Skip to main content

Transporting a gun while riding your motorcycle can be fairly simple: if its a handgun and you have a permit to carry it. In this case, you can simply have it on your person (in a holster), or in your saddlebag, while you’re riding. But what if you need to transport your gun via motorcycle and don’t have a permit? It may be legal in your state, but under certain circumstances.

The Avvo.com website is a popular place to have legal questions answered by lawyers. A recent poster asked, “How do you transport a handgun on a motorcycle without a concealed weapons permit?”

John Gillespie, criminal defense attorney in Melbourne, Florida had an answer: “Put it in a holster and snap it shut. Put the holster in the saddle bag and buckle it and it is totally legal.”

John Friedman, and attorney from Oregon, added an important detail. “If you have proof of purchase, it’s unloaded and you have no ammo in that saddlebag, I suspect you are not committing any violation of law.” Friedman may have specified a “proof of purchase” because the poster said they planned to buy a gun and wondered if they could transport it home via motorcycle without a weapons permit.

Many firearm owners already know that even without a concealed or open carry permit, they can transport a gun in a motor vehicle. This is important if they want to bring it to a shooting range or on a hunting trip. But most states specify that if you don’t have a carry permit, the firearm must be out of your reach. It also can’t be loaded. Finally, it usually must be locked. A popular solution is to place the gun in a container in the trunk of a car, store the ammunition in a separate container, and then lock the trunk. But this isn’t possible in a motorcycle with no trunk.

Luckily, motorcycles are far from the only vehicle without a trunk. What about a station wagon? What about a pickup truck?

Most states specify that you can legally transport an unloaded, locked gun, if it is as far from you as possible. So if you have a station wagon, you can place a locked gun behind the rear seat. This was Gillespie’s logic when he said, “put the holster in the saddle bag.” Because in a motorcycle with a saddle bag, that is the further you can store it from the rider.

Friedman added “no ammo in that saddlebag” because in many places, you must store the ammo and gun separately if you are just transporting it. This is because transporting a loaded gun is only allowed with a permit.

Obviously these lawyers are not experts on the laws in your home state. If you are considering transporting a firearm with your motorcycle–and have no carry permit–you’ll want to familiarize yourself with all relevant local laws.

Next, read why the ‘Safe Passage’ law doesn’t mean you can drive any gun across any state, or hear a state trooper explain the laws for transporting a gun on a motorcycle with a permit:

Best in Motorcycles
Avatar photo
Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.