Using a hand press in public.

[Texantothecore]

I wouldn't call this in public, but back about three years ago I worked an overnight security gig that saw me sitting behind desk from 10pm-6am. I had the entire place to myself and what I would do is bring my Lee Hand Press in and go through and resize, trim, expand and prime as much as I could. I would not bring powder or bullets but I would get alot of work done that saved me hours of not having to do it at home.

There seem to be a good number of reloaders who do this type of thing. Better than reading facebook and keeping track of who just checked in to Starbucks. (Rolls eyes.....)

[mrjog]

I agree

[catskinner]

I don't know if it would be considered loading in public or not but I often work away from home and take a few firearms and loading tools along and load on a picnic table at the campground I'm staying at. Never had any hassles but have had a few questions about what I was doing.

[mrjog]

That is without a doubt loading in public. I don't see anything wrong with it.

[500MAG]

I find that most people make assumptions based on their beliefs. Most of these same people, when told that we have a reloading room in our homes, assume that our gun power is stored in highly explosive barrels that say "ACME" on the side of them. In that case, they would also assume it is illegal for us to have it in our home.

[gray wolf]

I guess I am a little different,
If I am not breaking any laws,
and there are no posted singes against what I am doing.
Why should I give a Pa-toot or give in to a bunch of gun hating, uniformed,
pansy A$$ people.
All done polity of course.

[CollinLeon]

Obviously the people who want to reload in public must live in areas with cooler climates than the Gulf Coast during the summer...

I prefer to reload at home in my nice air-conditioned reloading room. My kegerator is only 20 steps away from it (yeah, I just paced it off).

[dragonrider]

I can thing of only one reason to use a hand press at a public place, AKA a bowlng alley. That would be to call attention to yourself. I find it best to keep such activities private. I do reload at the range often, it's simple and everthing I need fits in one box. I c-clamp my challenger press to the bench. I use a Lee perfect powder measure also c-clamped to the bench. I will bring only one powder. A box of boolits and a scale. Of course I don't prep brass at the range, all that is done at home prior to going. As to the question about open carry, yes I am opposed to open carry for myself, no one needs to know that I have a gun.

[CollinLeon]

Personally, I think that even people who say that they believe in the 2nd Amendment have started down that slippery slope with their actions differentiating firearms from any other tool that could be dangerous if misused. Can a person carry a knife or hammer in public? Why should we treat a firearm any differently? I could easily kill someone with my cane. It's going to be a bit difficult for me to carry it concealed and still be able to use it when I need it.

[FergusonTO35]

I work in law enforcement and, as far as the question of whats legal and illegal in public goes, I say do not take legal advice from anyone other than an attorney who is working on your behalf. Cops fudge the law all the time to achieve a desired outcome, or more often just plain don't know what they're talking about. If a cop gives you an instruction obey it, and if you think its wrong take it up with his superior. Most agencies get really upset over cops practicing squad car jurisprudence, mine certainly does.

[bowfin]

I have no qualms with anybody reloading in public, but I prefer to make my ammunition in a place where I have more control over distractions or possible interruptions.

[CollinLeon]

I work in law enforcement and, as far as the question of whats legal and illegal in public goes, I say do not take legal advice from anyone other than an attorney who is working on your behalf.

One could argue that even the advise of an attorney working on your behalf might be questionable. Ask 3 lawyers the same question and you'll likely get 3 different answers. The person that you need to worry about is the district attorney since he's going to be the one who is going to bring charges. There was this Assistant District Attorney (Pedro Ruis) in Fort Bend County (TX) that once said to me, "Well, I don't own a gun, so I don't see why anyone else should". Would you want someone like this deciding on whether you should be charged with a crime? Even if you are perfectly legal, he can make your life miserable. Sometimes, even if what you are doing is legal, it's best to not be noticed.

[Bullfrog]

Sorry that I am entering in this conversation so late because I truly did not read all of the comments, but rather scanned over them. I would imagine that the ramifications of being banned from performing the basic sizing and belling of cases would be quite nasty. I for one have been at private ranges where a fella was working up a load on his tailgate. I had no issues with it since he looked competent and his equipment was aged with use. I personally have not reloaded in public, but I have prepped a few cases by cleaning primer pockets and such. I did get some odd looks from folks and thought better of the practice. I believe that others have stated it already, why call attention to yourself?

Derek

[ilcop22]

And others now want me to reload for them.

I don't know if this has been addressed, but that IS illegal without an 06 FFL. You cannot even let someone shoot your reloads without that license. You can't even sell boolits legally without that license.

[Bullfrog]

ilcop22,

You bring up a very good point, but coupled with liability is another. I tell people I will instruct time how to reload with my equipment and their material, but I do not reload for anyone other than myself. Just the liability alone if something went wrong would keep one up for days.

[CollinLeon]

Sorry that I am entering in this conversation so late because I truly did not read all of the comments, but rather scanned over them. I would imagine that the ramifications of being banned from performing the basic sizing and belling of cases would be quite nasty. I for one have been at private ranges where a fella was working up a load on his tailgate. I had no issues with it since he looked competent and his equipment was aged with use. I personally have not reloaded in public, but I have prepped a few cases by cleaning primer pockets and such. I did get some odd looks from folks and thought better of the practice. I believe that others have stated it already, why call attention to yourself?

Working up a load at a range is an example of when it is perfectly acceptable to reload in public. Not everyone has a few hundred yards and an acceptable berm for a backstop behind their house where they can shoot and work up a load. As long as the range is not busy and you don't have people waiting to use your shooting station, go for it. I've been thinking about creating a small reloading bench that can fit into the receiver hitch on my truck for exactly that.

[Bullfrog]

Collin Leon,

I believe that it is acceptable on a range to reload. I do not have anywhere to shoot myself either.

[CollinLeon]

I do not have anywhere to shoot myself either.

Awh, come on... Coors isn't *that* bad...

[mold maker]

The OP was about case prep, not reloading. No powder, live primer, or boolit was involved. He was just using otherwise wasted time to his advantage. The shop owner (rightfully) ask him not to do it for fear of offending other customers.
Politicos have made the public perinoid about anything involving lead, guns, ammo, or those that use them. It serves no purpose to feed into their ignorance. While I think the OP was within his rights, so was the shop owner.
The OP's actions were calling attention to to what is considered "dangerous" to the public. There is nothing gained by poking a hornets nest with a short stuck.

[bowfin]

I don't know if this has been addressed, but that IS illegal without an 06 FFL. You cannot even let someone shoot your reloads without that license.

Illegal like not paying a parking meter illegal, or illegal like jumping the border illegal?