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Car carry while in TN ?

Timberland

New member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
2
Location
MI
My wife and I have owned a vacation home in Sevierville, TN for 7 years. Over the 4th of July week this year, 2013, we were at our cabin and stepped out for dinner between 4 and 8pm. We had our labrador ( not the best watch dog as she doesn't even bark ...nor is any stranger a threat to her...she views everyone as a new tennis ball thrower, hence friend. If you were a duck, rabbit or cat ..well game on, :D ) in a dog crate in the basement with the house stereo turned up for her to *think* someones home. Welllll...the unfortunate happened. Some dope head broke into our back fiberglass door and another was trying to get the widow open adjacent to it ( two sets of foot prints in the sanding dust ). The dope head with the crow bar entered the door first and then stole our living room 42" flat screen TV and laptop from the counter during the 4-8 departure. I have plenty of shot guns in MI although no handguns. I have recently purchased my first hand gun....well it resembles a hand gun. I purchased a Smith and Wesson Governor. Ya' know it as a 45 cal that shoots a combination of 6 bullets or home defense shot gun shell loads :cool: Sooooooo, my question I havent been able to get my class in to CC here in MI ( thinking reciprocating too TN ) yet. However, we are making another trip this week to our cabin. Can I legally open carry the S&W in the door panel of my truck without a trigger lock and carry bullets in a glove box? Or even open carry in the door panel with the gun loaded ?? My wife is a little bit freaked out that when we arrive at 2 am from the 9 hour drive from MI that we "may" meet the dope head coming out our drive way or worse - home. Our cabin is not visible from the road and we have one way in /out via our 350' drive way.

Ohh, this was the second time we have been burglarized within a year. The other time was Aug 2012 where they broke into the window mentioned above and stole all three flat screen TV's and remotes in the cabin. No one was at the cabin at the time. I'm willing to wager green money that the dope head figures we will replace the TV's again and will be back once again for those too. An alarm is not an option as we are too far off the main road, not to mention the local Sheriff deputies are more interested in being income generating than protect and serve officers.
 
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Fallguy

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Messages
715
Location
McKenzie Tennessee, USA
The simple answer is No, you can not have a loaded firearm in your car unless you have a carry permit.

Unloaded doesn't just mean no ammo in the firearm either...

T.C.A. 39-17-1301(18) defines unloaded as "the rifle, shotgun or handgun does not have ammunition in the chamber, cylinder, clip or magazine, and no clip or magazine is in the immediate vicinity of the weapon."

Emphasis added....

Also the weapon can not be concealed on your person or the ammo in your immediate vicinity.

Defenses to unlawful possession or carrying of a weapon.
It is a defense to the application of § 39-17-1307 if the possession or carrying was:
T.C.A. 39-17-1308(a)(1) Of an unloaded rifle, shotgun or handgun not concealed on or about the person and the ammunition for the weapon was not in the immediate vicinity of the person or weapon;
 
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Timberland

New member
Joined
Sep 8, 2013
Messages
2
Location
MI
Its as I presumed. Thanks Fallguy. I thought I read that a persons car in TN was considered an extension of their home ??...therefore a gun could be carried as "open carry" within a vehicle. No biggie this time...I hope:( I will take the gun and ammo.. I will have locks on separate gun and ammo while traveling.. I will also load the revolver as I enter the drive way. However as much of a PITA it will be, I will not be without gun if a thief is inside or coming outside my home when I pull up at 2am this Thursday.
 

Fallguy

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Messages
715
Location
McKenzie Tennessee, USA
Your car is the same as your home in the sense that you it is presumed you were in fear of death or serious bodily harm if someone attmepts to break in while it is occupied, just not in the sense of your ability to have a loaded firearm inside of it.

Welcome to the wonderful world of TN gun laws that make no sense at times.
 

marrandy

Newbie
Joined
Nov 7, 2008
Messages
54
Location
, Florida, USA
Get a couple of micro cameras that are hidden and link them to a hidden recorder. You could also try a couple of those outdoor hunter cameras you strap to trees.

Its important to get these people caught and you need evidence.

It only takes 4 or 5 people to do 80%+ of these type of breakins.
 

Oh Shoot

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2010
Messages
184
Location
Knoxville
Its as I presumed. Thanks Fallguy. I thought I read that a persons car in TN was considered an extension of their home ??...therefore a gun could be carried as "open carry" within a vehicle. No biggie this time...I hope:( I will take the gun and ammo.. I will have locks on separate gun and ammo while traveling.. I will also load the revolver as I enter the drive way. However as much of a PITA it will be, I will not be without gun if a thief is inside or coming outside my home when I pull up at 2am this Thursday.

Get your MI permit. It's good here.

- OS
 

LACRUISER

New member
Joined
Oct 8, 2013
Messages
2
Location
E. TENNESSEE
security camera

There are a lot of security systems out there these days. Gone are the days of having to have a local service. The following is a link to a company that makes what appears to be a pretty nifty system. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i...me-security-system-intelligent-and-affordable

Since you had so many large screens and a laptop stolen I guess you have internet connection there. With this system, if you get the camera with it, you can see at any time what the camera(s) see right on your iPhone. You can also pan the camera remotely. This way you don't have to wait to get to your house to find out there is a problem. Also, with door, window and motion sensors, you can receive an alarm right on you phone. Then, when you get an alarm, and preferrably after you call the po-po, you can watch what unfolds. You can check things frequenty. Even if someone cuts the service (I'm not sure anyone around there can handle that), that too is telling when you can't get through. Another nice feture as far as I'm concerned is that if you receive an alarm, the punks won't know so you can watch them, hopefully right to the cuffs going on.

My cousin built on top of one of those hills around there. He built a house for his mother next door but I have always been concerned for her there. Not so much from people (though that is a concern) but from the wildlife. There is a reason why the local high school mascot is the Smokey Bear.

I am sure there are other systems that work with the iPhone or other smart phones, this is just the one I was familiar with.

To get a permit here you have to be able to prove residency: http://www.tn.gov/safety/driverlicense/dlproof.shtml
 
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LACRUISER

New member
Joined
Oct 8, 2013
Messages
2
Location
E. TENNESSEE
also...

I forgot to mention that if you are not familiar with it, you should get familiar with the move-over law. You are required to move to the left lane if safe to do so as well as slow down when there is a police or other emergency vehicle on the side of the road. Some small towns especially like to enforce this one. I had circumstance where a police car was on the side of the road and the officer was on the edge of the road by the other car. I felt the conditions with traffic were such that it was unsafe to try to move to the left lane, particularly with the short response time I had due to the truck in front of me. I chose to slow down and I kept my eyes on him until past. Well, he was finishing up at that time and turned to return to his car at which time he immediately came after me. He claimed that I had time and clearance to move over, I claimed I didn't. Guess who won. I think he was trying to impress his girlfriend that was in the car police cr with him. I'm pretty sure it was his girlfriend since my son and I went into a restaurant to eat and the cme in few minutes later. If they weren't romantically involved, you could have fooled me. By the way, this wasn't in the area of your place ... middle TN.
 
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