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Hello all, I have been silently reading these forums for the last few weeks and feel like I am getting to know many of you. My name is Robert. I am 22 years old and have lived in Milwaukee my entire life. My family has been blessed with a lake property, where my love and respect for firearms blossomed and grew. My earliest memory is my fifth birthday: The BB gun birthday. Since then, I've had the bug. The lake property includes a rifle range, Trap and skeet facilities, and over 1000 acres of sandy Wisconsin earth, all shared between members of a township, the crystal lake club.

I am comfortable saying that I am experienced when it comes to firearms, but I've recently began to realize how much I don't know.

Let me say THANK YOU, to all of you on these forums who make knowledgeable posts, and especially to Jesus Gonzales. I did not know that I had the right to carry a sidearm until the commotion you stirred up. Thank you.

I live right near that Menard's and used to give them a lot of my business. Not anymore.

Now a couple questions:

1. May I keep a round chambered while open carrying? - I would think so, but am not sure.

2. What are the rules in regards to transport while open carrying? I learned in hunter's safety that to transport by automobile, the gun must be in a manufacturer's box, or in a gun case, and that the ammunition may not be kept in the same case as the firearm. I know this seems like a noobie question, but I have found/heard conflicting information on this subject, if someone can clear this up, it would be mush appreciated.

anyhow, that's my little introduction.

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Spongebob wrote:

2. What are the rules in regards to transport while open carrying? I learned in hunter's safety that to transport by automobile, the gun must be in a manufacturer's box, or in a gun case,

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Essentially it must be "completely enclosed" in a container "made specifically for containing a firearm."

Because of that definition, the "gun sock" which is literally a tube of knit fabric with a drawstring enclosure...is a legal "gun case".

If you buy a used gun from, say, Gander Mtn, that's what they'll provide for you to carry it home in.

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Can I keep the gun loaded, or at least keep the ammunition in the same case? Or should I just keep a loaded mag in my pocket when I drive to and fro?

Also, am I going to run into problems with "brandishing" or "unholstering".

for example, I go to a store. When I pull into the lot, and get out of my car and open my gun case, load my gun, chamber a round, and then holster it immediatley... will I have problems, since my gun is unholstered?

How do you do it when you open carry?

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Spongebob wrote:

Hello all, I have been silently reading these forums for the last few weeks and feel like I am getting to know many of you. My name is Robert. I am 22 years old and have lived in Milwaukee my entire life. My family has been blessed with a lake property, where my love and respect for firearms blossomed and grew. My earliest memory is my fifth birthday: The BB gun birthday. Since then, I've had the bug. The lake property includes a rifle range, Trap and skeet facilities, and over 1000 acres of sandy Wisconsin earth, all shared between members of a township, the crystal lake club.

I am comfortable saying that I am experienced when it comes to firearms, but I've recently began to realize how much I don't know.

Let me say THANK YOU, to all of you on these forums who make knowledgeable posts, and especially to Jesus Gonzales. I did not know that I had the right to carry a sidearm until the commotion you stirred up. Thank you.

I live right near that Menard's and used to give them a lot of my business. Not anymore.

Now a couple questions:

1. May I keep a round chambered while open carrying? - I would think so, but am not sure.

2. What are the rules in regards to transport while open carrying? I learned in hunter's safety that to transport by automobile, the gun must be in a manufacturer's box, or in a gun case, and that the ammunition may not be kept in the same case as the firearm. I know this seems like a noobie question, but I have found/heard conflicting information on this subject, if someone can clear this up, it would be mush appreciated.

anyhow, that's my little introduction.

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Welcome! It's good to see new members showing up.

Yes, you can have a round chambered while you OC.

You're close with the vehicle transport part. Currently, the gun must be encased and unloaded (no round in the chamber(s), no loaded magazine inserted into the gun, no cap on a "cap 'n ball" gun.) Nothing says the ammo cannot be in the gun case however. That's a myth. My loaded magazines are crammed in that gun case along with the pistol. They just not inserted in the magazine well.

Of course in Wisconsin, OC refers to going about ON FOOT, not in a vehicle ( believe we've discuss bicycles elsewhere. ) On foot you can carry your gun any method you want as long as it's visible and recognizable as a gun. Nobody would recommend carrying it in your hand however because you're flirting with a "brandishing" charge. Best thing is to just put it in a holster and then don't fiddle with it.

Unfortunately due to the vehicle transport law, we're forced to get out of the vehicle, take the gun out of the case, load it, and holster it. Now that's the part that might make people very nervous if they observe that, so I would recommend taking a good look around for prying eyes, and then do the load and holstering quickly, discretely and above all, safely. Making sure the muzzle is pointed down (but away from your feet and other body parts) is probably best. If you're returning to your vehicle you have to reverse the process. This part is the same as when you're hunting, except you're more likely to have unsympathetic eyes around you.

If you're OCing out your door and back home, then of course you don't have to worry about that, just load up in the house.

Out and about, make sure you avoid those pesky school zones. Unfortunately, it appears to me that if you wish to pass through a school zone on foot, you have to stop, unload and encase the firearm, pass through the zone, and then reload. It's stupid and inconvenient, so my advise is to just avoid school zones if at all possible. On the other hand, remember that "school zones" do not include private property. So if you or your friend live across the street from the Ed Flynn Middle School for the Mentally Challenged, you can OC all you want on his or your property. We'll all be working to make some modifications to the vehicle transport and school zone laws (e.g., eliminate them, or at least turn them into something reasonable.)

Finally, make sure you stay OUTSIDE of any building that's owned or leased by the government if you have a gun on you. Any government. Schools, city hall, the police buildings, the department of public works, most fire stations, courthouses, etc. If you're in a private building, such as a store, and they ask or tell you to leave, just leave. Don't argue. Leave your cart full of shit right there in the aisle and walk on out. If you stay or argue, they'll probably try to stick a trespassing charge on you. You can boycott the place if you want, but the main thing is to get out. Maybe eventually we'll start making lists on here of places that are OC friendly and those that are not. That list will probably be headed with the W. Milwaukee Menards, Chilton Wally World, and ?? Brad Krause's yard?? Just kidding Brad.

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Spongebob wrote:

Also, am I going to run into problems with "brandishing" or "unholstering".

for example, I go to a store. When I pull into the lot, and get out of my car and open my gun case, load my gun, chamber a round, and then holster it immediatley... will I have problems, since my gun is unholstered?

Click to expand...

Nobody ought (I said 'ought' not 'will') to face a brandishing charge for performing administrative handling of a firearm in compliance with basic gun safety rules. Particularly in view of the fact that we are legally FORCED to handle the gun in such a manner due to the stupid transport law. Maybe at some point they will realize that it might be somewhat safer to minimize the number of times people have to load or unload or just generally handle their firearms by changing this law?

During some long correspondence with a Madison police sgt. I covered this subject to make sure they understood that safe administrative handling of a gun is NOT brandishing.

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Welcome to the forum. Don't feel bad for lurking at all, I usually lurk more than I post myself.

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Thanks Shotgun.
In light of today's newspaper front page, I have decided to open carry in Milwaukee, due to living and working in a bit rougher neighborhood. A cop just got shot a few blocks away, there was a gunfight within a mile a few weeks ago, and I hear random gunshots late at night about once a week, more often in summer. I am going to use a cobra arms 9mm patriot. Naysayers be silenced, yes there are horror stories about cobra but they have a lifetime warranty, so if you have a prob send it back. The patriot is supposedly designed by a guy who now works for kimber. I choose this because of its size, capacity, and the action type. (hammer never cocked, 16-18 lb trigger pull). My other choice would be carrying a 8" colt python. I might do that for fancy dress open-carry, but I definitely don't want to put wear and tear on my python.
The patriot cost me 300 bucks brand-spankin, so who cares, plus a new slide assembly is under $75. A new stock assembly cost $5. No BS.

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I also am a serial lurker here on the site. I figuered I would jump in this thread as I also decided to finally sign up.

Howdy Everybody!