Open carrying on your person inside a Vehicle

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I've been reading open carry stories for about an hour now, and I have yet to see someone mention anything about this so I decided I would post about it.

I know carrying a weapon concealed inside a vehicle is legal as long as it is not concealed by your person. I also know carrying in the vehicle is legal if it is visible on the dash, on the seat, etc.

I carry my firearm on an outside-the-pants hip holster when I go out nearly all the time. When I get into my car, I usually take the gun out of the holster and put it in the glove compartment for fear that I am doing something illegal by having it on me while inside the vehicle. I am not concealing, my shirt is tucked in, and I have no jacket on.

I have questioned the legality of this many times but I have never received a concrete answer. I would just like to not have to put the gun in the glove compartment every time I get in and out of the car.

Does anyone have any information on this?

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Unless you have a CCW, you may not conceal a firearm upon your person.

As long as you are not concealing it upon your person, no permit is necessary. There is no distinction between whether you are in your home, in your vehicle, or walking down the street.

So carrying as you describe is perfectly legal. I had this same question and wondered if the seatbelt "concealed" the weapon. Or perhaps the seat itself? Or the center console? Or the door? Or... But it doesn't. Think about this. Am I carrying a concealed weapon if I'm standing on the other side of a wall and you can't see me? You can't see my weapon, but it's not concealed, it's just not observable from where you're presently standing. Remember, the legal definition requires it to be concealed UPON your person.

Hope this helps.

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Thanks Tim, it does help. That was exactly my question. I was just so sick of having to worry about whether or not I was in the wrong if I had gotten pulled over by a LEO, and the seatbelt issue that you mentioned had come up in my head dozens of times. There were even times people I knew that got into my car and asked me if I was carrying because they themselves could not see the gun under the seatbelt.

Thanks for you answer, you don't understand how much better I feel about this issue.

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Good info, I'm going to be in Reno and Las Vegas a few times this winter and was wondering how to carry. I waiting for my permit and hope to get sometime before my last visit to LV. In the mean time, I will have my paddle holster on with my shirt or coat out of the way so that my XD40 is 100% visable.