Why I don't travel to MD - for non-gunners

[Sgt.K]

So, to set the stage:

I did not grow up with guns. I have an uncle near Pittsburgh who hunts regularly, and we shot occasionally (once or twice) during visits to their place, so they're not completely foreign. Mom has been to an indoor range to try out a .38 snub, but that's it. She doesn't see a need to have one. Voting for or against is not on her radar.

Mom drives a Monte Carlo. Dad has a '48 Chevy truck. They travel in the parts-getter, which is a Forester. This becomes relevant later.

Mom (with Dad) wants to take me and my son (lives with his mother) to see a museum display about Houdini, which sounds somewhat interesting. However, it's in MD, which is generally a no-go for me.

She took my refusal to mean "Waahhh… I can't take my gun, so I'm not going" when it's more "I don't wish to subject myself to a governmental attitude that would like to see me jailed for being free, nor give money to anyone with that attitude." I am generally immune to her Italian-mother's guilt, but she's hang-up-on-me pissed off. To explain my views, I put together the following. Feel free to use or modify as you see fit:
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Imagine a city with one of the highest per capita murder rates in the country. The state has determined that the most visible weapon being used is a Chevy. Now, Chevys are perfectly legal to own under U.S. law, but the state wants to restrict the rights of people to drive them within their borders to only those state residents who have paid a fee to the state and been cleared by the police to drive a Chevy. They do not give permission to non-residents. On a related note, since Chevys are bad, Chevy trucks – being larger – are therefore particularly evil, so they must be banned completely from the state.

Now imagine that you are driving through that state in your Subaru (a notoriously safe vehicle) and a tag reader sees your license plate, runs your registration, and determines that you also happen to drive a Chevy. Even though you have not violated any state law, the police are notified that you own the Chevy and pull you over to verify that you have not driven it into their state. Since you have multiple people in the car it is possible that one of them drove the Chevy into the state, and you have left it somewhere during the drive to your current destination. The fact that you have the keys to the Chevy on your keyring while in their state indicates to them your intent to drive the Chevy in their state, and they detain you by the side of the road for hours, tearing your car apart for evidence of the place where you parked the Chevy.

All the while, your Chevy is locked in your garage at home. Your wife, who doesn’t care much for the Chevy, can’t vouch for this because she did not actually look in the garage before leaving home and – since you sometimes have the Chevy elsewhere to be worked on – it is possible that it’s not there. Your wife tells the officer she doesn’t know where the Chevy is, so he insists you must have it in his state. Following 2 hours of questioning both of you in separate cruisers, the police finally release you with a warning and let you go on your way, after you put everything back in your car that they took out during their search. Even if you complain and/or file suit, the officers will never receive so much as a verbal reprimand for their actions.

You did nothing wrong. You had nothing to hide. You legally drive your Chevy in your own state and never brought nor intended to bring it into their state. The fact that you own and drive it, however, is enough for the police to think they have the right to detain, search, and question you, without a warrant or probable cause.

Even if you didn’t plan to drive your Chevy in their state, would you want to subject yourself to an environment where that kind of treatment is possible, even if unlikely. I don’t want to be anywhere that the police (or anyone) think that’s OK.

Before you say the above story is outlandish and impossible, see the following links. They describe the experience of a Florida man whose firearm license was tied to his vehicle registration. When a plate reader flagged him as a gun owner he was pulled over in Maryland. The first thing the cop said was, “You have a gun. Where is it?” It was home in his safe. His wife, who hated it (“I might shoot myself in the foot”), said, “I don’t know where it is, maybe the glove box”, which was enough for the cops to claim the man was lying, and threaten him with imprisonment.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2...d-in-maryland/

https://www.tbo.com/list/columns-tja...land-20140112/

[ray h]

I live within 5 miles of MD and I work in MD. As much as I hate adding to Marylands economy it's a life decision I've made that benefits me. I dislike MD and it's liberal ways but I'm also a firm believer in states rights. National reciprocity would be awesome but the best solution would be for the state governments to decide on their own to honor the 2A, until then we all have to make our own decisions when it comes to traveling outside our little rectangular sanctuary.
As for the example from FL, the wife is 90% to blame for running her mouth and telling the officer she thought the gun was in the glovebox. If you are worried about this happening to you, just never say "I've got a gun in the glovebox" because PA DL and vehicle registration information that is available to other state agencies does not indicate whether you have a LTCF or permit from anywhere else.

[2DogsBarking]

because PA DL and vehicle registration information that is available to other state agencies does not indicate whether you have a LTCF or permit from anywhere else.

My understanding also......................so how does the story float as a scan indicating gun permit/license hold water?

[scruff]

I'm taking mom's side on this one. Go live a little. Have a good time with your family. Apologize to your mom and make her and your son happy.

MD is dangerous? More so for a black teenager in the city, not so much for you on a single day trip. Can't carry a gun? How about a good can of pepper spray and a knife? (Do you have pepper spray? If not, why not?) You wanted to send a message by not going there and not spending money? No one was going to hear that message anyway.

I don't believe we should be so dogmatic about guns that we can't live our lives. I'm not giving up all cultural and pro sports events, museums, concerts, amusement parks, and travel to a myriad of fun and interesting places because guns, and I certainly don't want to deprive my family of all that.

If I was so inflexible about "muh guns" , using your logic, I'd have missed experiencing one of the greatest events of my lifetime, the inauguration of Donald Trump! (I did get a Kubotan past the TSA agent who searched me on the Mall) That trip was certainly worth some minimal amount of risk, and so is a nice trip to the museum in Baltimore with your family. No offense, but if you're that risk-intolerant, stay at home, lock your door, and wrap yourself in friggin bubble wrap. There's more to self-defense than guns, and there's more to life.

[Carson]

I'm taking mom's side on this one. Go live a little. Have a good time with your family. Apologize to your mom and make her and your son happy.

MD is dangerous? More so for a black teenager in the city, not so much for you on a single day trip. Can't carry a gun? How about a good can of pepper spray and a knife? (Do you have pepper spray? If not, why not?) You wanted to send a message by not going there and not spending money? No one was going to hear that message anyway.

I don't believe we should be so dogmatic about guns that we can't live our lives. I'm not giving up all cultural and pro sports events, museums, concerts, amusement parks, and travel to a myriad of fun and interesting places because guns, and I certainly don't want to deprive my family of all that.

If I was so inflexible about "muh guns" , using your logic, I'd have missed experiencing one of the greatest events of my lifetime, the inauguration of Donald Trump! (I did get a Kubotan past the TSA agent who searched me on the Mall) That trip was certainly worth some minimal amount of risk, and so is a nice trip to the museum in Baltimore with your family. No offense, but if you're that risk-intolerant, stay at home, lock your door, and wrap yourself in friggin bubble wrap. There's more to self-defense than guns, and there's more to life.

“Must spread rep....”

[wanneroo]

I'd divorce that big mouth wife right away.

[Gun]

“Must spread rep....”

Got him!


I worked in Baltimore for two weeks after the holidays. One day, while looking for an address, some street hooker was able to give me directions. Very nice person! Didn't charge me a cent.

[Gunsnwater]

Got him!


I worked in Baltimore for two weeks after the holidays. One day, while looking for an address, some street hooker was able to give me directions. Very nice person! Didn't charge me a cent.

What else did she give you?

[Emptymag]

I wouldn't go either if I felt that strongly about it, but the "letter" could make you look even more irrational than you would without it. LOL!

[Gunsnwater]

Been to MD and that crap never happened to me. Crabs are tasty. You should go. Leave your gat.