Can You Carry a Concealed Weapon on a Kayak

[CKallday71]

When it's your time it's your time. Besides, how freaking cool would it be to have, Here lies so and so, he was eaten by a shark while doing something he loved.

That would be an EPIC headstone! I'm in!

[Fiskadoro]

I have no idea while people think it's illegal to carry a pistol or any gun on a kayak or boat. It's completely legal once your on the water, just don't go into Mexican waters carrying one.

The big issue though is at the launch. While your on land you should not have the weapon on you or even loaded. If you want to carry a handgun put it in a drybag unloaded with the ammo stored in another bag.

I've occasionally taken a Model 642 38 S&W with me fishing.
Don't forget to clean and oil it.

As to shooting sharks the last thing I'd ever want to shoot is a protected species like a Great White. That said if I was on the water and a Great White was actively attacking my Kayak and I had a 38 with me I'd shoot it in a heartbeat. As many times as I could right in the head.

Also as far as the effects of guns on sharks goes... Well I used to fish sharks all the time and we used to shoot our Makos and threshers with a 22 long rifle in the head. Maybe it didn't kill them but it would stun them to the point they couldn't do anything,

For instance this Adult T fought for over and hour and drug us five miles but once we gaffed her with the fly gaff she took off so hard she almost ripped the cleat right off the boat. We shot her with the 22 maybe four times in the head and after that we had no problem pulling her back to the boat, tying her along side and cutting her gills and spinal cord.



I'm not saying that anyone should carry a gun or that it's necessary but it is legal, and though I think the risk of white attack is minimal, just logistically from my experience shooting a shark definitely does have an effect on it and if you hit in the brain stem or cord it would incapacitate it.

[ful-rac]

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

I've occasionally taken a Model 642 38 S&W with me fishing

Holy SH*^!

Don't mess with jimday he'll bust a cap in yo' punk ass!

[ronbo613]

Originally Posted by Fiskadoro

That said is I was on the water and a Great White was actively attacking my Kayak and I had a 38 with me I'd shoot it in a heartbeat. As many times as I could right in the head.

If you are in a close quarters fire fight with a great white shark using a 1" barrel pistol, be careful not to shoot a hole in your kayak, otherwise you'd be on a sinking boat with sharks in the water...
We've always talked about which weapon we would take if we were sailing the ocean blue, mostly as defense against pirates. The reality is many countries frown upon firearms on boats, entering such a country's waters with one can result in serious consequences; Mexico is one of those countries.

[Fiskadoro]

Originally Posted by ronbo613

If you are in a close quarters fire fight with a great white shark using a 1" barrel pistol, be careful not to shoot a hole in your kayak

Yup and I'll be careful of my nuts too because I'm really dumb enough to shoot my own nuts off....NOT!!!


I gather you've never fired a 642 Airweight. I think the barrel is 1 7/8 but they are actually remarkably accurate. They also have a very stiff trigger pull so it's not like you could pull the trigger without meaning to.

I've had weapons all my life and the most important rule is never point it at anything you do not want to shoot. I can't recall how many times I've discharged a weapon (too many to count), but I can tell you that I've never shot anything I did not intend to shoot.

Shooting your own kayak would be pretty damn stupid, I wouldn't suggest it but you could probably fill a bullet hole in a kayak with a piece of tee-shirt in under a few minutes. Now shoot a hole through the side of your sportfisher when you've been running a chum slick for several hours...... now that would be unfortunate because in order to patch the thing you'd have to jump into the slick.

Like I said I've carried weapons on the water before. Shark fisherman often carry weapons to shoot their sharks and they sure as hell know better then to shoot their own boat.