Traveling interstate by car

[bootsdeal]

I know that this forum is for liscensed concealed carriers, but here is a very specific problem. What if you have to travel by car to a state/s that do not honor your CHL? For a little more background, you're a senior citizen, never-ever been in any trouble, never an encounter with a LEO, except the very rare traffic stop, never displayed/withdrawn your gun, but yet carried for over 40 years with no intention to stop as long as mentally able. Now, do you leave your gun at home, or not when traveling to or through states that don't honor your CHL? I'm not asking for justification to break another state's law, but I am seeking real-world opinions. Personally, I'm not leaving my protection at home.

 

[BIGJOHN621]

The Firearm Owners Protection Act allows transit through states as long as the gun is unloaded in a locked case with the ammunition separate. The caveat is that you must be legal to possess the gun at the start and end of your journey. I also say ammunition separate, even though it is not mandated by federal law, because some states (NJ specifically) mandate this with state law.

 

[CapGun]

A loaded magazine not in the gun but separate from the gun is considered same as the gun being loaded.
Big John is correct. Therefor you can travel through but not TO a state that does not honor your permit.
If you do decide to carry in the state that does not honor your permit you are breaking the law and that becomes a roll of the dice. I hope your dice have no spots so that you can determine the out come if you decide to roll them.

 

[crappiekiller2]

How about getting a permit in another state that allows you to carry in the states your current one isn't valid in? I know its not possible to have a permit that covers every state but you can get most of them covered with a nonresident permit.

 

[wolf_fire]

For states such as Maryland, you must produce proof that you are indeed traveling THROUGH the state. Such proof could be that you have hotel reservations for that day in another state, as one example. If you decided to spend the night in Maryland and do not have one of their CCW permits you are no longer considered to be "transiting" through their state under the Firearm Owners Protection Act.

At that point you have to ask yourself is it worth the gamble. There are some that say "rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6." There are others that say, "follow the letter of the law.". Get a copy of Traveler's Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States and read up on where you are going.

 

[GB-Boater]

When we came to Yuma this year it was later in the season so we stayed south. I called Texas and New Mexico as they are the two states that don't honor our state's permits yet. They both have the same requirements. You can have the gun in the car, loaded. It "MUST" be concealed. That law is for non-residents as well as residents. You are allowed to move the gun to and from a dwelling.
It's best to check directly with the states in questions. The laws change, ours did this year.

Get a non-resident permit from Fl, Az, or whatever state that will cover where you are going. Wisconsin and Arizona, covers everywhere I'm going with the exception of California, and we all know that problem.

 

[wolf_fire]

I wanted to interject one other possibility... get a non-resident permit from another state. I live in PA, but went through the requirements to get a UT CCW as well. With PA and UT I may travel through 37 of the 50 states. The states I cannot travel through while carrying concealed are: CA, CT, HI, IL, KS, MD, MA, NV, NJ, NM, NY, OR, and RI. Unfortunately, there are six states that border mine and three off them are on the list I just made. The reason why I got the UT permit was the PA permit only allowed one of the six states that border mine access while concealed carrying ... UT opened up two more states. Check permits for non-residents in other states. From my research a permit from UT or FL usually gives good results.

 

[bootsdeal]

Wolf_Fire, you're exactly right, and I have Utah's non-resident. The problem is tht I need to go to 2 of the states you have listed, CT & NY, since my daughter lives in CT. We'll be there probably a month or so since I'm going to be a grandpa again, so I guess I'll just carry super-concealed and hope for the best. I hate to do it that way, but I'm not going on that long trip unprotected. I don't intentionally break traffic laws, drive safely, etc so not to worried about being stopped by LEO. Course, never know.