https://handgunlaw.us/documents/BATFLetterONGFSZ2013.pdf

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/922

(q)
(1) The Congress finds and declares that—

(A) crime, particularly crime involving drugs and guns, is a pervasive, nationwide problem;
(B) crime at the local level is exacerbated by the interstate movement of drugs, guns, and criminal gangs;
(C) firearms and ammunition move easily in interstate commerce and have been found in increasing numbers in and around schools, as documented in numerous hearings in both the Committee on the Judiciary [3] the House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
(D) in fact, even before the sale of a firearm, the gun, its component parts, ammunition, and the raw materials from which they are made have considerably moved in interstate commerce;
(E) while criminals freely move from State to State, ordinary citizens and foreign visitors may fear to travel to or through certain parts of the country due to concern about violent crime and gun violence, and parents may decline to send their children to school for the same reason;
(F) the occurrence of violent crime in school zones has resulted in a decline in the quality of education in our country;
(G) this decline in the quality of education has an adverse impact on interstate commerce and the foreign commerce of the United States;
(H) States, localities, and school systems find it almost impossible to handle gun-related crime by themselves—even States, localities, and school systems that have made strong efforts to prevent, detect, and punish gun-related crime find their efforts unavailing due in part to the failure or inability of other States or localities to take strong measures; and
(I) the Congress has the power, under the interstate commerce clause and other provisions of the Constitution, to enact measures to ensure the integrity and safety of the Nation’s schools by enactment of this subsection.

(2)
(A) It shall be unlawful for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm that has moved in or that otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone.
(B) Subparagraph (A) does not apply to the possession of a firearm—

(i) on private property not part of school grounds;
(ii) if the individual possessing the firearm is licensed to do so by the State in which the school zone is located or a political subdivision of the State, and the law of the State or political subdivision requires that, before an individual obtains such a license, the law enforcement authorities of the State or political subdivision verify that the individual is qualified under law to receive the license;
(iii) that is—

(I) not loaded; and
(II) in a locked container, or a locked firearms rack that is on a motor vehicle;

(iv) by an individual for use in a program approved by a school in the school zone;
(v) by an individual in accordance with a contract entered into between a school in the school zone and the individual or an employer of the individual;
(vi) by a law enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity; or
(vii) that is unloaded and is possessed by an individual while traversing school premises for the purpose of gaining access to public or private lands open to hunting, if the entry on school premises is authorized by school authorities.

(3)
(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), it shall be unlawful for any person, knowingly or with reckless disregard for the safety of another, to discharge or attempt to discharge a firearm that has moved in or that otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce at a place that the person knows is a school zone.
(B) Subparagraph (A) does not apply to the discharge of a firearm—

(i) on private property not part of school grounds;
(ii) as part of a program approved by a school in the school zone, by an individual who is participating in the program;
(iii) by an individual in accordance with a contract entered into between a school in a school zone and the individual or an employer of the individual; or
(iv) by a law enforcement officer acting in his or her official capacity.

(4) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as preempting or preventing a State or local government from enacting a statute establishing gun free school zones as provided in this subsection.
Click to expand...

For example: San Francisco
iu


Phoenix:
phoenix-2005.jpg


Cleveland:
iu
 
In most parts of states like Maine, this may not matter. However, it might -- IIRC, a main road leading from Southwest Harbor to Bar Harbor passes right by Mount Desert Island High School. In larger cities, it's virtually impossible to cross from one side of the city to the opposite side without passing through multiple school zones, most of which overlap.
Click to expand...

If you wander across the sandbar at low tide in Bar Harbor to Bar Island you're in Acadia. Then there's Schoodic. Plus many of the best beaches in Maine are state parks.
 
In my [not so] humble opinion, the entire concept of permitless ("Constitutional") carry is just a gigantic trap, due to the federal Gun Free School Zones Act. I have posted about this before, so I apologize if this is beating a dead horse but if I reach just one person who isn't aware of this, it's worth repeating.
Click to expand...

(emphasis on 'beating a dead horse' is mine)

Well, we got new users all the time, some users with memory problems that need things repeated, some users who, I know this is hard to believe, don't read every post on the site, and some users with memory problems that need things repeated. ;)

It's fine with me if you repeat stuff that's correct.
 
I'm sorry, but I'm having a bit of a hard time with the notion of going armed while engaging in:
Quote:
-diving
-surfing
-water skiing
-swimming
-snorkeling
Click to expand...

I was hanging out with the family at Scarborough Beach in Rhode Island when I saw a guy walking by me coming out of the ocean that was clearly carrying a small revolver in his swim trunk pocket. It was printing something awful. As he walked by I discretely mentioned he was printing and he pulled his shorts away from his skin to stop the printing. He thanked me and kept walking. I really hope he had it in a zip lock bag or something, but clearly that is some serious CCWing.
 
I really hope he had it in a zip lock bag or something, but clearly that is some serious CCWing.
Click to expand...

I can't even begin to imagine how you would go about saving a gun that had been submerged in salt water.
 
One of the few times I do not carry is while I am riding my bicycle and jogging. Unless you completely clean your firearm nearly daily, the sweat gunk builds up in it. I have never found an answer I feel comfortable with. By the way, I dont think I could bring up to another guy he was "printing" at the beach.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top