New England road trip handgun carry, especially Maine

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daniel craig

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Hi everybody,

going on a road trip from New York to Maine and I've called the State Police in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine and they all say since you are legally allowed to carry in New York you çab carry in each of those states.

I haven't actually decided if I'm going to bring a handgun but I will plan on doing some wilderness camping so I figured it might not be a bad idea to do so.

So here's the real question: let's say I wanted to extend my trip over the Canadian border, would I be able to get like a safe deposit box somewhere in Maine for my firearm so that I can go into canada? I think the real answer is if I want to go to Canada I just shouldn't bring my pistol at all, so I guess this is more just a curious inquiry. What do you think?
 
CapnMac said:
This really isn't a question for Legal.

I'm pretty sure there's no way you can legally carry into Canada.

There's probably no way to leave your firearm in ME without going through a 4473.
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Yeah, I didn't really know where to put it because it's a really random question.
 
daniel craig said:
Yeah, I didn't really know where to put it because it's a really random question.
Click to expand...
It happens. General or Handguns might have been simpler.
The only complicated thing you are asking about is a "where to store" question. And, that's, at best, poorly addresses in law.
Most FFL are not really set up to "store" firearms not for retail sale. And, you'd have to 4473 the thing to get it back. You can't legally leave the arm with someone in another State without going through an FFL.

As a side note, IIRC, you have to have your Passport to cross the Canadian border (you may have to have other "paperwork" too), and "back-country camping" with a Passport sounds like a bit of a hassle, for my 2¢.

Mind, Bangor is reporting 82°F just now (1533CDT) which sounds delightfully chill (it's 101°F right now; 81° was the Low last night, circa 0700).
 
CapnMac said:
It happens. General or Handguns might have been simpler.
The only complicated thing you are asking about is a "where to store" question. And, that's, at best, poorly addresses in law.
Most FFL are not really set up to "store" firearms not for retail sale. And, you'd have to 4473 the thing to get it back. You can't legally leave the arm with someone in another State without going through an FFL.

As a side note, IIRC, you have to have your Passport to cross the Canadian border (you may have to have other "paperwork" too), and "back-country camping" with a Passport sounds like a bit of a hassle, for my 2¢.

Mind, Bangor is reporting 82°F just now (1533CDT) which sounds delightfully chill (it's 101°F right now; 81° was the Low last night, circa 0700).
Click to expand...
I definitely have my passport and it's not too hard for Backcountry camping because I will be doing a road trip after all and I can just keep it in my car. I remember when I was stationed in Texas there was a gun club that was set up to store firearms for soldiers who couldn't keep them on base but I don't remember if that gun club was on the base itself or if it was totally on unaffiliated land.
 
For the storage question, the standard answer is to find a gun shop on the US side and leave your gun for ‘cleaning,’ then retrieve it on your return trip.

However, I’ve read this suggestion several times, but never read of anyone successfully doing it.

But in any case, be very careful to sanitize your vehicle and baggage of all ammunition. A single round of handgun ammunition will result in your detention at the border. I’m not sure if they’re as strict about spent casings as D.C. is, but I’d make sure there aren’t any of those in your vehicle, either.

And Canadian border agents seem to be able to access U.S. CPL records, so they will look and ask questions.
 
Here's a possible place to start: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/iefw-iefa-eng.html

From that link:
Canadian Border Services Agency said:
Visitors to Canada
To import firearms into Canada you must have a valid purpose. Valid purposes can include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • hunting during hunting season (limited to non-restricted firearms only)
  • use in competitions
  • repair
  • in transit movement, i.e., moving in the most direct route possible from point A to point B, through Canada
  • protection against wildlife in remote areas (limited to non-restricted firearms only)
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I have taken rifles and trapguns into canada years ago with very little inconvenience at the border.
I asked a friendly mountie about the possibility of bringing a .44 cap and ball into Canada for bear protection while fishing remote lakes. He said, You Americans and your handguns! Just leave them at home!"
 
F-111 John said:
For the storage question, the standard answer is to find a gun shop on the US side and leave your gun for ‘cleaning,’ then retrieve it on your return trip.

However, I’ve read this suggestion several times, but never read of anyone successfully doing it.

But in any case, be very careful to sanitize your vehicle and baggage of all ammunition. A single round of handgun ammunition will result in your detention at the border. I’m not sure if they’re as strict about spent casings as D.C. is, but I’d make sure there aren’t any of those in your vehicle, either.

And Canadian border agents seem to be able to access U.S. CPL records, so they will look and ask questions.
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"Cleaning" could work.
 
Speedo66 said:
VT, ME, and NH have some of the lowest crime rates in the country.
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It's not really the people I'm worried about it's the critters in the wilderness. I'm not even really worried about them it's a "just in case" sort of thing
 
daniel craig said:
Hi everybody,

going on a road trip from New York to Maine and I've called the State Police in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine and they all say since you are legally allowed to carry in New York you çab carry in each of those states.

I haven't actually decided if I'm going to bring a handgun but I will plan on doing some wilderness camping so I figured it might not be a bad idea to do so.

So here's the real question: let's say I wanted to extend my trip over the Canadian border, would I be able to get like a safe deposit box somewhere in Maine for my firearm so that I can go into canada? I think the real answer is if I want to go to Canada I just shouldn't bring my pistol at all, so I guess this is more just a curious inquiry. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Could cache it in the woods on the Maine side.
 
If you're going to be "wilderness camping" get...I want to call it an emergency tent. Set it up in the woods on the Maine side. Leave a sleeping bag in it. Put a light coat of oil on the gun. Wrap in VCI paper. Put inside a silicone-impreganated gun sock and put the gun sock in the sleeping bag. Retrieve it when you come back.
 
If you "Stray" into Canada carrying a handgun you may well stay for a period of time you had not counted on. I have gone into Canada many times with an M-1 Garand and a 12 Gauge pump shotgun. Fill out the paperwork, pay $30.00 or so and your good to go.
 
Since handguns have to be bought in your own State I don't think you'd be able to drop it off at a gun shop in Maine and be able to do the 4473 to pick it back up. You could drop it off and pay them to mail it back to your local NY gun shop and do the paperwork to get it back there. Seems like a pain but I like to be armed while traveling so might be worth the trade off.
 
I kind of wonder if they would hold it in a gun locker at the border for you. You know they have arms there, maybe you can just check it at the boarder if you call ahead, who knows.
 
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