Questions on CO open carry

S

swinger_s87

New member
As I understand the law in CO, It is:
a) legal to own and posess a pistol if you are 18 or older
b) Legal to open carry as long as it is not done in a 'threatening manner'
c) Legal to posess a loaded handgun in the glovebox of a personal vehicle for self-defense, without it being considered concealed.

My situation: I am joining the Army and leave for Fort Benning Ga. in july, so it will be extremely hot and quite difficult. I want to get into better shape so that boot camp is mostly a mental challenge for me. I am planning to take some long hikes in the wilderness with a heavy pack to get in shape, and I would like to carry a pistol for protection mostly against bears and the like, but also against the two-legged critters. I would be carrying a pistol in a hip holster, clearly visible. I also hear (and read) that it is legal to have a loaded handgun in your vehicle and it wil not be considered concealed as long as it is not something like under the seat (is glovebox OK?). I am going to be 18 in a week and a half, and i would like to start carrying then.

Does anyone here know if anything I would be doing is against a law or a bad idea, because i would really hate to get kicked out of the service for something like this. Any help or tips would be appreciated.
 
instead of carrying a pistol, consider a legally shortened (18+" barrel - 26+" overall) shotgun

this will defuse MOST situations you will run into in the back country - and when asked WHY you have a shotgun in your kit your answer can be two fold -

1) why protection from wild animals officers
2) AND I wanted to have the weight, as I'm doing Physical Training BEFORE I go to Ft. Benning

I doubt there is any LE here in CO that will give you any grief

I could be wrong, but at least you won't be 'carrying a handgun' AND a shotgun WILL give you a better feel for hiking with a long weapon

Just my .02
 
Thats a good idea, i would feel more comfortable with a shotgun than a .357, but i cant figure out how to carry a long gun. I want it accesible within about 3 seconds, and the only way i can think of to carry it would be stapped to the side of my pack, but it would involve about 10 seconds to get to it that way.
I like your suggestion, just not sure how to work it.
 
Saddle scabbard, strapped to the back of the pack. With practice, I could pull the beast out and have it in play in just a couple of seconds. Not as fast as I could draw a pistol from a "cowboy" hip holster, but as fast as I could draw a pistol from a military (with a flap) holster. Hiking in the back country, I wanted the pistol secured in a flapped holster as protection against damage or loss in a fall. This was in Alaska, North of the Circle tundra, so falls were an expected part of the journey.

Pops
 
i cant figure out how to carry a long gun
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well, when hiking in bear country in Alaska, I carried the slug gun in my hands ;)

when crossing high snowfields, I just lashed it to the pack
 
you said its legal to carry openly as long as its not threating. i would think a thigh tacticle holster, in the country and carried openly, would not be considered threating. so according to what your saying you would be fine if you carried the handgun this way.

just not running while your holding it in your hand, now if you holding a shotgun in your hand thats a different story.


can you get a concealed permit at 18 in co? in my state you can, but some other states feel 18 year olds cant comprehend how to safely defend themselves or know how to exercise their 2nd amendment rights
 
well, you can get a temporary concealed permit at 18 if the sherrif feels that you are in danger, and you may be legally able to get a normal permit, it just wouldnt be a shall-issue permit. Not too sure on that last part though, i could definitley be wrong.

Igntion, thanks for the idea of a thigh holster, it would help with some of the problems im running into, my hip holster is running into the waist strap on my pack.
 
well, when hiking in bear country in Alaska, I carried the slug gun in my hands
Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion. This would give you PRACTICE at handling your weapon in all sorts of terrain. Given that you are going to have to start doing that anyway, this would be a great way to practice that as well.

One hand on your weapon at all times is a good rule of thumb. Or is that 'your weapon at hand at all times'? I forget.
 
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