The question that will not die
Can you bring firearms to Military FamCamps?
This question never dies in military camping groups and people want a single nationwide answer but there isn't one. Ask this question and you'll be met with everything from "Don't ask, don't tell." to "Don't bring firearms on base under any circumstance." Neither is true, and there's a reliable way to get the right answer before you reach the gate.
Published policy is what the gate will use.
This is not legal advice. Weapons rules on federal property change when the commander, the regulation, or the threat condition changes. The published installation policy and Security Forces / DES instructions control. Confirm them before you travel.
The short answer
- The installation writes the rule. The camp host may repeat it. Security Forces, DES, or the Provost Marshal enforce it.
- A state carry permit does not travel onto post. Neither does “I have a CCW” or “This is my private domicile.” The RV may be your home. Post still treats it as federal property.
- Some people use what is commonly referred to as the "Don't ask, don't tell" method. They say their RV is a private domicile and keep it locked away, never to be mentioned. While we may agree with the logic and support the Second Amendment, random inspections happen, especially with commercial or oversized vehicles. Federal property can start before the guard shack. If they find it undeclared, you own the outcome.
- On-base vs outside the gate matters. Some camps sit past the ECP. Some sit before it. A few still follow installation weapons rules even when the loop looks like a civilian park.
What actually happens
Campers run into five published patterns. The same traveler can hit two of them in one week.
Not allowed on the installation
Some posts prohibit privately owned firearms in lodging and RV parks. There is no armory workaround for a weekend guest.
Register, then store locked in the RV
Common on Air Force FamCamps that treat the camper like family housing. You declare, complete registration (often AF Form 1314 and DD Form 2760), and keep the firearm unloaded in a locked container at the site.
Check it into the armory
You declare it at the gate or visitor center, turn it in to Security Forces / PMO, and pick it up when you leave. Hours matter. Some armories will not hand a weapon back on the spot, and some will not store ammo or cases.
No on-post option
The installation will not store a guest’s firearm and will not allow it in the FamCamp. Off-post lockers or a gun shop hold are a traveler solution if you need one.
Special published exceptions
A few sites tied to marksmanship events publish different procedures. That is still that installation’s written rule. It is not a traveler exception you can assume at the next FamCamp.
Sixty seconds in the listing beats finding out at the gate.
The 60-second check
- VetCamps has done the research. If a published policy exists, we have researched it and provided the source. Open the camp in the app. In the details section, open Firearms Policy. Tap the official source URL.
- Call Security Forces, DES, or the Provost Marshal for that installation, not only the camp office. Under Firearms Policy, VetCamps lists the phone number. Ask whether you must declare at the gate, register, store in the RV, or check into the armory, and what happens if the armory is closed.
- If they authorize transport on the installation, follow their storage and transport instructions. Unloaded, cased, and out of immediate reach is the usual published floor.
- Remember the drive. New York has no CCW reciprocity for most out-of-state permits. Canada has its own declaration rules. Installation policy does not replace state or host-nation law between camps.
VetCamps lists each FamCamp firearms write-up with the official source URL, so you can verify it yourself.
More than firearms
Firearms policy is one card. The same app has the map, gates, site survey, trips, and Rig Book.
More field notes in Guides.