Getting thru Maryland???

[jack76590]

I used to travel between Va and Pa quite a bit. I generally just carried handguns and drove a car with a trunk.

I took no chances. I put ammo in tool box with a lock. Handguns and empty mags in brief case with an internal lock.

Both were in trunk and no ammo in mags, which were with guns.

I figured this did two things:

1. Separated things as much as possible and everything locked

2. If I broke down or accident nothing to suggest firearms. I could just pick up brief case in front of nice police man, if I had to leave vehicle.

Also I had enough gas that I never had to stop or get off interstate. Which did two things.

1. I spent no money in Maryland

2. Made it clear as possible, I was going thru the peoples republic and not visiting, which could put you under their "laws"

[howard stiffy]

You do not remember correctly. What you are recalling is an internet myth. There was a case, in Baltimore, where 2 PA residents were driving with both a pistol and a loaded magazine within arms reach (center console I think). They were stopped, arrested, and charged. The judge surmised that the since the pistol AND magazine were readily available, the gun was loaded. The pistol needs to be unloaded and either the magazine or the pistol need to be in a locked container.

donm
Re: Getting thru Maryland???

That would be Ohio.


Thanks!

[Greywolf]

Can I just stop at the last exit in PA, unload and lock my gun and ammo in the trunk (in separate containers), drive through MD and stop at the first exit in WVA and reverse everything?

Yeppers.

That's entirely within the parameters of the FOPA.

[VinDyl]

What do you do if you are on a motorcycle passing through MD on the to WVA?

[Armor Snail]

Correct me if I am mistaken but the same procedure utilizing either saddle bags or a backpack would suffice.

[ungawa]

If you turn left and continue north on Route 11, you will find a Texaco on the right, then a 7-11 on the left. Both are lit well after dark, but both tend to be busy, not that most West Virginians would bat an eye, but I'd rather disarm in a place devoid of people.

Rearming: Do it at the first PA rest stop. It is simply the easiest, most well lit place to do so without running the risk of accidentally getting dumped back into MD for 1/2 mile or so. Just keep on trucking until you hit the rest stop.

Traveling south on I-81: The best, most well lit and "secure" place I've found is in front of the truck stop at Exit 5 (Old exit 3). It is well lit, but there tends to be a fair bit of traffic. There is also a McDonalds, Arbys, and two gas stations that might provide a bit of solitude while you disarm. Again, I'd rather not pull off to the side of a busy interstate to disarm, too many people driving too fast for me to be sitting there trying to unload & properly secure my firearm.

Reloading in WV: The rest area is near the top of the hill just after you cross the Potomac. Typically it is well lit, and if you go to the far end of the parking lot, there is usually not a many people around. This is the first and most convenient place to stop and begin exercising the right endowed to us by our Creator.

Follow the speed limit as soon as you cross the border, even the ridiculous 60 mph zone near the mall, and you should be fine.

Good luck on your trip.

That's what I do. Reload at the welcome centers in each state. Remember, the first exit when you get into PA actually takes you right back into MD Just wait the extra mile or so for the PA welcome center.

[middlefinger]

Deleted already posted

[ray h]

What do you do if you are on a motorcycle passing through MD on the to WVA?

You place your unloaded firearm or the ammunition in a locked container unless you have a compartment on your bike that is not readily or directly accessible from the passenger compartment. I dont know if saddlebags would be considered "readily or directly accessible" from the passenger compartment but if they are, you must keep both the unloaded firearm and ammo in there.
An example, when I ride through and have my tail trunk mounted on the bike, I just lock the pistol and ammo in that. If I dont have my tail trunk, I carry a small, lockable gun case and I unload the pistol and lock it in the gun case in my tank bag.
Oddly enough, conceivably, you could legally carry the firearm, openly on your hip as long as it is unloaded and the ammo is locked away if you do not have a readily or directly accessible compartment on your bike, just dont dismount the motorcycle. I wouldnt personally do this but the way the law is worded, it would be legal I believe.

[Jmluck66]

It is not worth losing your gun right in every state in the union because Md. sucks. I live here trust me. Just remove the magazine from the gun and put it in the trunk or locked glovebox. Just make sure the gun and magazine are separated and magazine separated from the gun.

[ray h]

It is not worth losing your gun right in every state in the union because Md. sucks. I live here trust me. Just remove the magazine from the gun and put it in the trunk or locked glovebox. Just make sure the gun and magazine are separated and magazine separated from the gun.

This is bad advice.
The law says "firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console".
Do not put it in the glovebox.