Is it legal to carry a gun in the boat without a CHL? Reason I ask, I have been seeing a lot of snakes lately and would like to have one with me just in case one gets to close for comfort.

I keep a Snakecharmer in the rodbox all the time.

Castle doctrine. To and from your vehicle to the boat. Inside the boat concealled. This is the way I understand it.

I see a lot of parks that have a no weapons sign posted..

I can't carry a gun on my boat. I only have one bilge pump. Lol.

Its legal to carry a weapon dang near anywhere in texas with or without CHL....If I am concerned about personal safety, I always have one regardless of the type of "snake" I am concerned with...If you don't believe me, go ask a Highway Patrolman or GW...In the first place, they are not going to hassle you unless you are up to something bad and/or start trying to lie to them...Remember, they have generally heard all the "stories" and can decifier fact from fiction(its their job)...Also remember, the laws are designed to PROTECT honest law abiding citizens, not imprision them...if the laws fail to do so, then they need to be changed...

Correct.





I believe they have to have the same 30.06 and 30.07 signs. Some of the laws are confusing. I fished on Amistad and my buddy lived down there. He is a Game Warden and I concealed on the boat without a CHL and he said it was perfectly legal. That was National Land all around. I would like to hear how others read it. My understanding is you cannot carry on Corp Lakes but I am not sure.


I will text him and see what he says and report back.

I carry a Taurus JUDGE on my rig!

simple answer is YES,,,
no CHL required to carry a firearm fishing or hunting,,,,to--from--during.
Does not matter where & type of firearm. That is not an issue. All laws regardin this say "firearm" and does not distinguish between a hand gun or a long gun.

yep,..

Always

I do

My GW buddy just texted me this:

The last sign I saw at the corps park said only open carry was prohibited, unless they specifically post a sign that says no guns your good to keep it concealed in car or boat, or carry if u gotty the license, I'll check over here and see

How about a good pellet gun, I killed many more with one as a kid than I ever did with a rifle or shotgun as an adult. That *boom* will draw some attention unwanted or not. I have CHL, but have carried in my boat for years. I ran into my share of crazies saltwater fishing when I was younger, drugs obviously were involved, it was pretty clear by their actions.

State law can mandate the posting of 30.06 and 30.07 signs for the state of Texas, but cannot mandate this to the federal government. Also remember that 30.06 and 30.07 apply to carry licensed holders on private or state property. Their absence or presence is not a factor in determination if the castle doctrine applies.

Example: U.S.Corps of Engineers can set rules and regulations for federal land/water under their control. They can decide when firearms are and are not allowed, no 30.06 or 30.07 sign required. It is up to the gun owner to know their rules as there are no federal mandates for 30.06 or 30.07 signs, thereby making absence of said signs meaningless. Some federal properties do choose to post them as they find it an aid to reducing violations they don't want in the first place.

While the castle doctrine says you can carry a weapon in your vehicle, you don't get carte blanche permission. I'm not sure how that gets handled once you enter government property such as a US Corps of Engineers parking lot where their regulations prohibit firearms. The Texas castle doctrine means nothing to the federal government.

So, be very careful when you say something along the lines of "Oh, you can always carry one in your vehicle or your boat to-from hunting fishing etc." because you can't, just as a CHL can't always carry.

Even for state property there are cases where the castle doctrine stops at the gate, so to speak. Consider a state wildlife management area where regulations can be set by TPWD. They may choose to rule that firearms are not allowed on the property in the off-season. (A move sometimes taken to impact illegal hunting.) Drive through the gate towing your boat with your castle doctrine firearm in one or the other and you can be cited for said violation. You can't easily just say "no firearm" due to the search powers of the game warden.....