Relocating To DC Area. I Need Help.

[Mr.Blue]

I just got a job offer in Bethesda, MD, which I am going to accept. I have a few questions:

1. I know Virginia is more gun friendly and I will probably try to live there. What are some nice areas in VA within 45-60 minutes driving commute of Bethesda? I prefer conservative suburban areas.

2. I believe that I can bring my handguns to Maryland without any registration or other nonsense. I believe only "assault pistols" like Tec-9, Sig 556 pistol, and AK pistols are illegal. Is this true? I am originally from NY, where you need a permit just to OWN a pistol.

3. I believe Virginia allows all guns and will not require a registration. Is this true?

4. I hear getting a CCL in MD is hard, but VA is ok. Anyone have any experience with a CCL in VA?

Thanks.

 

[cooldude14]

Join MDshooters and it is pretty hard to get a ccl since its not a shall issue state

 

[orionengnr]

Relocating To DC Area. I Need Help.

Truer words were never spoken.

 

[MIgunguy]

Truer words were never spoken.

LOL...

I grew up in the area and mdshooters members will tell you the same thing: move to Virginia and deal with the commute.

Are you super rich and politically connected? If not you'll never get a CCW permit in Maryland. There are other reasons, too, to go for Virginia.

 

[MIgunguy]

1. I know Virginia is more gun friendly and I will probably try to live there. What are some nice areas in VA within 45-60 minutes driving commute of Bethesda? I prefer conservative suburban areas.

Falls Church is nice but pricey, same with Alexandria. Avoid Fairfax and Springfield. Can't go wrong in Prince William County along route 66 but the commute WILL be brutal (assuming you work typical "normal" work hours).

2. I believe that I can bring my handguns to Maryland without any registration or other nonsense. I believe only "assault pistols" like Tec-9, Sig 556 pistol, and AK pistols are illegal.

True. There's a list of prohibited pistols, mdshooters will direct you there. No registration in Virginia and I never heard anything about prohibited handguns in my 8+ years there (I lived in both states).

 

[scythefwd]

cost of living out here is insane. House prices are brutal, even still for what you get. Woodbridge, VA is only 45 minutes or so. It's also called hoodbridge by the locals though there are some nice parts to it. Alexandria is nice, but very expensive.

 

[Mr.Blue]

Living in the suburbs of NYC for 10 years, I'm assuming the DC area is cheaper.

When you say a brutal commute, how long is that?

 

[Babarsac]

There are PLENTY of neighborhoods on the Virginia side to choose from. My co-worker lives in the Crystal City area and his girlfriend commutes to Bethesda every day. You can also pick from Arlington, McLean, Tyson's, and Loudoun County. With BRAC moving people around the office workers in Pentagon City and Crystal City are leaving which will drive down housing prices.

For VA gun laws they are far better then NY or MD. You don't need a permit to purchase anything, only to CCW. CCW permits are straight forward to get and your locality cannot withhold issuing a permit if you meet all the criteria. As for the registration of guns in Virginia...what's that?

If you have any Virginia related gun question feel free to shoot me a PM

 

[Mr.Blue]

Thanks!

 

[AlexanderA]

It's a no-brainer to locate in Virginia, if possible, if you're thinking of anything to do with guns. Taxes are lower in Virginia, too.

If commuting to Bethesda, Md., from Virginia, your best bet would be to live in the northern part of Fairfax County and use the American Legion Bridge and the Beltway. (That area can be pricey, though.) You don't want to commute through D.C. if you can avoid it.

 

[HDCamel]

When you say a brutal commute, how long is that?

Rush hour on I95 might as well be a parking lot. What should theoretically be a 40 minute commute turns into two hours in a flash.
You can learn some pretty neat back roads, but they only get you so far.

All of the good places in NoVA are going to be expensive. Cost of living indexes around 130 average (US average is 100).

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Relocating To DC Area. I Need Help.

Truer words were never spoken.

Amen to that. I spent three and a half years there. That was enough. Nice place to visit, enjoyed living there at the time (I was a single guy in my 20s), don't miss it a bit.

My sister and her husband live in Woodbridge; he works at Andrews AFB and she works in downtown DC. Their commutes are one to two hours each way, depending on traffic. She often takes VRE (Virginia Railway Express, commuter rail) into the city, so at least she's not stuck in traffic, but he doesn't have that option. Depending on your mass transit options close to work, you may want to consider living somewhere with good access to VRE or Metro service.

As others have said, Maryland is a very gun-unfriendly state. The District is even worse. Virginia is the place to be - better laws (not just on guns) and lower taxes. The area has a lot to offer, as long as you can put up with the traffic and the cost of living.

 

[Tedzilla]

McLean and North Arlington are right across the river.
In non-rush hour conditions coming from McLean I'm 15 minutes from Bethesda. Rush hours are worse but inside your time target.
Coming from NY, the home prices won't be out of line.
Good luck and welcome to Virginia!

 

[Shovelhead]

DC commutes can vary by as much as a couple of hours depending on your timing.
I live in Arlington and work in SW DC.

I leave at 0600 and am sitting at my desk on the other side of DC in <30 minutes.
If I tried to take the same trip after 0700, it would take an hour or more.

Virginia issues a CHP.

 

[Sam1911]

Welcome to the area! (Sort of.)

Barbarsac gave you some good reccomendations on where to live, if your job will sustain the cost of living.

Commute will be a chore, but you may be able to get used to it...lots of folks do. (I lived for five years diagonally accross DC in soiuthern MD for 5 years. Used to commute 23 miles from my door to a job site in NW DC. Never made it in less than 1.5 hours.)

VA has some pretty terrific gun laws. Carry permits are common and pretty "liberal'." Open carry is legal. You'll have the awesome VCDL to stomp on politicos and overzealous LEOs who try to infringe beyond the limits of the law. You'll be close to the National Firearms Museum and NRA HQ. There's a great gun show every couple of months in Chantilly, very near the new Air & Space Museum annex.

If you've got to be anywhere near DC, VA is hands-down the place to be.

(Unless you want to go WAY out of town and settle in WVa).

 

[Batty67]

I live near Springfield and it is fine as I commute to Fairfax City (18 miles west, mostly counter-traffic, 35 minutes or so). Bethesda, MD calls for living close to Tyson's Corner (disaster), so you might choose inside the Beltway in West Falls Church area, or McLean (expensive). Presuming you want to live in VA, which I do, and would choose again... You might want to suck it up and simply live near your job in Maryland, though gun-wise, VA is MUCH better.

 

[mgkdrgn]

1. I know Virginia is more gun friendly and I will probably try to live there. What are some nice areas in VA within 45-60 minutes driving commute of Bethesda? I prefer conservative suburban areas.
Thanks.

Ummm, you don't know much about DC area traffic yet, do ya?

A 1 hour commute from Bethesda gives you about a 15-20 mile radius, max, assuming you don't cross some choke point, like a bridge (like to get to VA)

And on a day when it snows (I mean where you can just see snow in the air ... doesn't have to be on the ground) ... fuggetaboddit ... just stay home.

(I did the NY (Finger lakes) to MD thing some 35 ago, and it was bad then. I only got worse until I left there 5 years ago.)

 

[Shovelhead]

It doesn't even have to snow.
Just let the weather MENTION snow in the forecast.............

 

[JohnBT]

You can see the traffic. Just figure out your proposed route and time of commute and watch the cars go by. Or sit there as the case may be.

http://trafficland.com/city/WAS4/index.html

NoVA to Bethesda = the bottleneck bridge over the Potomac River. I've forgotten what they renamed the Cabin John bridge. Memorial? I lived in Rockville until '68, got my driver's license in Bethesda in '66 and my father worked in Fairfax and Clarendon for many years. The traffic was bad enough back then, but now it's just plain nuts.

Good luck.

John

 

[cavman]

I lived in Germantown MD and Burke VA and worked in Bethesda at the NIH until this year

Now, with Walter Reed Medical being located across from NIH at Navy Medical, the traffic is getting even worse at Bethesda, if one can believe that!

DC traffic is the worse that I have ever seen in the country. Going down 270S to Bethesda from Germantown is terrible and was usually a one hour to 1.5 hour commute. I have had the on-ramp backed up just to get on to 270S on a regular basis, stop and go all the way down to 495. From Burke, VA the same at 1 hour 15 minutes plus. Average speed on 495N is stop and go only. It is packed always in the morning and afternoon, all lanes. Only 270S had HOV-2 car lanes. 495N from Burke, VA do not. Even the HOV car lanes although much better, still come to a grid-lock stop.

You can't travel with firearms in MD unless you are going to a range, going to an FFL, or going to a gunsmith, or directly back from one of them back home. Technically you are also not allowed to stop either! (Although I certainly have for gas or lunch but that is actually in violation of the law)

Virginia has open carry and some do, even in norther Virginia.

I initially got my concealed carry in Virginia to make sure that going to and from Bullseye matches if I forgot to unload I wouldn't get in trouble. However, having a loaded weapon in the car law has since been changed I believe last year, as long as it is in open sight. Getting one in VA is no problem. Not going to happen in MD (unless you carry cash as part of your private business)

Because traffic is so bad, I would live as close to Bethesda as possible. Walking or taking a bicycle, close, if I could afford it.

There is a very nice range called Fairfax rod and gun club in Manassas, VA
There was a nice Isaak Walton club in Germantown, MD (Rockville Chapter) pistol, shotgun, archery, but not so much rifle as you have to shoot only from bench position at 130 yds

If you live 15 miles away or more from Bethesda expect at least 3 extra hours of your day to be commuting. There is the Metro which is pretty good, but even some lots are now first come first served and fill up. Expect your life and daily conversations to be about traffic

good luck

 

[Indigo Six]

If you're dead set on getting a CCW permit, find a place in VA. If you want a shorter commute I would look near the Shady Grove Metro stop (Gaithersburg/Germantown area) and commute via Metro from there, if not just live in or around Bethesda or Potomac. It's a short hop of 5-6 stops or so.

I don't recommend living West of Fairfax, if you do choose VA. I66 is always a mess East in the mornings and West at night.

You can't travel with firearms in MD unless you are going to a range, going to an FFL, or going to a gunsmith, or directly back from one of them back home. Technically you are also not allowed to stop either! (Although I certainly have for gas or lunch but that is actually in violation of the law)

This only applies to handguns, which also must be unloaded and locked in the trunk.

 

[essayons21]

Living in the suburbs of NYC for 10 years, I'm assuming the DC area is cheaper.

Don't. DC area recently has surpassed NYC area for both highest earning and highest cost of living.

 

[mortablunt]

How about fairfax county? The commute would be rather long, but you'd live right by the NRA headquarters. I can name the neighborhood of "Franklin Farm" as being excellent. The schools are pretty dang good too, as I can attest. You can also Open Carry without a permit and without people freaking out and calling the police.

Home prices are a lot better than they were in 07, where homes were normally pushing $1million on the cheap end. A 500K home is still going to be cheap for the area. Apartments aren't bad, nor are condominia or townhomes.

 

[Mike OTDP]

The other posters have given you sound advice. Stay out of DC at all costs. The whole region is nightmarishly expensive, with hellish traffic. VA is a shall-issue state (even non-residents) with a two-party system. MD is neither.

Given a choice, live in VA.

 

[wojownik]

OK, I'll be a contrarian. I spent the first half of my life living in NYC. I've spent the second half here in the DC area - have lived and worked in VA, DC and MD. Bethesda MD to be specific.

Compared to NYS/NYC, Maryland was not too bad IMHO when it came to firearms. Yeah, concealed carry was impossible, and there are a variety of firearms that MD bans, but NY is a LOT worse.

I loved living and working in Bethesda. Put together a nice little collection of modern and C&R firearms while living there (well, er, no so little). Actively participated in firearms activities, ranging from high power shoots and cowboy action matches a bit farther north in MD, to IDPA matches at the NRA range in FFX. Back in the day, I generally got much better deals at MD area gun shows than VA gun shows - both ammo and firearms. With some exceptions, though.

Living in VA adds the ability to get a CHP license, and there is no waiting period for what MD calls "restricted firearms".

The rest of my comparison goes a bit off-topic for this forum. A lot of it revolves around your lifestyle. Housing prices are a bit more expensive in MD than in VA. Married with kids, I'd choose Bethesda/Potomac/N. Potomac (if you could afford it) or a bit farther out in Northern VA. Single and active, I'd go for Bethesda, Arlington or Falls Church. But it depends on what floats your boat.

Also, you can more readily get newer and more upgraded housing in VA than in MD. Real estate and income taxes are a bit higher in MD than in VA. Both are quite a bit lower than NY though. By a darn sight. The commute to Bethesda from Northern VA can be a bear. You'll likely be constrained to travelling the Beltway over the American Legion Bridge. Mucho fun at rush hour, but then again the BQE or LIE at rush hour is mucho worse than that. Real estate close in to Bethesda is premium. Pay a lot to live in Bethesda for a shorter commute, pay somewhat less to live in VA with a longer (and sometimes mind-numbing commute), pay an insane amount to live close to Bethesda on the VA side.

But back to firearms, Maryland being very gun-unfriendly is a relative thing. Compared to NY or NJ, it is not that horrible if you can accept a few tradeoffs.