Open Carry in a Vehicle in Arizona
Question: I am coming from out of state and was wondering if it was legal for me to open carry in the state even though I don’t have an Arizona CCW permit. My other question is can I open carry in a car or does the handgun have to be cased and loaded?
Answer: You can open carry legally in Arizona and do not need an AZ CCW permit. You must have a AZ CCW permit if you conceal the firearm or you could be arrested.
Regarding open carry in a vehicle, you can do that as well, however it is subject to a lot more interpretation.
Let’s say you were carrying on your right hip and you were seat-belted into your vehicle on the driver’s side. The law states that it must be “obvious to the casual observer that you are in possession of a firearm”. If you were involved in a traffic stop and a police officer approached on the driver’s side, would they be able to see your firearm? Probably not. There have been different interpretations by different jurisdictions in the Phoenix area whether this constitutes open or concealed carry.
To avoid a problem in your vehicle. I would have it cased and in the glove box or some other storage compartment in the vehicle. That way you won’t have any legal issues if you are involved in a traffic stop…
Open Carry in a Vehicle in Arizona,
