Carry with a plan. Verify before you travel.
Gear only matters if it is on you and you can get to it. The same is true of the law. A chest pack does not change where you may carry, who you must tell, or what happens after a use of force.
This page is a starting point. We've collected the maps, agencies, training, and legal-protection sources we send people to when they ask where to begin. It is not a substitute for your own research, state’s official page, a qualified instructor, or a lawyer licensed where you live.
Please read our Safety, Care, and Operation page before you put a firearm in the pack.
Stay Safe. Stay Capable. Stay Prepared.
This page is for general information only. It is not legal advice, training, or a promise that any linked map or plan is current.
Concealed-carry law, reciprocity, and prohibited places change. Maps disagree with each other on edge cases. A permit that worked last year may not work this year. Permitless carry in one state does not mean your permit is honored in the next.
You are responsible for confirming the law in the place you stand before you carry there. Check the official state source. Then check it again the day you leave.
Venture Carry does not sell insurance, issue permits, or certify instructors. Links to third-party sites are provided as a convenience. We do not control those sites and we do not receive a commission for listing them unless a page on this site says otherwise.
If a link is dead or a rule has changed, tell us. We would rather correct the page than leave you with a bad source.
Helpful resources
Reciprocity Maps
Use more than one map. Then confirm with the destination state’s official page.
Reciprocity is not the same thing as being licensed by that state. Some states honor resident permits only. Some honor only an “enhanced” class. Some honor no out-of-state permits at all. Age limits, duty-to-inform rules, magazine limits, and off-limits locations are separate from whether your permit is recognized.
Maps we use
- Handgunlaw.us — https://handgunlaw.us/
The reference most serious carriers and many attorneys actually use. State pages, printable PDFs, and a “quirks” list for resident-only and enhanced-permit rules. - USA Carry Reciprocity Maps — https://www.usacarry.com/concealed-carry-permit-reciprocity-maps/
Interactive maps by issuing state. Separates resident and non-resident permits. - USCCA Reciprocity Map & Gun Laws — https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map
Clickable 50-state map plus a free mobile app. Expect an email signup. - CCWCalc — https://ccwcalc.com/
State pages plus notes on prohibited places, military bases, and tribal land. iOS app available. - SecureAndArmed CCW Map — https://secureandarmed.com/ccw-map/
Simple click-a-state map and a printable quick-reference card.
How to read a map before a trip
- Select the state that issued your permit, not only the state you live in now.
- Confirm whether the destination honors resident permits, non-resident permits, or both.
- If you hold an enhanced or restricted-class permit, confirm that class is the one they honor.
- Read duty-to-inform, vehicle carry, and prohibited-places notes for the destination. Reciprocity does not erase those rules.
- Verify the same facts on that state’s official reciprocity page the week you travel.
Legal Protection Plans
Legal Protection Plans
A justified shot can still produce a criminal investigation and a civil lawsuit. Defense costs add up fast. These memberships and legal plans are built for that aftermath.
They are not all the same product. Some pay attorneys up front. Some reimburse. Some cap defense spending. Some include civil liability payouts. Some recoup money if you are convicted. Some assign counsel. Some let you choose. Some are not sold in every state.
Read the member agreement. Compare the exclusion list. Confirm the plan is available where you live and where you travel. We do not pick a winner for you.
Plans to compare
- CCW Safe — https://ccwsafe.com/
Legal-defense focus. Multiple plan tiers. Founded with a law-enforcement and prosecutor background. - USCCA (United States Concealed Carry Association) — https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/
Legal protection bundled with a large training library, magazine, and instructor network. - U.S. LawShield — https://www.uslawshield.com/
Independent-program attorney network and a 24/7 emergency hotline. Lower entry cost on basic plans. - Right to Bear — https://righttobear.com/
Legal-defense membership with add-on options. Confirm multi-state coverage if you travel. - Attorneys on Retainer — https://attorneysonretainer.us/
Law-firm model rather than a membership association. You are hiring counsel, not buying a magazine subscription.
What to compare on paper
- Criminal defense: capped or unlimited
- Civil defense vs. an actual liability payout
- Whether they fund counsel up front or reimburse you later
- Recoupment or claw-back if you are convicted
- Your choice of attorney vs. an assigned network attorney
- Bail, investigators, expert witnesses, crime-scene cleanup
- Counseling after an incident
- Red-flag / ERPO administrative defense
- Spouse or household coverage
- States where the plan is not sold
Independent comparison charts are published each year by sites such as Pew Pew Tactical. Use those as a worksheet. Then read the contract.
Firearms Training
Training
A permit class is the floor. It is not a skills plan.
Obtain training from a qualified instructor before you carry. Practice draw and reholster with an unloaded firearm until the motions are deliberate and consistent. Chest carry can place the muzzle near your support arm or torso during the draw. Practice slowly. Know where the muzzle points at every step.
If the included holster is not a clean fit, use a custom hook-and-loop-backed holster from a maker of your choice. Several are listed on our Learn More page.
Find a class or instructor
- NRA Firearm Training — https://firearmtraining.nra.org/
Course list and path to NRA-certified instructors. - NRA Instructor Search — https://www.nrainstructors.org/SearchPage.aspx
Search by course type and location. - USCCA Training Classes — https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/firearms-training/classes/
Permit classes, home-defense courses, and first-aid options. Open to non-members in most cases. - Your county sheriff or state police — Many shall-issue states, including Colorado, publish the approved course list through the issuing authority. Start there if you need the class that counts for a permit.
Beyond the permit card
Look for a defensive pistol course that includes movement, decision-making, and use-of-force law—not only a qualification target. Schools such as Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, Rangemaster, and the Massad Ayoob Group are examples of serious follow-on training. Local instructors who teach those curricula can be just as useful if they hold you to a standard.
Dry-fire at home with an unloaded firearm, in a direction you have already cleared, will do more for your draw from this pack than buying another piece of gear.
Medical and Trauma Training
Medical and Trauma
If you carry a firearm, carry the tools to stop bleeding. The storage compartment on the Frontier Chest Pack is there for that loadout—an IFAK, a first aid kit, medication, or the day’s odds and ends.
Training first. Kit second. A tourniquet you have never practiced with is a paperweight.
- Stop the Bleed — https://www.stopthebleed.org/
American College of Surgeons program. Short classes on tourniquets, packed gauze, and pressure. - American Red Cross — Find a Class — https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class
First aid, CPR, and AED. - North American Rescue — https://www.narescue.com/
Source for duty-grade tourniquets and trauma supplies. Counterfeit CAT-style tourniquets are common. Buy from a known vendor.
Know the difference between a drugstore first aid kit and a trauma kit. A blister pack and some ibuprofen will not stop arterial bleeding. A working tourniquet, packed gauze, a pressure bandage, and the training to use them will.
Traveling with a Firearm
On the road
Reciprocity is only the first question. Before you cross a state line, confirm:
- Whether your permit is honored there, and which class of permit
- Duty to inform law enforcement during a stop
- Vehicle storage rules if you have to disarm to enter a building
- Magazine-capacity limits
- School zones, rest areas, state parks, and posted private property
- Whether a chest pack is treated as concealed or as open carry in that state
Do not leave a loaded pack on a restaurant chair, a hotel dresser, or the front seat. This pack is for carry, not storage. It is not a safe.
On a commercial flight
Use the official source. Airline pages go out of date.
- TSA — Transporting Firearms and Ammunition — https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition
The short version of the federal rule: unloaded firearm, locked hard-sided case, checked baggage only, declared at the ticket counter. Ammunition in checked baggage, packaged to the airline’s standard. Firearms and magazines are not allowed in carry-on bags. Empty holsters generally are.
TSA treats a firearm as loaded for penalty purposes if you have access to both the gun and the ammunition at the same time. Do not walk to the checkpoint with a firearm in the pack and loose ammunition in a pocket.
International travel with a firearm is a different problem. Start with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the destination country’s rules. Do not guess.
After you land
The state you flew into has its own carry law. A TSA-legal checked case does not give you the right to walk out of the airport carrying. Confirm reciprocity and local prohibited places before the firearm comes out of the case.
Official Sources
When a map and a statute disagree, the statute wins.
- ATF — https://www.atf.gov/
Federal prohibited-person rules, Form 4473 questions, and NFA items. - TSA Firearms — https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition
- National Park Service — Firearms in National Parks — https://www.nps.gov/articles/firearms-in-national-parks.htm
Possession in a park generally follows the law of the state the park sits in. Discharge is still prohibited in most units. Federal buildings inside the park—visitor centers, ranger stations, fee booths—are off limits. - U.S. Forest Service — Hunting / public-land use — https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go/hunting
State hunting law applies. Discharge near campsites, roads, and developed sites is restricted. Individual forests issue their own orders. Call the local ranger district. - Your state attorney general, state police, or bureau of investigation — This is the page that controls reciprocity where you are going. In Colorado, that is CBI.
Storage at Home and in the Vehicle
This pack is for carry, not storage. Empty it when you are not wearing it. Keep firearms locked and stored per the law and the maker’s instructions when they are not on your person.
Heat in a closed vehicle damages ammunition, lubricants, and nylon. Do not leave a loaded pack on a dash or in a trunk as a substitute for a lockable box.
Use a lock and a proper storage device at home.
- Project ChildSafe (NSSF) — https://www.projectchildsafe.org/
Secure-storage education and free safety-kit information.
After a Self-Defense Incident
Have a plan before you need one. This is not a script. It is the order most responsible carriers are taught to follow.
- Make sure the threat has stopped. Do not chase.
- Call 911. Ask for police and medical help.
- Render aid if it is safe to do so.
- Identify yourself as the person who called and the victim of the attack.
- Point out evidence and witnesses. Do not move items unless you must.
- Give the officer the high-level facts they need to secure the scene. Then stop. You are shaken, and a detailed recorded statement can wait for counsel.
- Call your legal-protection provider if you have one.
Learn the use-of-force law in your state from a qualified instructor or a lawyer who practices that law. Books and courses from instructors such as Massad Ayoob and Andrew Branca (Law of Self Defense) exist for that purpose. They are education, not a retainer.
Outdoors, Public Land, and Tribal Land
The Frontier Chest Pack was built for real country: a walk with the dog, a motorcycle ride, a backcountry hunt, or any day you want to carry without advertising it. Public land adds another layer of rules on top of state carry law.
- National parks follow the host state’s possession rules. Buildings inside the park do not. Discharge is almost always prohibited.
- National forests and BLM land generally allow possession under state law, with discharge limits near people, roads, and developed sites. A forest order can close an area or ban target shooting. Check the local ranger district.
- State wildlife areas and walk-in hunting properties have their own posted rules. A CHP does not override a wildlife-agency regulation.
- Tribal land is not state land. Do not assume your permit is valid there. Confirm with that nation before you carry.
- Hunting seasons have transport rules that are separate from concealed-carry rules. An unloaded-and-cased requirement on a forest road can exist in a state that otherwise allows loaded carry.
If you hunt or fish in Colorado, start with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the unit or property you will be on. Then check the federal overlay if the land is NPS, Forest Service, or BLM.