Have to drive through md

[Takem]

There's no avoiding going through md this weekend. I have my lock box to put in the luggage area of my suv. Mag will be unloaded. Question is, is it ok to stow the pistol, unloaded mag and ammo in the lock box? Read a lot of archives " and handgun law and still unsure.

[Shisno]

Personally I put the gun and mag in the locked container in the trunk and the ammo in a plastic bag in the glove compartment. That may be more than is required but I'm comfortable doing that.

IANAL

[knight0334]

Guns and empty mags in one container. Ammo in another container other than the glovebox or console.

18 U.S. Code § 926A - Interstate transportation of firearms

Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

[archon]

Put the gun unloaded (and better yet, not required by law, but dissembled) in a locked container and put all the magazines, unloaded, with any ammo into another. Law does not require that container to be locked but I do it just in case. These should all be in your trunk or non-passenger rear of an SUV. Have some sort of proof that you are just passing through the state such as a hotel confirmation in another state or at least the address of the friend you are visiting. Also have a copy of the federal law. Never consent to a search but if state law requires inform them of the carry of firearms (which I am almost sure Maryland doesn't). Don't put the ammo anywhere though that you can access from the passenger compartment. That is a big no no.

Keep in mind that how you are approaching the Maryland border from SW PA the signage is pretty horrible. Make sure to have everything in compliance with the law before you pass the border. If you are on rural roads it might not be readily apparent. Never got burned by that but have passed into Maryland without really realizing before until I started seeing the ML tags in residence parking spots. Unless you have cause on why you would want to carry during the PA or other lawful states you might want to pass through (not that we can know every time when carrying is a good idea) you may just want to comply with FOPA for the entire trip.

Of course if you have a legally registered vehicle, generally follow traffic laws, and don't stand out for some reason, the chance are cops are going to leave you alone. Not an excuse for being prepared, but just a word of warning.

[Takem]

Guns and empty mags in one container. Ammo in another container other than the glovebox or console.

18 U.S. Code § 926A - Interstate transportation of firearms

Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

Thanks I read that. It doesn't mention ammunition being separate. Is that just to be extra careful?

[archon]

Thanks I read that. It doesn't mention ammunition being separate. Is that just to be extra careful?

You are correct that the FEDERAL version of the law does not mention ammo being separate, but many state transport laws do require it. One, notably, being NJ which I travel through frequently. The extra step is a "best practice" in my opinion and well worth it if one day it prevents me from spending a night in jail or a few thousand bucks on lawyer fees.

[Takem]

I agree. Thanks

[QuackXP]

Whenever I have to do this. I put the firearm and empty mags in a locking container, for me that is a NanoVault 300. Then I put this into one of my pieces of luggage. I put the ammo back into a factory box and into another piece of luggage. (there is almost always two as I take a suitcase/duffel & laptop backpack).

Some other notes, not about the law but just to help out.
- Pre plan your stops. Check out maps beforehand to figure out where you will stop before and after MD to un-arm and re-arm. Make sure you take care of any gas/food/bathroom breaks before entering into MD you do not want to have to stop for anything.
- Use cruise control, and keep you SA up higher while in MD. Once you get out you can go back to a more relaxed but still attentive driving for the rest of your trip.
- Do an extra inspection of your vehicle before you leave. You don't want a burnt out bulb you did not notice as a reason to get pulled over in MD. Do a mechanical inspection of your car. Don't forget the spare tire is up to pressure. If there is anything that needs taken care of do it before you leave.
- Double check all of your paperwork. Make sure everything is up to date.

Most of this is good travel advice anyhow even between friendly states. But you want the least chance of trouble in MD and if there is trouble you want to get out of it ASAP so as not to attract to much attention to yourself.

[theshadow]

Simple answer, fast, very fast, as fast as you can, through the shortest distance of the state (I think that would be 2 miles, and at 65MPH, that's less than 2 minutes).


oops sorry read that as "How to drive through MD"

[archon]

Whenever I have to do this. I put the firearm and empty mags in a locking container, for me that is a NanoVault 300. Then I put this into one of my pieces of luggage. I put the ammo back into a factory box and into another piece of luggage. (there is almost always two as I take a suitcase/duffel & laptop backpack).

Some other notes, not about the law but just to help out.
- Pre plan your stops. Check out maps beforehand to figure out where you will stop before and after MD to un-arm and re-arm. Make sure you take care of any gas/food/bathroom breaks before entering into MD you do not want to have to stop for anything.
- Use cruise control, and keep you SA up higher while in MD. Once you get out you can go back to a more relaxed but still attentive driving for the rest of your trip.
- Do an extra inspection of your vehicle before you leave. You don't want a burnt out bulb you did not notice as a reason to get pulled over in MD. Do a mechanical inspection of your car. Don't forget the spare tire is up to pressure. If there is anything that needs taken care of do it before you leave.
- Double check all of your paperwork. Make sure everything is up to date.

Most of this is good travel advice anyhow even between friendly states. But you want the least chance of trouble in MD and if there is trouble you want to get out of it ASAP so as not to attract to much attention to yourself.

Good advice before any trip. Once a friend of mine had his registration sticker fall off and he got pulled over for it. Obviously the registration card showed he had a valid one but he still got stopped. (Nothing came of it other then a verbal warning to get a new sticker). There are lots of reasons a cop can stop you. The less you voluntarily give them the better for you.

Also, good advice on plan your stops. State borders come up quick and you might find yourself with no place to pull over to properly store your firearm again. Nothing says a 911 call like a motorist spotting someone along the interstate playing around with a holstered firearm while placing it into their trunk. It is also important to remember that if you have to stop for the night that does not invalidate protection under the FOPA but there is some case law that suggests removing your guns from your car might do so. Yes, you might think it is more secure to stow your guns in your hotel room (and you are probably right), but it is better to just leave them in your locked car. If you don't have a separate trunk make sure to obscure the firearm cases with something so that if someone walks by they don't do a smash and grab on you.