Flying into DC can I take my gun?

[kd7nqb]

Ok so in September I will be flying into DC and then driving up the east coast. I have a non-resident CCW from New Hampshire where I will end up so I would like to carry when I get there. But how does this interact with my time in DC. I know I cant carry in DC but since they are still having troubles even after Hellar and McDonald is it more hassle than its worth?

 

[Art Eatman]

I'd bet that you'd have a world-class supply of Hassle at D.C. Me, I'd arrange to ship the handgun to New Hampshire. Or borrow or rent while there, setting up such a deal ahead of time.

Addendum: I'm too lazy to look, but is your D.C. airport outside the district? If so, carrying in checked-through baggage and then having it in the locked trunk of a rental car should bring the FOPA into play. Maybe.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

there are no airports actually in dc except the lil one on bolling

 

[Craig_AR]

Partial answer:
1) You will not fly into DC> You will fly into either Virginia (Reagan Washington National Airpott or Dulles International Airport) or Maryland (Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington Airport.
2) There is absolutely no reason you should need to drive through DC when leaving any of those three airports and making your way north to your final destination. There are several routes along major roadways that keep you out of DC.
3) Yes, you do NOT want to have a gun when in DC, whether in carry mode or stored and locked for transport - just too much hassle.
4) You need to review the gun laws relevant for travelers for every state you will pass through or stay in. For instance, gun laws in both New York and New Jersey are so draconian that you do not want to chance having your gun in either of those states.
5) Gun laws in Virginia are very friendly. If you are flying into either Reagan or Dulles, your first state will be fine. However, as of 2010, Virginia did not recognize NH permits. A quick check at http://www.carryconcealed.net/ indicates this is still the case.
6) I STRONGLY recommend you get the 2011 edition of "Traveler's Guide to the FIrearm Laws of the Fifty States" by J. Scott Kappas, Esq. Quite reasonably priced, and invaluable.
7) Good luck on finding a route from VA or MD that gets you to NH without passing trough NY, MA, or NJ.

 

[Toforo]

Ship it to yourself so it's there when you are - then ship it back to yourself when you're ready to leave.


.

 

[Craig_AR]

Cassandrasdaddy said

there are no airports actually in dc except the lil one on bolling

There is no active runway at Joint Base Bolling (formerly AFB). The only active flight ops at Bolling are helicopters (military and other government agencies). It has never been an airport.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

thanks i couldn't remember. i think as a kid they still had fixed wing flights there but i've not been in that hood in a while. and a hood it truly is

 

[kd7nqb]

Ok so I wont be taking a gun with me when I get farther north I will be able to borrow from the people I will be with. As for flying in your right I am flying into Reagan, the complicating factor is that I am spending a week in DC (doing the tourist stuff) before I head up north.

Thanks for the input.

 

[TempestP226]

As above, you'd either be coming into Va or Md. DCA and IAD are in Va while BWI is in Md.

And whatever you do, DO NOT bring a firearm or ammunition into DC. The only arms allowed in DC, aside from law enforcement, have to be registered in DC (you must live there to register, and last I checked there was only 1 ffl in DC).

If you get pulled over in DC with so much as a round of 22lr rolling around on the floor boards without having such a weapon registered to you in DC, you will be prosecuted.

As far as I know, with DC being a federal district, the interstate firearms transport laws do not apply.

 

[wildbilll]

FOPA says in a locked case he can pass from somewhere where it is legal thru DC, NY, or any other communist state, on the way to somewhere where it is legal.

Sec. 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.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

i wouldn't try dc or jersey md is not a good bet either, you can beat the rap but not the ride

 

[kingpin008]

FOPA says in a locked case he can pass from somewhere where it is legal thru DC, NY, or any other communist state, on the way to somewhere where it is legal.

Yes, but FOPA only covers brief stops - dinner, an overnight stay, etc. He's staying in DC for a week to sight-see before moving on. FOPA won't apply.

md is not a good bet either, you can beat the rap but not the ride

Our transport laws might not be the best, but to my knowledge (and I follow MD gun happenings pretty closely) there has never been a case of someone being caught violating transport laws and being arrested (or even ticketed) for it. Whether the OP wants to chance it or not is obviously up to him, but lumping us in with Jersey & D.C. is a little much.

 

[Craig_AR]

casandrasdaddy said

i think as a kid they still had fixed wing flights there

Depending on your age, you memory may be good on this point. In the 50's and into the 60's the Air Force had an active runway on Bolling AFB, and the Navy had one immediately north of it on Anacostia NAS. Since they were both right across the river from National Airport, flight patterns over the Potomac got pretty dicey in those days. Dad used to fly his P-51 or C-54 into Bolling in those days, and said the traffic watch was always interesting on final approach.
By the time I moved to the DC area in '78, both of those runways had been closed (and had buildings on them) and all military flight ops moved to Andrews AFB. Today, Andrews is also a Joint Base, like Bolling. In any event, as far as I know, there has never been commercial flight operations on Bolling or Anacostia or Andrews.

 

[Craig_AR]

Deja vue:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=559002

 

[Shovelhead]

Reagan National is in Arlington, Virginia.

The last fixed wing aircraft left Bolling AFB in 1962 as Military air traffic was conflicting with commercial traffic at National Airport directly across the Potomac.
Andrews took over as the local Military (USAF) airfield.
The only rotary wing aircraft remaing are with a Marine Helicopter detachment.
I've been working at Bolling since 1987.
We've seen quite a few changes over the years.

 

[swinokur]

Stay in VA. Sight see in DC. You can then have your weapon when you depart north

Criminals in DC are permitted to have handguns. Law abiding citizens are not.

Nit wittery as G. Gordon used to say.

 

[rodregier]

Not to mention some of the more extreme "northeast" states choose to still ignore FOPA. Expensive to set them straight :-(

 

[v3r71g0]

Ive flown into and out of DCA. No problem flying in what so ever. Flying out was not a problem either. Make sure you lock your firearm in a strongside container that is TSA approved, and declare it at the check in counter. You will fill out a firearms declaration form and will affix it to your locked box. TSA will most likely want to inspect it to verify that it is unloaded.

 

[swinokur]

There is no list of TSA approved cases. Their regs state :

The container must be locked. A locked container is defined as one that completely secures the firearm from being accessed. Cases that can be pulled open with little effort cannot be brought aboard the aircraft. Federal regulations prohibit unlocked gun cases (or cases with broken locks) on aircraft.

Any container that meets these requirements is ok. Pelican cases are excellent for this.

 

[ProShooter]

While in Va, you can open carry without a permit, or you can drive with your handgun in a "secure container or compartment" in the vehicle without a permit.

 

[NavyLCDR]

There is no list of TSA approved cases.

Exactly. And a label on a case that says "TSA Approved" is good for only one thing - to jack up the price of the case. Just like "for LEO use only" stamped on boxes of ammo and magazines.