2ndsojourn said:Since when is an aiplane not a type of vehicle?
The court never reached to that. They stopped when the guy was afoot (out of his vehicle).
Footnote 3 said:We note that our reading of the statute is perfectly consistent with the view that the statute might protect travel that occurs via aircraft or train—each of these modes of travel might be considered “vehicular.” The relevant question is whether ambulatory travel (i.e., walking) through an airport terminal is also protected by the statute.
The prior case was also in the 3rd Circuit (CA3): Revell v. Port Auth. of N.Y. & N.J., 598 F.3d 128, 137 (3d Cir. 2010).
Concurring Opinion Footnote 4 said:Specifically, Revell was delayed in traveling from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Allentown, Pennsylvania, and was forced to stay overnight in a hotel in Newark, New Jersey. Id. at 130-31. Within his luggage, which he collected at Newark Airport after realizing he would have to stay overnight, was a firearm in a locked container, as well as hollow-point ammunition, also in a locked container. Id. at 131. After returning to the airport the next day, he was arrested by the Port Authority for carrying a firearm without a license, in violation of New Jersey law. Id. He brought suit and sought redress under § 1983. We held that he did not come within the ambit of § 926A’s protection because he had his firearm and ammunition in his luggage, which accompanied him to his hotel room. Id. at 139. “Revell thus had access to his firearm and ammunition during his stay at the New Jersey hotel, whether or not he in fact accessed them and regardless of whether they were accessible while he was traveling by plane or van. That crucial fact takes Revell outside the scope of § 926A’s protection.” Id. at 137. We thus concluded that it was the prolonged time Revell had with his luggage that brought him outside of § 926A’s protection because he had ready access to his firearm.
I disagree with both of these decision, but I am not a Judge empowered to decide such things. Two things. 1) I don't believe that this was the intent of the Congress, however, 2) The Congress could solve this whole problem if they had written the statute better (and they still can, but it won't do these guys any good).
As a final note, at least this circuit is being consistent in its judgments.