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Carrying a concealed weapon while boating

8K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  malainse 
#1 ·
There is a lengthy thread discussing carrying a loaded weapon either open or concealed while boating or fishing on Saginaw bay . I do not and think it's ridiculous but it seams many many do . I have a few questions about it : has there ever been any legitimate reason to do so ? Unsafe out there ? Can you have a loaded gun while the boat is under way? If your boarded by the coast guard do you need to declare weapon immediately? Can you or anyone else on board possess or consume beer or any other alcohol? Does the coast guard encourage the idea of carrying guns while fishing or do they discourage this practice ?
 
#5 ·
Honk .... What an inappropriate response ...I think you need to work on your reading comprehension...I did not ask if emojis were reserved for those with a limited vocabulary but if I did you would be spot on . Also those who fully understand the concept of martial arts would never claim to have "been in martial arts for decades"
 
#4 ·
Unsafe out there ? No, there are not pirates on the Great Lakes; however, you have to launch and then land, where you encounter other people. Most that carry don't want to leave their gun in the vehicle at the dock parking lot (for someone to just break in and steal) so also carry on the boat. Most that carry all the time, carry all the time, does not matter what you happen to be doing that day (unless you are going into a PFZ), so why would they say "I am going to leave my gun in the safe today because I am going fishing".

Can you have a loaded gun while the boat is under way? CPL yes you can have your carry weapon on you and loaded, just like you can carry your loaded weapon with a CPL in a car, atv, snowmoble; however, if you are duck hunting then your shotgun must be unloaded before starting the motor (see recent posts were someone was ticketed for not unloading the shotgun even though they had a CPL). Logic would say if you pulled out your pistol to shot a duck then you would be in violation of shooting waterfowl with a single projectile, that is against the law.

If your boarded by the coast guard do you need to declare weapon immediately? I was taught that whenever you encounter a LEO (any LEO) that you immediately declare if you have a CPL, even if you are not carrying. There is only bad to happen by not declaring and only good to happen by letting any LEO know that you have a CPL, which means that you qualified for it and don't have any outstanding warrants or other dings on your record.

Can you or anyone else on board possess or consume beer or any other alcohol? I would argue this would be the same as you going to a restaurant (not a bar that gets +50% of revenue from alcohol) that served alcohol and sitting at a table were everyone was drinking but yourself. As long as you did not drink, you did not break any law. You can expect that if there is open beer/alcohol on the boat that you will be subject to more scrutiny and questions.

Does the coast guard encourage the idea of carrying guns while fishing or do they discourage this practice ? That would be a question best answered by someone from the CG. If I was to speculate, I would say if you declare and you cooperate with them on why they stopped you that the encounter would be positive.

I would also add:
If you are fishing very near or on Canada waters then that is a whole different game, you need to understand the laws of Canada.
 
#7 ·
That kind of defeats the purpose of this web site....every question could be researched somewhere else...Actually legal questions are precisely why this specific section exists . Im sure the advertisers on here don't want you to "go somewhere else" ... I'm surprised the moderators allow that kind of negative response that brings no added value to the conversation
 
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