Rifle in my truck: OC?

Hello everyone,

I usually take my pickup truck to the Wake County range. My truck has a standard cab with a bench seat. If I'm carrying my handgun I'll just leave it on the seat beside me, but I'm not quite sure what the best way to transport my .22 target rifle is. I normally keep it in a padded soft case, and it seems most logical to prop it up with the butt of the gun in the footwell and the barrel pointing up (the rifle, in essence, rides "shotgun". :banana: ) But -- I'm concerned that this could be perceived as "concealed" by law enforcement.

I guess I don't mind open carrying the rifle, but I'm worried that it would be a bit more cumbersome (I don't really want it sliding sideways or falling over, which seems far less likely if it's in a soft bag). There's really not enough room for it behind the seat, and I think that would still be considered "concealed" -- perhaps even moreso than having the soft bag exposed in the cab.

How do those of you with a standard cab pickup do it?

Mike

If I am going hunting it rest on the seat uncased. If I'm going to the range it rests on the seat in a case. If I keep it behind the seat, it's cased to make it inaccessible.

Chief: Best I've found is that it could be considered concealed if in a case and accessible, including behind the seat. If I had a standard cab I might consider getting a window rack which allowed me to lock the cased gun into it. You might be able to unzip a soft case to where the rifle is obvious while enroute. Also try asking DOJ's Law Enforcement Liaison Section (last number I have is 919-716-6725).
Sorry Chief, this was meant to be for Mike above.

Thanks Chief and BC. The law is so damn vague about what "concealed" means, and I care enough about my lack of criminal record to not want to test those waters.

BC, I'll definitely give them a call next week and see what they say. I'll share my findings here if people are interested.

Mike

If it's in a case, and he can't figure out what it is, that's his problem as far as I'm concerned. I'm in one of the smaller extra cab Tacomas. If he can get in my truck and gain access to a cased rifle behind the seat while staying in the drivers seat, then he can start writing that ticket too. Not gonna happen without getting out of the truck. YMMV