Handguns in DC suburbs? (Silver Spring)

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fulloflead

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Hi. I'm getting ready to move from Denver to Silver Spring which is right outside the northern edge of Washington DC city limits.

I own a gazillion handguns and I'm moving to S.S. instead of downtown DC because of the DC gun ban.

My question is: Is that far enough?

Will I encounter any problems having handguns and a "gun room" (ahem, a "hobby room" in an apartment complex in Silver Spring?

I see that there is a nice gun shop (aparently specializing in SASS which I like since I'm into revolvers) in Silver Spring. http://www.atlanticguns.com/

Perhaps I should call the owner for a chat?

Are there any THR members from around that area that want to make a new friend?:)

.
 
Maryland is not gun-friendly at all, and especially that section. If your new place of employment is anywhere near a metro stop, I'd move to Virginia and ride the metro to work every day.

Kharn
 
I agree with Kharn. Move to northern VA, NOT MD. Sorry you gotta leave CO.
 
Does Maryland have handgun bans or things like that? If you just say that they're not gun friendly, why would they have any reason not to be friendly to him? What I really mean is how will anyone know that he has firearms in his house?
 
There's no general "handgun ban" in Maryland except for 'assault pistols' [AR15 of AK pistols]. The State Police have a list of approved handguns: http://www.mdsp.org/services/handgun.asp
and there are very few pistols that aren't on the list. I believe this list applies to new purchases though and not anything you already own. [the exception being 'assault pistols'].

MD has a handful of other odd laws:
-no ftf handgun sales
-one a month purchases [unless you get a collector's permit, which is easy]
-must only transport firearms unloaded, including no loaded mags.
-concealed carry on the books, but essentially nonexistent in reality.
etc.

Check here for more info:
http://www.mdshooters.com/index.php

Yes, MD laws are bad compared to most states, but not nearly as bad as most major cities. [I know - that's setting the bar pretty low] Class III is really easy here as well. I find the lack of any decent ranges in MD the biggest issue, but the NRA Range in nearby Fairfax, VA is probably one of the nicest in the country.

Also check out Potomac Trading in nearby Kensington, MD. Lots of nice HK's and class III stuff.
 
You can own any mag you want, you just cant transfer ownership of a >20rd mag within the borders of Maryland. In other words: Drive to VA or PA and buy all the 30rd mags you want and its perfectly legal.

Kharn
 
MD vs. VA

A few more things.

In VA there is also a 1 gun a month law - unless you have a CCW which is easy to get. VA has Class III as well

The biggest issue for me was the CCW issue. If you have any desire to carry a handgun for self defense - choose VA. If you want to help fight the good fight and spend your time fighting hard for what others take for granted - I am sure many in MD would welcome you.

Also VA has slightly higher housing prices (at least that was the case 2 years ago) Everything else is a little cheaper in VA.

Sales tax is 5% in both states.

Feel free to contact me privately if you want information on neighborhoods or information on good ranges in NOVA.
 
Maryland sits on the second level tier of hostility to gun owners.

Not as bad as NJ, CA, IL NYC, CHI. Perhaps on par w/ MA, perhaps a little better than NYS.
 
There's plenty of gun owners in MD and, despite the stupidity that we have to endure, it's not nearly as bad as those that either ran from the state or have never even been here make it out to be.

MoCo, where Silver Spring is, is probably not my first choice of places to live since there's basically no voice for gun owners in the delegation from that county, but it's a decent place as far as culture, food, and convenience to downtown DC if that's where your work is.
 
Legal in MD to own a handgun, you have to register it/send in a spent casing.

I live in northern Virginia.
 
Legal in MD to own a handgun, you have to register it/send in a spent casing.
Click to expand...

Again, information coming from people who do not live here and it's incorrect.

The original post asked about the handguns he already owns.

There is no registration of handguns in MD. In fact, there is no obligation to tell anyone that you have anything that was previously owned in another state.

http://www.mdgunsafety.com/mspfaq.htm
I am moving here from out of state and own a firearm, am I required to register the firearm?
(Note: If the firearm is an assault pistol it cannot be transported into Maryland) If the firearm has been obtained legally, you are not required to register the firearm; however, you can voluntarily register the firearm with the Maryland State Police.
Click to expand...

The fired shell casing law only applies to handguns purchased new.

These are the only firearms that you can not bring with you:

An assault pistol is defined as any of the following specified firearms or their copies regardless of which company produced and manufactured the firearm:
AA Arms AP-9 semi-automatics
Bushmaster semi-automatic pistol;
Claridge HI-TEC, semi-automatic pistol;
D Max Industries semi-automatic pistol;
Encom MK-IV, MP-9, MP-45 semi-automatic pistols;
Heckler and Koch semi-automatic pistol SP-89;
Holmes MP-83 semi-automatic pistol;
Ingram MAC 10/11 semi-automatic pistol and any variation including the Partisan Avenger and the SWD Cobray;
Intratec TEC-9/DC-9 in any centerfire variation;
P.A.W.S. type semi-automatic pistol;
Skorpion semi-automatic pistol;
Spectre double action semi-automatic pistol (Sile, F.I.E., Mitchell);
UZI semi-automatic pistol;
Weaver Arms semi-automatic Nighthawk pistol; and
Wilkinson semi-automatic "Linda" pistol.
Click to expand...
 
I'm with Ric. I lived in MD for 20 years. I moved to VA and I've been here for 4 years. I would never even think about going back.

It's not just the gun laws either.
 
If you have to move to this area, move to Northern VA. Much more gun friendly. Your gonna get screwed by the traffic in either state
 
My question is: Is that far enough?

Will I encounter any problems having handguns and a "gun room" (ahem, a "hobby room" in an apartment complex in Silver Spring?
Click to expand...

You should have no problem with your guns in Maryland. You will find that area to be very Liberal, with all kinds of goofy leftwing laws. Parts of CO. are similar so it may not be a big change. Maryland carry and transport laws are strict and the police do in fact enforce them. I lived in the Bowie area for close to fifty years and immigrated to VA a few years ago.

There is a lot to do in the Wash. D.C. area. If you have kids you can spend weekends seeing different sights for a long time (my personal favorite is the little known NSA spy museum out by Fort Meade). Lots of board members in the area to call on for advice. Hope your move goes well.
 
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Link to Md Magazine limitation

FYI, here is a link to Md's magazine law.

http://www.centerfiresystems.com/uzi.aspx

Pursuant to Subtitle 3, Section 4-305 B, in the "B.A.T.F.E. State Laws and Published Ordinances - Firearms" 25th Edition, Page 189, Hi-Cap Mags
UP TO, BUT NOT EXCEEDING 20 ROUNDS, can now be sold to Maryland residents. 08/17/05
 
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