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  • boatbod

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 30, 2007
    3,827
    Talbot Co
    If you get boarded by USCG or NRP they *will* ask about weapons very early in the boarding process. Plan for this ahead of time and respond in the appropriate manner.
     

    Harrys

    Short Round
    Jul 12, 2014
    3,362
    SOMD
    Hello I spend a lot my summers on the boat. It can be weeks at a time. I’d really like to have something with me for personal defense.

    How does MD treat a boat? Like a car? Like a house? Something else. My primary residence is in MD so all my guns meet MD laws. I do not have a carry permit. My father lived on his boat so had his guns on his boat but my boat is treated like a second home for tax purposes. For reference it’s 37’ with two cabins one bathroom and a full galley.

    Thanks for any info

    In MD State waters if you carry a long gun it must be unloaded unless you are actively hunting water fowl with the appropriate licenses and Federal Stamps.

    If you carry a pistol and do not have a CCW it shall be unloaded and ammo separate, along with either a trigger lock or holstered in a secure location.

    If boarded by the USCG you must notify them that weapons are aboard and when boarding the USCG will ask if weapons are aboard. The USCG follows Federal laws and unless you are doing something stupid like BWI or acting a fool you will be OK. Title 14 section 2 USC ,522 all active duty Officers and Petty Officers are Federal Police Officers and are not subject to the Posse Comitatus Act. Also, 14U.S.C. 1401 they are also Federal Custom Officers

    When in a marina and docked in a space you rent and you live on the boat the storage of weapons follows the same rules as a home owner. The only difference is that marinas are public places so you cannot wear your pistol or carry long guns while top side or on the dock it will be considered brandishing.

    While traveling in a mobile home through MD all weapons shall be unloaded and ammo stored separately. Pistols holstered and or mechanically locked.
     

    Johnconlee

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 8, 2019
    1,149
    Mechanicsville
    Hello I spend a lot my summers on the boat. It can be weeks at a time. I’d really like to have something with me for personal defense.

    How does MD treat a boat? Like a car? Like a house? Something else. My primary residence is in MD so all my guns meet MD laws. I do not have a carry permit. My father lived on his boat so had his guns on his boat but my boat is treated like a second home for tax purposes. For reference it’s 37’ with two cabins one bathroom and a full galley.

    Thanks for any info
    I forgot to add that I keep signal flares with the shotgun ammo on a bandoleer.
     

    Tomcat

    Formerly Known As HITWTOM
    May 7, 2012
    5,568
    St.Mary's County
    I have a similar boat, 36 albin. I do a pump shotgun unloaded until were anchored for the night. The worst part for me is carrying the gun to the boat on a busy saturday at the marina. I think a pistol would be legal while anchored or living aboard but could get funny while moving so I just avoid that whole issue.

    A cheap guitar case is a good way to carry your shotgun. No one would think twice about a guitar on your boat or walking to it.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    I

    If you carry a pistol and do not have a CCW it shall be unloaded and ammo separate, along with either a trigger lock or holstered in a secure location.

    If boarded by the USCG you must notify them that weapons are aboard and when boarding the USCG will ask if weapons are aboard. The USCG follows Federal laws and unless you are doing something stupid like BWI or acting a fool you will be OK. Title 14 section 2 USC ,522 all active duty Officers and Petty Officers are Federal Police Officers and are not subject to the Posse Comitatus Act. Also, 14U.S.C. 1401 they are also Federal Custom Officers

    14 USC 2 designates the USCG as a law enforcement agency.
    Title 14 Section 89 gives them authority.
    But don't mislead people. The only credentialed Agents are CGIS. Your typical Officer cannot fly armed like "real" Federal Police Officers and Agents can.
    You make it sound like a supply Officer can run around say that he's a cop and not a supply Officer.
     

    Cold Steel

    Active Member
    Sep 26, 2006
    801
    Bethesda, MD
    From a self defense standpoint, you really need a gun. Have you ever tried to get a concealed weapons permit on that alone? You didn't say whether the boat was docked or remained offshore or what kind of a boat you have, but I had a friend a number of years ago who lived on his boat. He kept a stainless steel Ruger Mini-14 and a .22LR Ruger Mark II pistol on his boat.

    Also, years ago, a couple who lived on their boat struck up a friendship with a man and his son who lived on another boat that wasn't nearly as nice. This father/son couple brought over fish and other things and eventually the husband/wife invited them over for dinner. The woman was below deck when she heard a commotion topside. She grabbed her husband's pistol and, climbing up she saw the father and son attempting to subdue the man using a very large knife. The woman, for whatever reason, didn't use the pistol but instead tossed it to her husband, who then shot and killed the man, then killed the kid who, I believe, was 16 years old. There was some controversy over the latter, but seeing they were on the open ocean there was really no contest. The kid was old enough to subdue the man and they really had no way of detaining him, so that was the end of the story.

    When you get out a certain distance from shore, what are you going to do if you get in trouble, call the cops? You need some means of self defense. Just like camping, you could be out in the middle of nowhere when bad guys com a'callin.' It becomes even more of an issue when you have other family members present.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    I think he meant while on duty, not while travelling personally.

    No. The only Coast Guard positions who can fly armed for work AND personally are their credentialed Investigators. Those are the true LEO's of The Coast Guard. A supply Officer cannot, for example, fly carrying a pistol he is taking to some duty station somewhere.

    The Coast Guard could give everyone in the service credentials saying they are "Federal Officers", but they don't. Not 1 of the 100's(probably low 1,000s) of Officers and Agents on any of my flights over the years was there ever "A non CIS commissioned Coast Guard officer". If there had been, I would not have let him on the flight. Because they are not credentialed Federal LEOs.
     

    Harrys

    Short Round
    Jul 12, 2014
    3,362
    SOMD
    No. The only Coast Guard positions who can fly armed for work AND personally are their credentialed Investigators. Those are the true LEO's of The Coast Guard. A supply Officer cannot, for example, fly carrying a pistol he is taking to some duty station somewhere.

    The Coast Guard could give everyone in the service credentials saying they are "Federal Officers", but they don't. Not 1 of the 100's(probably low 1,000s) of Officers and Agents on any of my flights over the years was there ever "A non CIS commissioned Coast Guard officer". If there had been, I would not have let him on the flight. Because they are not credentialed Federal LEOs.

    The facts below, I have traveled by air and armed under orders and you would not have a choice.

    Title 14 USC, section 2 authorizes the Coast Guard to enforce U.S. federal laws. This authority is further defined in*14*U.S.C.*§*522, which gives law enforcement powers to all Coast Guard commissioned officers, warrant officers, and petty officers. Unlike the other branches of the*United States Armed Forces, which are prevented from acting in a law enforcement capacity by*18*U.S.C.*§*1385, the*Posse Comitatus Act, and*Department of Defense*policy, the Coast Guard is exempt from and not subject to the restrictions of the Posse Comitatus Act.

    Further law enforcement authority is given by*14*U.S.C.*§*703*and*19*U.S.C.*§*1401, which empower U.S. Coast Guard active and reserve commissioned officers, warrant officers, and petty officers as federal*customs officers. This places them under*19*U.S.C.*§*1589a, which grants customs officers general federal law enforcement authority, including the authority to:

    (1) carry a firearm;
    (2) execute and serve any order, warrant, subpoena, summons, or other process issued under the authority of the United States;
    (3) make an arrest without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in the officer's presence or for a felony, cognizable under the laws of the United States committed outside the officer's presence if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a felony; and
    (4) perform any other law enforcement duty that the Secretary of Homeland

    Security may designate.
    — 19 USC §1589a. Enforcement authority of customs officers
    The U.S.*Government Accountability Office*Report to the*House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary on its 2006 Survey of Federal Civilian Law Enforcement Functions and Authorities, identified the Coast Guard as one of 104 federal components that employed*law enforcement officers. The report also included a summary table of the authorities of the Coast Guard's 192 special agents and 3,780 maritime law enforcement boarding officers.

    Coast Guardsmen have the legal authority to carry their service-issued firearms on and off base. This is rarely done in practice, however; at many Coast Guard stations, commanders prefer to have all service-issued weapons in armories when not in use. Still, one court has held in the case of*People v. Booth*that Coast Guard boarding officers are qualified law enforcement officers authorized to carry personal firearms off-duty for self-defense.
     

    Blaster229

    God loves you, I don't.
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 14, 2010
    46,410
    Glen Burnie
    The facts below, I have traveled by air and armed under orders and you would not have a choice.

    Title 14 USC, section 2 authorizes the Coast Guard to enforce U.S. federal laws. This authority is further defined in*14*U.S.C.*§*522, which gives law enforcement powers to all Coast Guard commissioned officers, warrant officers, and petty officers. Unlike the other branches of the*United States Armed Forces, which are prevented from acting in a law enforcement capacity by*18*U.S.C.*§*1385, the*Posse Comitatus Act, and*Department of Defense*policy, the Coast Guard is exempt from and not subject to the restrictions of the Posse Comitatus Act.

    Further law enforcement authority is given by*14*U.S.C.*§*703*and*19*U.S.C.*§*1401, which empower U.S. Coast Guard active and reserve commissioned officers, warrant officers, and petty officers as federal*customs officers. This places them under*19*U.S.C.*§*1589a, which grants customs officers general federal law enforcement authority, including the authority to:

    (1) carry a firearm;
    (2) execute and serve any order, warrant, subpoena, summons, or other process issued under the authority of the United States;
    (3) make an arrest without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in the officer's presence or for a felony, cognizable under the laws of the United States committed outside the officer's presence if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a felony; and
    (4) perform any other law enforcement duty that the Secretary of Homeland

    Security may designate.
    — 19 USC §1589a. Enforcement authority of customs officers
    The U.S.*Government Accountability Office*Report to the*House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary on its 2006 Survey of Federal Civilian Law Enforcement Functions and Authorities, identified the Coast Guard as one of 104 federal components that employed*law enforcement officers. The report also included a summary table of the authorities of the Coast Guard's 192 special agents and 3,780 maritime law enforcement boarding officers.

    Coast Guardsmen have the legal authority to carry their service-issued firearms on and off base. This is rarely done in practice, however; at many Coast Guard stations, commanders prefer to have all service-issued weapons in armories when not in use. Still, one court has held in the case of*People v. Booth*that Coast Guard boarding officers are qualified law enforcement officers authorized to carry personal firearms off-duty for self-defense.

    My CGIS friend would disagree with you about flying if you weren't a credentialed investigator with them.

    You flew commercial airlines carrying did ya? What year? The 50's? Because this is what I am talking about, flying commercial. You as a regular, non LE Officer in the CG cannot fly commercial armed.

    I wonder why in all of the 1,000's of flights I flew as an Air Marshal, I have NEVER had a regular, non credentialed CG Officer fly armed. Never.
    Yeah yeah. I know about boarding guys and LEOSA carry.

    49 CFR 1544.219 says who can fly armed. I'll just paste a brief portion.... Which of these does a run of the mill CG Officer satisfy? All of them? Coast Guard policy does not allow non Investigator positions to fly armed. Mainly because they don't issue them credentials saying they are LEO's.
    I can copy n paste a lot of stuff too.


    (1) Unless otherwise authorized by TSA, the armed LEO must meet the following requirements:

    (i) Be a Federal law enforcement officer or a full-time municipal, county, or state law enforcement officer who is a direct employee of a government agency.

    (ii) Be sworn and commissioned to enforce criminal statutes or immigration statutes.

    (iii) Be authorized by the employing agency to have the weapon in connection with assigned duties.

    (iv) Has completed the training program “Law Enforcement Officers Flying Armed.”

    (2) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the armed LEO must have a need to have the weapon accessible from the time he or she would otherwise check the weapon until the time it would be claimed after deplaning. The need to have the weapon accessible must be determined by the employing agency, department, or service and be based on one of the following:

    (i) The provision of protective duty, for instance, assigned to a principal or advance team, or on travel required to be prepared to engage in a protective function.

    (ii) The conduct of a hazardous surveillance operation.

    (iii) On official travel required to report to another location, armed and prepared for duty.

    (iv) Employed as a Federal LEO, whether or not on official travel, and armed in accordance with an agency-wide policy governing that type of travel established by the employing agency by directive or policy statement.

    (v) Control of a prisoner, in accordance with § 1544.221, or an armed LEO on a round trip ticket returning from escorting, or traveling to pick up, a prisoner.

    (vi) TSA Federal Air Marshal on duty status.

    (3) The armed LEO must comply with the following notification requirements:

    (i) All armed LEOs must notify the aircraft operator of the flight(s) on which he or she needs to have the weapon accessible at least 1 hour, or in an emergency as soon as practicable, before departure.

    (ii) Identify himself or herself to the aircraft operator by presenting credentials that include a clear full-face picture, the signature of the armed LEO, and the signature of the authorizing official of the agency, service, or department or the official seal of the agency, service, or department. A badge, shield, or similar device may not be used, or accepted, as the sole means of identification.

    (iii) If the armed LEO is a State, county, or municipal law enforcement officer, he or she must present an original letter of authority, signed by an authorizing official from his or her employing agency, service or department, confirming the need to travel armed and detailing the itinerary of the travel while armed.
     

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