Transporting Firearms on Vacation

[doubletap213]

Hey all. i am going to be driving from New Jersey to North Carolina this july to visit family. i am thinking of bringing my .22 Rifle and maybe my 357 Revolver to do a little fun shooting down there. i dont have a Concealed Carry Permit and i DO NOT plan on Carrying any firearm while im down there, just do a little plinking on private property. i would like to have my 357 for a just in case tool as our relatives dont own any firearms. i would obviously transport them locked in cases ammo seperate. my question is the legality of this? since i am not a NC resident would it be ILLEGAL for me to bring my firearms i legally own in NJ to NC? i can understand it being ILLEGAL if i was to carry without a Permit to do so but i am not sure about just bringing them for recreational shooting and NON CARRY keeping them in cases when not in use. any help would be appreciated. thanks!

 

[Crusader103]

North Carolina is generally a free state, at least in comparison to some others.

You may carry a firearm in your vehicle, including a loaded one, readily accessible as long as it is in plain view. Actually, you can carry it openly while walking through Wal-Mart if you'd like. In order to conceal it, whether on your person or readily accessible in your vehicle, you must have a permit.

My only personal caveat to carrying openly in a vehicle would to make sure to inform the officer before he sees it for himself. You wouldn't want any misunderstandings when your .357 is seen laying on the front seat.

If you stick to your plan of carrying them unloaded, locked, and inaccessible (such as in the trunk), you will have zero issues in North Carolina. Depending on the area where you might be stopped, the officer might ask you what good an inaccessible, unloaded, firearm is. But, coming from NJ I can see why you might think differently.

Check out this link. Read it all but pay attention to page 6 as it deals with the transport of firearms.

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/northcarolina.pdf

Oh, you will not be treated differently in terms of rules/regs just because you are from NJ so your residency has little bearing.

 

[swinokur]

Can you legally drive in NJ with a firearm while driving out of the state? You may have no FOPA protection while still in NJ. FOPA has a line in the law that "you must be lawfully allowed to carry and possess" at both origin and destination to use it as an affirmative defense.

No matter your decision-NEVER CONSENT TO A SEARCH

IANAL

 

[dprice3844444]

nj has no sense of humor on anything,including fopa,they will arrest you for it.possession of even 1 hollow point bullet is a felony.keep it unloaded and locked in the trunk.don't consent to search or advise you have anything.

 

[Wesson9]

The only place along your trip you will encounter a problem is Maryland. You are covered under Federal Law if you are simply transporting interstate. If, however, you stop to eat, get gas, shop, use the restroom, etc. you are subject to Maryland law. Maryland Annotated Code, Criminal Law, Title 4, Section 203 lists the places/events you may be traveling to and from while transporting a firearm. I don't believe any would apply to you.

I have no personal experience with Maryland but I live in Northern Virginia and I've heard horror stories regarding Maryland. My suggestion would be to lock the weapon and ammo separately in the trunk and to not stop at all while in Maryland.

Once out of Maryland you should have smooth sailin'.

 

[doubletap213]

good im looking forward to visiting a state where firearms arent looked at as evil. id love to move but thats not an option right now.

 

[hermannr]

Driving from NJ to NC with firearms? Go west into PA, then through WV...miss MD completely.

 

[doubletap213]

Go EAST to get to PA from NJ? So I should Circumnavigate the Planet in order to avoid MD. Wow they really must Suck huh? Haha

 

[hermannr]

Go EAST to get to PA from NJ? So I should Circumnavigate the Planet in order to avoid MD. Wow they really must Suck huh? Haha

your other east, sorry, mistyped...come with living where the only thing west of me is the Pacific Ocean.

 

[Sam1911]

Just to add a note of calm here, as I am in MD just about every day -- MD doesn't have anything like the reputation of NY, NJ, or MA for FOPA violations. Follow the FOPA rules, drive safe and sane, and you're going to be just fine.

 

[doubletap213]

I know just bustin ya buddy haha

 

[jmace57]

Come visit us here in Texas doubletap. You might want to wait until about October though. Although from what they've said on the news, it might be a hot up there as down here!

 

[Texan Scott]

The thing about Texas is, so many people come to visit, and then won't LEAVE... LOL. I don't blame them, either. For all its problems, there's something wonderful about freedom... the reasonable notion that if you live quietly and do right, you can generally expect to be left alone.

 

[jrdolall]

I could live anywhere I want and I chose Alabama. Go figure! Low property taxes, low population, affordable land, etc were important but gun laws were a big reason I chose to live here. I shoot quite a bit in NC and have never had a problem there. I seldom carry a gun when travelling because of some of the obscure laws and i just don't want to get in trouble over some miniscule issue. MD=DC=Chicago to me.

 

[doubletap213]

id love to get out to Texas one day! and time of year dosent matter to me im a HOT weather guy. its 95 degrees right now and im LOVING IT.

 

[benbernanke]

A message forum is not the place to seek this advice. I would call the firearms section of he state police and ask these questions or look on their website. In any event I would have the firearms partially dissassembled locked in hard containers in the trunk. Ammo seperated into locked containers.

 

[doubletap213]

Benbernake. Gathering additional intel from others whom have traveled with firearms and whom travel consistently with firearms for various shooting expo's and competitions is a useful tool. Since I started this thread I have gotten good advice and also have been pointed in the direction of useful websites that list current state handgun and long gun transportation laws as well as open carry rules and regulations. I in no way intended to use this as my sole information gathering tool. Anyone who would use this forum to "see if it is ok" because a complete stranger tells them it is, is a complete fool. Thanks for your concern and I have all the information, federal transportation laws, as well as contact information for local and state law enforcement officials that I will need if its warranted.

 

[Sam1911]

partially dissassembled

In what part of the country is a firearm that is "partially dissassembled" treated differently from one that is fully assembled. (Inserted/loaded magazine aside.)

Don't know where that idea came from, but it doesn't matter if you take it apart down into a pile of springs and screws, or if you've got it fully assembled. It is either secured as require by FOPA and/or state laws, or it isn't.