Is this illegal or not?

Question

im 16 and was walking down a logging road way out in the country that almost nobody uses and had a 22. pistol holstered on my belt mainly to do some target practice at a safe place down the road or use it on a snake or some type of vermin like a possum and a cop came through and said i shouldnt have it and he took the pistol and brought me back home and gave the pistol back to my parents and gave them a warning is this right or not because people younger than me go hunting by themselves with high powered rifles during hunting season and its not like i was waving it around and playing with it because i know the proper way to handle firearms and how dangerous they are it was just holstered and i was walking down the road so is the cop just giving me a hard time or is this really against the law? i live in Louisiana by the way

Answer 1

Laws for carrying a handgun are sometimes different from the laws about having a rifle.  Handguns can be concealed easier than a rifle.  You may not believe this, but the officer gave you a break.  He had every legal right to arrest you for carrying a handgun without a license and you were carrying the gun in plain sight.  My advise is to look up the laws in your state about carrying a handgun.  The laws aren't hard to find.

Answer 2

yes, that was illegal.  if you have a license to carry, you may carry a gun, but since you have to be 18 or 21 (depending on the state) to have a gun license, what you did was, in fact, illegal.

Answer 3

If you covered the holstered gun with your shirt, then you were carrying a concealed weapon. CCW permits require you to be 21 years old.

If you did not conceal the firearm, it is considered "open carry." This occurs when the firearm is in plain sight. This is legal in all public places in Louisiana without a permit. However, this only applies to non-felons and to adults (over 18 years old). In conclusion, you were breaking the law. The reason underage hunters are allowed to carry weapons is because they don't carry loaded weapons while walking (down public roads) to the hunting grounds. Once they are at the hunting ground, this is private property and public gun laws do not apply. I recommend you carry the gun in a case, so you don't upset the cops. I know you weren't doing anything purposefully, but you did break the law.

Answer 4

> because i know the proper way to handle firearms

apparently you are not clear on where possessing a gun is legal or not.

did you hear about the 14 year old kid, hunting with his 16 year old brother, guys like you I am sure, been hunting before, know how to use a gun yadda yadda yadda.

this was recent, so you can look it up in google.

the 14 year old decided to shoot across a trail, into a meadow at what they claim was a bear.

it wasn't, it was a women in a bright hiking outfit.

she is dead, and the boys lives are shattered.

this is why the cops took the opportunity to take you home and for you to review the laws.

they trust you enough to brush up and do the right thing, don't let them or anyone else down by persisting in that behavior.

Answer 5

if you have a gun licence its not illegal.  

Answer 6

Being on a public road and being a minor in possession of a handgun, is probably illegal in all the United States No state that I'm aware of will issue a Minor a handgun permit..Your prowess with firearms does not equate to law enforcement , when pursuing  a violation..

Answer 7

it is illegal unless you have a permit i just checked the firearm laws for Louisiana and it says "No person shall carry a concealed firearm intentionally without a permit unless one is a peace officer in performance of his or her official duties."