Carrying a Firearm in an RV

Recreational Vehicles, Trailers, and Travelling with Firearms

What are the laws for carrying a firearm in an RV? As summer approaches, there are many families who will be hitting the road in their RVs and trailers. The laws regarding carrying a firearm are different for vehicles and homes. Many responsible gun owners call us asking which laws apply to their RV.  So the question is, is your RV or trailer a home or a vehicle? How and when can a person carry inside their RV or trailer? The answers to these questions depends on how the RV or trailer is being used at the time.

Carrying a firearm in a recreational vehicle or trailer starts with determining whether your RV or trailer is a vehicle or home. This is actually fairly straightforward. While transporting you and your family, it is a vehicle. This means on the road, even when stopped, you are in a vehicle under the law. Once you have arrived at your destination and set up the RV or trailer to live out of, it becomes a home.

Carrying a Firearm in an RV or Trailer while it is a Vehicle

When your RV or trailer is in transit, all normal vehicle carry laws apply. Therefore handguns must be concealed. If you do not have a valid CWFL, you may still have a firearm in your RV. See Florida Statute 790.025(5). However, you must keep your firearm concealed and either securely encased or not readily accessible. See our previous article on Carrying a Firearm in Your Car Without a CWFL for more information. If you have a valid CWFL while in a vehicle, you may carry the firearm on your person. You are not required to keep the firearm securely encased and it may be readily accessible. See our previous article on Carrying a Firearm in a Car with a CWFL for more information. Keep in mind that you must ensure that no minor children can easily access the firearm.

Whether you have a CWFL or not, remember that the handgun must always be concealed. This means that the firearm must not be visible to any other person. In a car, this often includes the glovebox or center console. In an RV or trailer, there are plenty of options for keeping your firearm concealed while you travel. Unlike handguns, rifles and shotguns do not need to be concealed when carried in a vehicle for lawful purposes, like hunting or self-defense.

Carrying a Firearm in an RV or Trailer While it is a Home

Under Florida law, a person may open or conceal carry a firearm in their home, even without a CWFL. Therefore, once you arrive at your destination and start using your RV or trailer as a home, you do not need to keep your firearm concealed. Even without a CWFL, you do not need to keep the gun securely encased and it may be readily accessible. This law applies while inside of your RV or trailer. It does not give you permission to carry your firearm openly outside of the RV or trailer while parked in an RV park with common areas shared by other RVs, unless another exception applies to your situation.  However, if parked on your own property and the RV is being used as your home, you are able to openly carry on the property of your home like any other homeowner. 

Remember that when carrying a firearm in a recreational vehicle, the normal rules regarding firearm storage and minors apply!

David S. Katz

About Expert Firearm Attorney David Katz. David Katz is an Expert Firearm Attorney and has been practicing law for over 14 years. He began his career as a prosecutor in Seminole County, Florida.   There, he gained invaluable experience analyzing how...
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