Your Right to Travel With Firearm in North Carolina

A North Carolina Gun Crime Lawyer Explains Our State’s Complex Laws About When You Can Travel With a Firearm

There’s so much to learn about how to carry a weapon safely that you could accidentally violate state laws when you’re actually trying to comply with them. Unfortunately, you face harsh punishments and the long-term consequences of a permanent criminal record if you’re convicted of illegally traveling with a gun.

As former prosecutors, our experienced North Carolina gun crime lawyers at Browning & Long, PLLC, not only understand the intricacies of these laws but also have the advantage of knowing how to successfully defend you to help achieve the best outcome, given your situation.

Can You Travel With a Firearm in Your Motor Vehicle in Charlotte?

In our state, you can openly carry a firearm without a permit, or conceal it with a concealed weapon permit in your vehicle. Here are the rules you must follow.

Open Carry Requirements

Under North Carolina law, you’re allowed to openly carry your firearm in your car as long as you’re 18 or older, haven’t been convicted of a felony, and comply with our state’s rules on where you carry or store it. You must keep your gun completely visible or stored in a secure location. Here’s how you must comply with this law:

  • Open display. If you openly carry a firearm in your vehicle, you must keep it completely visible, such as on a seat, a floorboard, or slung over your shoulder. However, you cannot partially or wholly tuck it under a car seat or in your pocket.
  • Securely stored. You’re also allowed to keep your gun stowed away in a locked glove compartment, console, or trunk as long as no passenger can access it.

If you make a mistake when trying to follow these rules and are pulled over by the police, you could be charged with a carry and conceal gun (CCG) violation under North Carolina General Statute § 14-269

  • A first offense is a Class 2 misdemeanor, and the punishments include up to 60 days in jail and a fine. 
  • A second or subsequent offense would be charged as a Class H felony, and if convicted, you could face up to 39 months in prison. 

Carrying Concealed Firearm Rules

You can also carry a concealed gun in your vehicle if you have a concealed weapon permit. Your permit gives you the right to carry a concealed firearm as long as you keep it completely hidden. You can also openly carry your weapon if you comply with the open carry rules. 

If the police stop you, you must immediately tell them you are carrying a concealed weapon and have a permit. If you fail to inform them, the police could charge you with an infraction, and you may have to pay a fine.

Can You Travel With a Firearm at the Airport?

At Charlotte Douglas International Airport, you must follow strict federal rules for transporting your firearm in checked luggage. However, you’re not permitted to carry a gun or ammunition on your person or carry-on luggage. 

Unfortunately, if you’re like many of our clients, you might not realize you’re carrying a weapon or bullets in a pocket or your carry-on luggage and be charged with a carry and conceal weapon offense. The charges and penalties are the same as for a CCG crime. In addition, you may have to pay a federal fine ranging from a few thousand dollars to $100,000 and wouldn’t be allowed to fly until you pay it.

Can You Travel With a Firearm on a Bus or Train?

Greyhound, Trailways, and other major companies prohibit passengers from traveling with a firearm on their buses. Amtrak permits you to carry a gun in checked luggage if you comply with its strict storage and notification rules.

Let Browning & Long Defend You If You’re Arrested For Traveling With a Firearm in Charlotte

Our skilled gun crime lawyers know you could have strong defenses to the charges you face—even if you’re guilty. For example, the police may not have had reasonable suspicion to pull you over, or violated your constitutional rights when they arrested you. We may be able to get crucial evidence being used against you suppressed or the charges dropped with a strategic defense approach. If it’s in your best interests, we use your defenses as leverage to convince the prosecutor to enter into a favorable plea agreement with you.

Howard W. Long, II
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Charlotte Criminal Defense and DWI Lawyer