I've got the Florida non-resident CHL permit. It covers me for 31 states; except, because of residency requirements, I can only carry legally in 26 of them. I do a little out-of-state travel in places that are strongly antithetical to firearms ownership and place large restrictions on the constructive use of firearms. (Places like: New Jersey, Maryland, & New York)
Jersey is particularly rough. You can only take a firearm to and from a range, or gunsmith. The gun has to be separately packaged or locked up, and must be separated from any accompanying ammunition which must, also, be similarly packaged.
On the other hand - with the exceptions of the State of Massachusetts and New York City, itself - no regional government I know of actively seeks to prevent someone from legally TRANSPORTING a firearm through its jurisdiction.
A big problem area for any civilian who is transporting a firearm is ANYWHERE inside New York City's five boroughs! (More than one airline passenger who was passing through Kennedy or LaGuardia airports with an otherwise legally transported firearm inside his checked baggage has ended up taking an unexpected side trip to, 'The Tombs'.)
I don't know about you; but, I'm not comfortable leaving a cased firearm (and ammunition) inside a vehicle that is full of luggage and has out-of-state plates. If you leave a weapon inside a car, this means that you can never be too far away from the vehicle; and, you have to constantly keep an eye on your possessions.
Nothing but ABSOLUTE CONFUSION exists among: federal, state, and municipal firearm laws. I'll go you one better than this, too. I've had occasion to question a number of local police officers about my own state's firearm laws. Know what? Wrong answers are as prevalent as right answers; and, this is especially true for an individual who is carrying with an out-of-state permit.
I'd even go so far as to say that if you were to ask all the law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania if it's legal for a Pennsylvania resident to carry with only a non-resident Florida permit in his possession, as many as half of them would tell you; 'No'. (Wrong answer!)
I'd think twice, do a lot of reading, and make some phone calls before going to some place like Chicago, too. In short traveling out-of-state with a handgun and, even, a couple of CCW permits is like walking through a minefield: You have to be really really careful. For instance - contrary to popular opinion - in Pennsylvania you CAN carry a firearm into a bar; however, in North Carolina you cannot.
In Pennsylvania you can ignore a posted sign on private property that forbids firearms on the premises. (It amount to potential trespass; all you’ve got to do if you’re discovered is to leave when asked.) Don’t try this in Texas, though. You don’t want to ignore a posted, ’30-06’ sign, there!
Different states can have very different CCW requirements. In some places churches are out, in others auditoriums, and in still more restaurants where any part of the establishment serves liquor. Many states require you to always have constructive possession of your sidearm. This means that if you go into a bar, post office, courthouse, or public school, then, you cannot legally leave a pistol inside your vehicle - No matter how it is packaged or secured!
Know what I do when I travel? (And I’ve traveled a lot!) I use good old fashioned common sense. We stay at better hotels in safer parts of town. We don't go out late at night, and always keep an eye on our vehicle. This said, yes, I WILL carry a pistol where I’m able; and I will, also, transport a properly packaged pistol and separate ammunition with me while we’re moving through, ‘hostile territory’ between different destinations. (But not to states like: New York, New Jersey, or Illinois; and certainly not to cities like New York, or Chicago. For many years now, I’ve driven miles out of the way in order to bypass the entire state of Massachusetts on my way north, too.)
So what do I usually carry while traveling? I often have a Swiss army knife with a razor sharp, locking, 3.5" blade; and, I use a cane that is stronger and heavier than it really needs to be. (Irish Blackthorn!) My wife, also, carries Fox Labs pepper spray; but our usual, 'pièce de résistance' is an obedience-trained Pit Bulldog! (By the way, because of state hotel laws, it’s very tough to find lodging while traveling with a dog, anywhere, in North Carolina!)
In all of our travels we’ve only needed the Bulldog (and a gun) once: It was in Virginia, late at night, when someone rather forcefully tried the door on our motel room. The dog suddenly went, ‘ballistic’, instantly woke me out of a sound sleep, and probably saved us from two scruffy guys who shouted over the shoulder as they ran away that they were trying to deliver a pizza!
(Well, there was one other time, also, in Virginia: I witnessed a late night police shootout – right outside my window - but I was in no way involved. I just stood there and watched.)
If you have to fly part of the way, make sure you’re aware of any transfer points where you may have to switch planes and have your luggage reexamined. (If you’ve, also, got a dog with you take the necessary precaution to slip permanently locked electrical cable ties around the door(s) of the animal’s solid-walled cage. (You can cut these plastic ties off after you arrive; and, even the roughest of baggage handlers won’t lose your dog!) Personally, I won’t transport both a pistol AND ammunition on an airplane. Instead, I’ll buy new ammunition after we land.
I’ve never done it; but if I were to take a long flight, rather than risk an airline hassle, I think it would be a good idea to mail a pistol to a local FFL and have it, there, waiting for me when I arrived. The long and the short of it is that it’s not easy to travel from state-to-state with a sidearm. The local firearm laws will be constantly changing; and, often without realizing it, you will place yourself at an equal amount of, albeit, legal but dissimilar risk.
One fellow I know - a rather prominent figure in the firearms community – had his wife arrested at an out-of-state amusement park when an otherwise legally carried revolver fell out of her purse as she reached inside to pay for their admission tickets! No big deal, really, this incident only required a mandatory court appearance, a return out-of-state trip, and cost the family $12,000.00 in legal expenses and fines.
Oh, yeah, and then there’s the guy who repairs my truck. Two years ago he rushed across the state line in order to visit his family for Thanksgiving. They were late; he was driving a little too fast; and, he had his young wife, a one year old baby, and a forgotten about - but usually legal - small pistol along for the ride. Sure enough, he got stopped. Out of, ‘the blue’ the state trooper rather surprisingly asked him; ‘Do you have a gun in the vehicle?’ The question hit him like a thunderbolt; and, he suddenly remembered that little pistol in the glove! He did the right thing; he told the truth, and attempted to offer a reasonable explanation.
Three hours, six patrol cars, eight troopers, (including two female officers for his young wife) and three full body searches – which included looking inside the baby’s diapers – later he was allowed to proceed to his parents’ house. Of course they missed Thanksgiving dinner; and, he was out a pistol; but, looking on the bright side, he got to keep his late model Corvette, and the whole unhappy episode only required: 3 out-of-state court appearances, 2 lawyers, (one for each state) a formal petition to have his new, ‘record’ expunged after 5 years, and $15,000.00 in fines and legal fees. No, wait! Including the expungement, make it $18,000.00!
When is the Second Amendment emphatically NOT the Second Amendment? Well, that would, most likely, be whenever you cross a state line! Like I said: You’ve got to be really really careful when you travel with a pistol either on your person or in your luggage. First you’ve got all of the bad guys to deal with; and, then, you’ve got all of those highly contradictory, frequently confused, and often misleading bad laws!
