That looks like you guys had a ton of fun! I just recently went up to Blowing Rock on vacation and drove on the Blue Ride parkway for quite a while. I haven't taken my CC class as of yet BUT, Had I had my CCP would it have been legal to have with me while hiking?

 

That looks like you guys had a ton of fun! I just recently went up to Blowing Rock on vacation and drove on the Blue Ride parkway for quite a while. I haven't taken my CC class as of yet BUT, Had I had my CCP would it have been legal to have with me while hiking?

On Blue Ridge Pkwy trails, yes. In Great Smoky Mtn. Nat. Park trails, yes.
On Pisgah Nat Forest trails, no...not in NC. Nor in NC State Park trails.
Go figure....yet another shining example of the morass of "grey areas" that is NC concealed carry law.

BTW, we did have a great time, thanks. The little gal can't hike too far though. But she's very excited about her very own hiking staff and Camelback(she calls it her "hiking water fountain").

 

. A few years ago an older couple was murdered just a few miles from here while hiking. The murderer was linked to several other murdered hikers in N. Georgia.

The Bryant murders are what prompted me to get my CHP. My favorite trail is the South Mills River, about 1 mile from where they were abducted/killed.

On my hike in Pisgah today, with my 2 boys, I felt very safe. The Nat Forest is the only place where I invoke "concealed means concealed." I figure it's MY Nat Forest, so property rights aren't an issue.

 

Most National Forest areas in NC fall under the regulations for "gamelands." Carrying a sidearm on gamelands is legal. However, dependeing on season and whether you're a hunter or just a hiker plays a role. As I understand generally you're ok carrying a .22 caliber short, long or long rifle with a barrel that does not esceed 7.5 inches. This link sheds some light on the regs.: http://www.ncwildlife.org/Regs/2009_10/2009_10_Gamelands.pdf. A pertinent quote from that brochure:

- 22-caliber pistols with barrels, not greater than 7.5 inches in
length and shooting only short, long or long rifle ammunition,
may be carried as side arms on game lands at any time, except
by hunters during the special bow-and-arrow and muzzleloading
firearms deer hunting season.

I'm not familar with Pisgah NF and have no idea how much, if any is listed as "Gamelands." So the above information may or may not apply.

 

Most National Forest areas in NC fall under the regulations for "gamelands." Carrying a sidearm on gamelands is legal. However, dependeing on season and whether you're a hunter or just a hiker plays a role. As I understand generally you're ok carrying a .22 caliber short, long or long rifle with a barrel that does not esceed 7.5 inches. This link sheds some light on the regs.: http://www.ncwildlife.org/Regs/2009_10/2009_10_Gamelands.pdf. A pertinent quote from that brochure:

I'm not familar with Pisgah NF and have no idea how much, if any is listed as "Gamelands." So the above information may or may not apply.

This! Carry a .22 pistol. I can't think of any NF lands in NC that are not Gamelands. If you can hunt them, they fall under gamelands. I OC'd my G19 on the parkway today. Hiked Bradley Fork trail a bit. Went to the Cone house and it was posted, but closed anyway.

As to parkway vs gamelands, make sure you have a good map to tell what you are hiking on. Based on the map I just grabbed Black Balsam Mtn is gamelands, as is most of Graveyard Fields. The parkway right of way is very narrow in some areas. Just because the trail starts on the parkway does not mean it stays on it. It's like a gun trap, just be careful and when in doubt pack the .22.

I've been working on the NCWRC for a while now on this.

The feds don't care if you carry, NCWRC does!

Can I carry a firearm on the national forest? back to top

Possession of firearms. The possession and unconcealed carry of a firearm on the national forest is not restricted by federal law or Forest Service regulations with the exception of "prohibited possessors," such as convicted felons (see 18 USC 922g

 

Now before anyone starts ranting, no, I have never felt threatened while hiking, nor do I feel afraid not to be armed while in the woods. I've hiked hundreds of miles without incident, without fear and without a firearm...but that's not the point.

Actually, that IS the point.

The date is July 18, 1984. The setting, McDonald's in San Diego CA.

When that day started, 22 unsuspecting souls had never felt threatened at McDonald's either.

 

This! Carry a .22 pistol. I can't think of any NF lands in NC that are not Gamelands. If you can hunt them, they fall under gamelands. I OC'd my G19 on the parkway today. Hiked Bradley Fork trail a bit. Went to the Cone house and it was posted, but closed anyway.

As to parkway vs gamelands, make sure you have a good map to tell what you are hiking on. Based on the map I just grabbed Black Balsam Mtn is gamelands, as is most of Graveyard Fields. The parkway right of way is very narrow in some areas. Just because the trail starts on the parkway does not mean it stays on it. It's like a gun trap, just be careful and when in doubt pack the .22.

I've been working on the NCWRC for a while now on this.

The feds don't care if you carry, NCWRC does!

Right on. Am I right in saying that since there is now no federal prohibition of firearms that it would take a NC wildlife officer to enforce this? I can't see a game warden questioning anyone that was hiking on a trail with no gun visible. For that matter, what's the last time you saw a game warden walking a trail in a national forest? It seems unlikely to ever be an issue.

Can I carry a firearm on the national forest? back to top

Possession of firearms. The possession and unconcealed carry of a firearm on the national forest is not restricted by federal law or Forest Service regulations with the exception of "prohibited possessors," such as convicted felons (see 18 USC 922g

Right on. Am I right in saying that since there is now no federal prohibition of firearms that it would take a NC wildlife officer to enforce this? I can't see a game warden questioning anyone that was hiking on a trail with no gun visible. For that matter, what's the last time you saw a game warden walking a trail in a national forest? It seems unlikely to ever be an issue.

 

It would only come up after a shooting, or if someone happened to see it and reported it.

 

What a nonsensical mess...

 

While I'm not one to advocate illegal activity...my feeling is that they can take their "law" and stick it where the sun don't shine. As the incident with the Bryants clearly demonstrated, there are evil people everywhere...looking for a target of opportunity, and they don't phone ahead and warn you that they'll be targeting you on a given day.

As has been noted long and often...concealed is concealed. Personally, I'd be more comfortable dealing with the unlawful carry charge after the fact than with trying to figure a way to survive an attack by one or more persons...armed with whatever the hell they feel like carrying.

A point that seems to have escaped our legislators is that people who have decided to rob, rape, injure, and/or kill innocent people aren't going to be too concerned with any of the lesser rules

Remember that when you're out there in the boondocks...you're pretty much alone, and even on the off-chance that somebody else is within earshot...the odds that they'll come running to your rescue is about the same as Old Scratch serving snow cones to new arrivals.

 

I would like to say that I've never felt threatened on a trail but it's not true:
- We once walked right into a mexican meth lab on the App Trail, they didn't seem too friendly but obviously didn't want anything to do with my dogs. Yes, I had a lil' some' on me...
- Wife and her girlfriends were followed on a trail by a guy wearing a skirt and a wig in the middle of the woods (?). She made sure her gun was obvious but didn't clear her holster. Guy turned around...
- Walked up to a pack of l5 or 6 lose dogs, mostly pit bulls, I did clear leather but they didn't get too close. Glad I didn't have my dogs with me that day...

Carrying or not carrying is your choice and both options have consequences, make your own decisions.

 

Aug. 1, 1998

Derek Andrew Marston and Tommi Danielle Byrd, both 24, were recent college graduates on a camping trip in the mountains of Burke County when they were shot to death at their campsite.

Marston was shot in the chest and abdomen; Byrd was shot in the chest.

The two Belmont Abbey College graduates were taking a break from their jobs in Charlotte. Marston worked at a bank and Byrd was a middle-school teacher.

Hikers told police they heard gunshots around 9:30 p.m. on that Saturday. The next morning, hikers found the bodies.

Police quickly identified James Andrew Finley Jr., then 21, of Hickory as a suspect. Tips led them to the small town of Mount Gilead in Montgomery County where his family had a hunting lodge. An 83-hour manhunt ended with Finley's arrest and return to Burke County. Officers said he was obsessed with bombing fugitive Eric Rudolph.

Because the crime occurred on federal property in the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, the FBI took over the case and prosecuted Finley.

A federal jury found him guilty in April 1999 of the shooting deaths. Finley is serving two life sentences in U.S. Penitentiary Coleman II in Florida. It's a high-security prison for male inmates.

Byrd's mother, Sandra Butts, is a school teacher in Johnston County. She keeps her daughter's memory alive by telling her students about Tommi. She also tells them about Finley in hopes of steering them away from the path he took.



went to college with them, I knew Tommi very well... I have not been camping since... if I ever do... well make you own conclusions.

 

Every since I watched the movie "Wrong Turn", I carry my weapon anytime I head to the hill's. Its better to be judged by 12 than to be carried by six. Really I do OC most of the time when I am out and about. I pray I never have to pull the weapon or have to use it. But I do practice and keep it in good shape incase I do. It would be great if we lived in a world where we do not have to worry about being safe. But that is just not the case. So until we do I will continue to carry my weapon.
My friends and I hike the trails about every year and so far we have never had any trouble. I have ran into nothing but good people around and on the trails. We only go for a week at a time but it is always good times. We also have never had anyone ask us if we were carrying a weapon.

 

I used to carry before I had my permit and still carry in places I shouldn't.

I know it's a risk, but I don't cause any trouble and keep my mouth shut about it. Do those 2 things and odds are you won't have any problems.

 

I've been working on the NCWRC for a while now on this.

The feds don't care if you carry, NCWRC does!

Anything "we" can do to help with the NCWRC?

 

Heres a crude but enlightening nc gamelands map. I think it hurts more than helps, but here it is

 

This is exactly why the ban on carry in these parks is ridiculous. I was once nearly attack by a man's dogs in Crowder's Mtn st Park. He was letting his pit bulls run free on a crowded day at the park and they were acting VERY aggressively. Of course there was not a single ranger anywhere nearby.

Even without nimrods with dogs, and armed criminals, while rare, there ARE wild animals out there that on occasion take a turn for the worst when confronting a human. Banning carry in the wilderness is just retarded, IMO.

 

ALl this reminds me of what I heard my salty old grandpappy tell a town constable in Harlan Kentucky...when I was just a wee lad. The good constable was a tad concerned over grandpap's carrying a loaded SAA revolver in town...and reminded him of his authority to effect arrests within the town limits.

Keep in mind that grandpap was a ripe, old age by this point...bein' born in 1889 and all...and the prospect of a life sentence didn't phase him one whit.

Stared straight at him with ice-blue eyes, and said:

"Sonny boy...The only authority that you have over me is what I let you have."

The good constable blinked first. Me an' grandpap went on our way.

 

Anything "we" can do to help with the NCWRC?

I tell ya what guys. There is. They are running on a shoestring budget based entirely on park usage. If we got together and affected a total boycott of the state parks, those guys who make the rules will see their pensions in jeopardy and will take action. That is about the only thing.

I chatted with the guy who runs the st park at Crowders mtn and while he was a very polite guy, I found his argument of "do you feel that threatened?" to why I should/should not carry to be stupid. I do not feel endangered any given day in my neighborhood. I am not piling sandbags on my porch, I don't have foxholes in my yard. I do read the news, and I do know that there are a lot of folks being shot and killed in perfectly safe neighborhoods and I for one will not be happy if I was the "only person that ever happened to here". Stuff happens which is why we carry.

If we put together a boycott and also contact these guys to let them know what to expect, then I think we can affect change. I really have little to no problem with not carrying in their offices, but on the trail, that policy is retarded.

 

I wouldn't be much use boycotting state parks... almost never visit them. The National Forest/State Gamelands on the other hand

 

I believe if enough people make enough noise to state representatives, then perhaps we can get some of these silly restrictions removed. It would take a state wide effort, district by district. Even some politicians should be able to see the idiocy of these carry restrictions, and it can be pointed out how even the Feds have relaxed the carry restrictions in Nat. Parks.
Overall, our state representatives are NOT anti's. The Castle Doctrine passed with overwhelming support, just one or two are really anti(Deborah Ross, Wake Co.) However, they do typically "oil the squeaky wheels" and if they don't hear noise concerning a particular issue, they typically aren't particularly interested.

In the meantime, I can say that likely, the only LE you would be faced with would be a NCWR game warden and I have NEVER seen one of those on a hiking trail. Heck, I have rarely seen one of those checking fishing and hunting license and then, never back off the beaten path. They typically don't hike very far back into the woods.

 

Anything "we" can do to help with the NCWRC?

Contact the Commissioners and your State reps and voice your concerns. Go to the Town Hall meetings and speak up. In other words, make your voices heard as many times and places as you can and see if we can get the laws changed.

 

Contact the Commissioners and your State reps and voice your concerns. Go to the Town Hall meetings and speak up. In other words, make your voices heard as many times and places as you can and see if we can get the laws changed.

This. But unfortunately, right now just hang tight. When the public comment meetings start up we need to hit them hard with emails and show up at meetings in force to ask them to change the law to what H29 looked like when it was brought up last time. I'll try to post them up as soon as I know. I'm sure others will too.

Keep in mind you can carry anything you want during a regulated hunting season, except bow and arrow deer. IIRC. What we need is for them to lift the restrictions on the non hunting dates.

2a, yeah it's unlikely, but if they ask you for your license because you are fishing you are required to tell them you are carrying. I have had a game warden tell me to keep it in my pack and not worry about it. But does he speak for all of them? I don't want to "get by" I want to be legal!

 

Jason,

I posted my suggestion, to the link you provided, when you posted about this on the fly fishing board. If I remember correctly, you got more response on the fishing board than here. It didn't have an immediate effect but if we keep it in front of the powers that be long enough, and with enough people behind it, they may eventually take notice. Keep us informed.

Scum

 

This. But unfortunately, right now just hang tight. When the public comment meetings start up we need to hit them hard with emails and show up at meetings in force to ask them to change the law to what H29 looked like when it was brought up last time. I'll try to post them up as soon as I know. I'm sure others will too.

Yes, keep us appraised. I know most of us frequent a variety of other boards as well soe we can spread the word as well.

Keep in mind you can carry anything you want during a regulated hunting season, except bow and arrow deer. IIRC. What we need is for them to lift the restrictions on the non hunting dates.

Would that require having a hunting license... even if you weren't hunting? I hunt with a camera these days. Generally no need for a hunting license.

2a, yeah it's unlikely, but if they ask you for your license because you are fishing you are required to tell them you are carrying. I have had a game warden tell me to keep it in my pack and not worry about it. But does he speak for all of them? I don't want to "get by" I want to be legal!

Staying legal is always the best option.