Gregory Kielma • June 17, 2025
Summer Travels: Firearms and First Aid
Summer Travels: Firearms and First Aid
Gregg Kielma
Advises Gregg Kielma, FFL, Firearms Instructor, if you’re traveling with a firearm or firearms, it’s incumbent on you, the responsible firearm owner, to know the laws when traveling through states you will have a firearm on your person, in your car, or inside your vehicle. You must have a CCW permit from your issuing state and the states traveled through and final destination must share repository with the issuing state.
Continues Kielma, please check out the USCCA website for each state you are traveling with a firearm. The onus is on you to know the law or laws.
Kielma says. Let’s take a look at Jacob Paulsen President: ConcealedCarry.com thoughts and recommendations
The open road calls — but for the responsibly armed American, travel isn't just about planning fun stops or scenic routes.
It also means thinking through logistics that most folks ignore: How will I secure my firearm? What if I get pulled over in another state? Can I carry in a hotel, or through a National Park?
Here's your summer travel checklist for responsible concealed carriers:
1. Medical Preparedness: More Important Than You Think
A gun may stop a threat, but a tourniquet can stop you from bleeding out and of course way more likely than getting in a gunfight is getting in a serious car accident. A good trauma kit helps you prepare for both. Before hitting the road, make sure your vehicle is equipped with a trauma kit, not just a first-aid box. Essentials include a tourniquet, chest seals, a pressure bandage, and wound packing gauze. You should also know how to use them.
2. Research Local Gun Laws (Or Use the App That Does It For You)
Gun laws change dramatically from state to state — and sometimes city to city. Don't assume your concealed carry permit is valid just because you're on vacation.
3. Know When You Can Legally Ignore Local Laws: 18 USC § 926A (FOPA)
This little-known federal law protects travelers who are transporting firearms, even through states where gun possession is legally challenging, if you follow the strict guidelines.
4. Visiting a National Park? Here's What You Need to Know
Yes, you can carry in most National Parks — but not in all buildings. You're subject to the state laws where the park is located, and you still have to follow rules about transport, signage, and use of force.
5. Hotels and Concealed Carry: Legal Gray Areas and Smart Habits
There's no federal law about guns in hotels. Policies vary by chain and location. Even if you're legal, poor tactics like leaving a pistol unsecured in your nightstand can lead to disaster.
6. Secure Vehicle Storage: Don't Make Yourself a Target
Smash-and-grab car burglaries spike in summer travel season. If you're going somewhere you can't carry, your firearm must be secured properly.
7. Flying With a Firearm? It's Legal, but Highly Regulated
Yes, you can fly with a gun — but the TSA has rules, and every airline has different baggage policies. Violating one could land you in handcuffs.
8. Verify Your Self-Defense Coverage and Save the Hotline Number
If you ever have to defend yourself away from home, your first call shouldn't be to your cousin's buddy who's "a lawyer." Travel confidently by making sure your CCW legal defense coverage is active — and that their 24/7 emergency hotline is saved in your phone.
Final Thoughts
Summer travel is about freedom, and as armed citizens, we enjoy a freedom that comes with serious responsibility. A little planning goes a long way. Whether you're hiking a national forest, staying in a sketchy motel, or just driving cross-country to see family, stay trained, stay legal, and stay ready.
Sincerely,
Jacob Paulsen
President | ConcealedCarry.com
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Being Prepared for the 2026 Hurricane Season By Gregory Kielma, Tactical K Training & Firearms The 2026 Hurricane Season is shaping up to be another year where preparation isn’t optional it’s essential. Florida has seen record heat, rising insurance pressures, rapid population growth, and increasingly unpredictable storm behavior. None of that is meant to create fear. It’s meant to reinforce a simple truth: preparedness gives you control, confidence, and options when the weather turns. Whether you’re protecting a home, a business, or a family, the goal is the same build layers of readiness before the first storm forms. Start With Awareness and a Plan Storms don’t give you time to “figure it out later.” Your plan should be written, practiced, and known by everyone in the household or workplace. Key elements of a solid plan: Where will you go if evacuation becomes necessary Multiple routes out of your area A communication plan if cell networks fail A designated out‑of‑state contact A plan for pets, elderly family members, and anyone with medical needs For businesses, include: Who secures the building Who handles digital backups Who communicates closures and reopening A plan removes panic. It replaces it with action. Strengthen Your Home or Business Before the First Storm Florida structures take a beating every year. Small improvements now prevent major losses later. Exterior protection: Inspect your roof for loose shingles or soft spots Clear gutters and drainage paths Trim trees and remove dead limbs Install or test shutters Reinforce garage doors—one of the most common failure points Interior protection: Surge protection for critical electronics Elevate valuables and important documents Know how to shut off water, power, and gas If you own a business, walk your property as if you were a storm: What can break? What can blow away? What can flood? Fix those points now. Build a Realistic, Usable Supply Kit For Your Home or Business A hurricane kit isn’t about stockpiling, it’s about independence. After a major storm, help may take hours or days to reach your area. For homes and families: Water: 1 gallon per person per day (minimum 3–7 days) Non‑perishable food Medications and medical supplies Flashlights, headlamps, and batteries Battery bank for phones First aid kit Copies of important documents Cash in small bills Tools, gloves, tarps, duct tape For businesses: Backup power for essential systems Printed employee contact lists Hard copies of insurance documents A plan for securing inventory and equipment Preparedness isn’t about fear it’s about not being dependent on luck. Protect Your Digital Life In 2026, digital readiness is just as important as physical readiness. Back up important files to the cloud and an external drive Photograph your home, business, and valuables for insurance Store digital copies of IDs, insurance policies, and receipts Keep chargers, power banks, and a small solar panel if possible When the power goes out, your digital preparation keeps you moving. Understand Post‑Storm Safety Most injuries happen after the storm, not during it. Be cautious with: Downed power lines Flooded roads Carbon monoxide from generators Unstable structures Contaminated water If you evacuated, don’t rush home. Wait for official clearance. Your safety comes first. Mindset: Prepared, Not Paranoid Preparedness is a discipline, not a reaction. It’s the same mindset we teach in every Tactical K class awareness, planning, and responsible action. A hurricane is a natural event. Your response is a choice. When you prepare early, you protect: Your family Your property Your business Your peace of mind And you set an example for your community. Kielma’s Parting Shot The 2026 Hurricane Season will bring challenges, just like every season. But Floridians are resilient, and preparation is part of our way of life. Start now. Strengthen your home, your business, and your plan. Build your layers of safety before the first storm forms. If you need help building a plan, creating a checklist, or preparing your family or business, Tactical K Training is here to support you with practical, real‑world guidance.
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Convicted Felon Sentenced to 87 Months in Trafficking Nine Firearms, Including to Buyer Who Said He Was ‘At War’ Thursday, April 30, 2026 U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia WASHINGTON - Brandon Smith, 34, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 87 months in prison for conspiring to traffic at least nine firearms to a prohibited buyer over the course of six months, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “Brandon Smith was already on supervised probation for a violent felony when he chose to traffic firearms, and he continued even after being told the buyer intended to use them for violence,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Over the course of six months, he arranged the sale of at least nine guns—including one with an obliterated serial number—to a prohibited individual. This was not a momentary lapse in judgment, but a sustained and deliberate effort to arm someone who could not legally possess firearms. My office remains committed to holding accountable those who endanger our communities by trafficking illegal guns.” On Jan. 9, 2026, Smith pleaded guilty before Judge Howell to conspiracy to commit trafficking in firearms. In addition to the 87-month prison term, Judge Howell ordered Smith to serve three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had requested a 108-month prison term. According to court papers, beginning in November 2023, ATF opened an investigation after a confidential source reported that Smith, then on supervised probation for a violent felony, was actively advertising firearms for sale by texting photographs of guns to prospective buyers, including individuals with prior felony convictions. During the next six months, Smith sold or arranged the sale of nine firearms to a buyer on six separate occasions. During the transactions, Smith sold his own personal carry firearm on multiple occasions when a supplier failed to deliver, then purchased a replacement for himself afterward. In early January 2024, as Smith and the buyer discussed an upcoming transaction, the buyer told Smith he needed the firearms because he was “at war” after his cousin had been killed. Smith proceeded with the sale. The buyer had also told Smith he was serving a criminal justice sentence at the time of the transactions. Smith acknowledged that he, too, was “on papers.” Smith arranged a total of six transactions from Nov. 30, 2023, through May 30, 2024, resulting in the sale of nine firearms. At least one of the firearms had its serial number obliterated. On Oct. 26, 2024, MPD officers conducted a traffic stop on the 1600 block of 16th Street SE and found Smith in the front passenger seat of a parked vehicle. Officers observed open containers of alcohol and discovered a satchel at his feet. Inside the satchel, in plain view, was a loaded Glock Model 19X 9mm handgun with a round in the chamber and 16 additional rounds in the magazine. The bag also contained a bank card and government-issued identification in Smith’s name. Smith has prior convictions for Simple Assault (2011), Attempted Robbery (2013), and Robbery and Possession of a Firearm during a Crime of Violence (2016), for which he was sentenced to five years in prison. He was serving a term of supervised probation from the 2016 conviction at the time of the firearms trafficking conspiracy. This investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan M. Horan. Convicted Felon Sentenced to 87 Months in Trafficking
