Traveling in the northeast with a handgun

[fireman 9731]

I'm about to head out through the northeast for a quick fall getaway, hopefully it wont be ruined by the hurricane.

I have a KY concealed carry permit, and always carry. I will be traveling (driving) throughout the northeastern US, all the way up to Maine and back.

I know that very few states recognize Kentucky's concealed carry permit, and most have very restrictive laws about transporting loaded guns in a vehicle.

Naturally, I would feel much more comfortable with at least having a loaded handgun in the car within reach, but that would be very illegal almost everywhere I'm going.

So the question is... Do I just leave my gun(s) at home and travel 3000 miles unarmed, or do I try to fool with having a locked up unloaded gun in a case with ammunition stored separately the whole time?

In my mind, having a locked up and unloaded gun is about useless in any situation that I would need it.

I will feel naked without it though... What would you all do?

 

[Vonderek]

Only you can answer that. It's all about risk assessment. My destination a few years ago was New Jersey and NYC. I felt the risk of being pulled over and searched and going to jail for a number of years was greater than the risk of a carjacking or mugging. So I left the handgun at home and yes I felt naked. But nothing happened so all's well that ends well. Learn how to use a cane and take that.

 

[Blue Thunder]

It is all about the destination you are going to. I have been to NYC 10+ times since 1996 and have walked some areas that some folks consider not the best, but have never had any issues at all. A good portion of this is how you carry yourself and how you are dressed. With your head on a swivel you can keep a lookout for things around yourself. I only fly to/from New England and NYC so guns are out of the question.
Stay safe in your travels.

 

[hso]

What states will you travel through?

 

[oneounceload]

My destination a few years ago was New Jersey and NYC. I felt the risk of being pulled over and searched and going to jail for a number of years was greater than the risk of a carjacking or mugging.

You have the risks backwards

As to what states he is going through - to get to Maine - you either go through NY to VT and NH to ME or from Long Island via ferry to CT, RI, MA, NH to ME.

Did this a few years ago and never was worried about being pulled over - didn't drive fast or erratic, stayed off most of the major interstates and parkways (the drives are nicer that way anyway), and got to Maine but missed of the lobster shacks as they were already closed by mid-October. Still a nice drive - 4000 miles in 10 days. No hassles, no tickets, no worries.

 

[fireman 9731]

I'm not sure of the exact route (the wife planned it) but I know we will be in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania at least.

Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New Hampshire have reciprocity with Kentucky for concealed carry permits. The rest are basically no carry, no loaded firearms in a car/locked case/ammo stored separately states.

 

[Midwest]

I would avoid going through New Jersey and whatever you do. Don't stop in that state even for gas and forget about getting a motel room in that state with a pistol. Even NJ residents have to make direct routes from the store where bought their pistol to their house. Then they are allowed to go from their house to the gun range and directly back to their house when transporting a pistol. There are no gun rights in that state, only exemptions.

NY State it is illegal to have a pistol in that state without a NY state issued permit since 1911. Even if someone is moving to New York State, they cannot bring their pistol with them until they applied for their permit and then they have to go through the FFL. Remember the governor of that fine state essentially told law abiding gun owners to go to hell if they didn't like him ramrodding the SAFE ACT into law.

And if you think NY and NJ are bad...you ain't seen nothing yet.

And don't drive through Maryland either. Remember that gentleman from Florida who didn't even have a pistol on him had is car torn apart. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...-maryland-cops-target-them-for-traf/?page=all

“My wife’s hysterical, shaking and crying,” Mr. Filippidis recalled in an interview with The Washington Times. “I don’t have a criminal record. I own a business. I’m a family man, and I tried to explain that to [the officer]. But he had a bad attitude, didn’t want to hear my story. He just wanted to find that gun and take me away from my family. That was his goal, but he couldn’t do it, because I didn’t have a gun, like I told him.”


FOPA is supposed to protect you in Maryland, New Jersey and New York State. And it just may after you get arrested and use FOPA as a valid defense at your trial many $1000's later in lawyer fees plus thousands in bail money...if you can get bail. Me personally, I would get a safety deposit box in Pennsylvania and leave the pistol there. Or don't travel there with it.

You might be better off bringing a shotgun and leaving that in the trunk when going through hostile states like NY and NJ and have a Maine hunting license to prove your need for having a shotgun in the trunk. Maybe they will let you off with a warning and impound the shotgun instead of going to trial.

Just be careful and good luck.........
.

 

[Vonderek]

Despite what <deleted> says, avoid MD, NY & NJ on your way up. If you're passing through, it's not that a big deal....unless you get pulled over.

 

[627PCFan]

My rules when I do go up? I fly into Maine or Nh and I don't leave

 

[Reloadron]

NYC born and raised once a year my wife and I head back to NY and spend a week in NY and NJ. That is one of our trips when I do not bring along a gun and really never have seen a need to. Only once when a nut was trying to break down a motel room door opposite ours did I wish the heck I had my gun and even that time the police responded quickly to the lunatic in the hallway. Anyway, NY and NJ I will not drag a gun along. Odds are nothing would ever happen or come of it but I simply choose not to drag a gun along. Something goes wrong and NY or NJ will make your life a living hell. You can avoid NJ and end up going through upstate NY but still NY is NY. There is no easy way to get from KY to Maine without passing through some of NY. Not without passing through some of Canada, Eh!

Ron

 

[glennv]

So as far as RI goes, you'd be better off if you locked the gun in the truck with the ammo separate. The good news is it's a 35 minute trip to get from on end of the state to the other. Just don't stop in Providence, Pawtucket, or Central Falls (the last three cities before you hit the MA border) and you'll be OK. If you need to stop half way, get off at either exit 6 or 7 off of I-95 and there are plenty of places to eat and shop. Very low crime area, where I live.

MA is a nightmare without a nonresident permit. In some municipalities they don't care what the FOPA says either.

 

[Frank Ettin]

...MA is a nightmare without a nonresident permit. In some municipalities they don't care what the FOPA says either. ...

Remember also that the FOPA protects you only if you are just passing through. If you're planning to spend any time in New York or Massachusetts, the FOPA wouldn't apply.

You might want to look into Massachusetts and Maine non-resident permits. But you're sunk as far as New York (and New Jersey) go.

 

[RunninLate]

I live in GA and visit my son in Maryland a couple times a year. I called the Maryland State police and asked about having a hand gun in the car. They said that if the magazine did not have more than a 10 rounds the gun would be legal in the state. She also said that the gun needs to be in a complete different place than the UNLOADED magazine. She suggested the glove compartment and the trunk. That would be hard to do in a SUV.

Lucky I have only to go about 45 miles in Maryland until I get to his house.

The last time I did a long trip without a gun was a motorcycle trip to Canada. Even thought about renting a safety deposit box somewhere and lock it up while in Canada.

 

[Pete D.]

risk

I felt the risk of being pulled over and searched and going to jail for a number of years was greater..... /QUOTE]
I have read this kind of comment before and do not understand the fear>
Pulled over and searched??? Why? What would you be doing that a police officer or trooper would a) pull you over and b) search your car?
Pete

 

[jrmiddleton425]

Bring a shotgun, if you feel you must. Almost everyone has one up here.

Up to 7 rounds in the magazine tube is legal, just make sure there is no ammunition IN the gun while you're driving

I've lived in NYS all my life...frankly you aren't going to get mugged around every corner. The caveat to this, is avoid driving through Syracuse (or any of the larger cities really) if you're not familiar with it.

Ten minutes' drive from any of the cities, though, is nothing but corn and bean fields.

Don't let it get to you. Armed or not, ENJOY THE RIDE!

 

[Frank Ettin]

...Bring a shotgun, if you feel you must. Almost everyone has one up here....

And are you sure that it's legal in New York State for a non-resident to have a shotgun? I've heard that said, but have never seen anything really authoritative to that effect.

Also, since the OP will be in Massachusetts as well, Massachusetts law is also an issue.

 

[Frank Ettin]

Note: This thread is about legally traveling with guns in the Northeast. Any suggestion that it would be okay to travel illegally with guns is inappropriate on THR. A few posts have already been deleted.

If you travel, or have traveled, with guns illegally; or if you think it's okay to travel with guns illegally because you won't get caught, we don't need to know.

 

[Tinpig]

I would not bring a handgun into Massachusetts without a resident or non-resident permit.

I have a MA LTC, and I carry here because I can, but am not afraid not to carry when the circumstances dictate it. I visit RI, ME, NH, and VT frequently without carrying and without fear.

Find out where not to go and when not to go there. In my experience (71 years) this only involves the seedier parts of cities. You'll find rural people in the New England states as friendly as anywhere else in the country. It's a beautiful time of year to be here, despite the hurricanes.

Tinpig

 

[jrmiddleton425]

Frank, a hunting license would cover transportation through NYS, of any legal implement for any open season, and they can be bought over the counter here, but if he's going through Mass., that's its' own problem, which renders compliance in NY a moot point.

I'll admit that my mind wasn't working the same way as the OP...being FROM NYS, two things happen:

1.) the questions other people have don't occur to me as a problem, because I can shrug and say "they let you get away with this" and that doesn't mean a whole lot to someone who doesn't know that.

2.)It also wouldn't occur to me to go through MA, CT, etc, to get to VT, NH and ME, and left me scratching my head for a minute why someone would add 300 miles or so to their trip.

But you're right. MA and CT will present their own legal problems, that may not have the same work-around they do in NY.

 

[Frank Ettin]

...I can shrug and say "they let you get away with this" and that doesn't mean a whole lot to someone who doesn't know that....

It's also beside the point, irrelevant and not really very helpful.

Law enforcement often has some discretion, and may, in a particular locality, have a history of exercising that discretion in ways we might think are favorable. However --

1. There's a difference between getting away with doing something which is actually illegal and doing something in a way that is legal. Here at THR, our focus is helping people understand what is legal and how to do things in ways that are in full compliance with the law.
   
   
2. Exercises of discretion by law enforcement can be a sometimes or uncertain thing. The LEO who stops you might not have gotten the memo or might be having a bad day; or the agency policy might have changed. If you do something illegal, you can not necessarily count on not getting arrested for it -- even if local law enforcement has a past history of letting it slide. As they say in the investment business, "Past performance is no guarantee of future results."

 

[Midwest]

The shortest distance through New York State might very be I-84 from PA to CT, a very scenic route this time of year.

You will go over the Newburg/Beacon bridge over the Hudson River and totally avoid going through NYC. While you still have to pass through CT and MA. You also totally avoid going through New Jersey.

Get on to I-70 in Ohio

I-70---East....Ohio to PA
I-76---East....PA to Carlisle PA
I-81---North...Carlisle PA to Scranton PA
I-84---East....Scranton to Port Jervis NY
I-84---East....Port Jervis NY and then to Danbury CT
I-84---East....Danbury CT to Hartford CT
I-84---North...Hartford CT to Sturbridge MA
I-90---North....Sturbridge MA to Westborough MA
I-495--North....Westbough MA to Amesbury MA
I-95---North....Amesbury MA to NH and up into to Maine

Good Luck
.

 

[TimSr]

And why are you getting pulled over? Drive and act normally.

Have you never been pulled over when you had no idea why they were doing so?

While traffic stops can happen at any time for little reason, there is rarely any "probable cause" for a search. The biggest mistake people make is thinking they have to voluntarily consent to one because they think they are doing nothing wrong. It is rarely a good idea to voluntarily consent to a search where the only purpose is to find smething to use against you. Refusing to answer whether you are in possession of a gun does not constitute probable cause for a search in most cases.

 

[TheVision]

... Connecticut ...

With very few exceptions, you will need a pistol permit to transport in Connecticut. You can obtain a non-resident permit from the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. (While the law is "may issue," the permits are handled more like a "shall issue" state. There is an independent board that hears issues such as denials.)

Also note that you will need to verify that the handgun is not an assault weapon (i.e. threaded barrel, large capacity magazines, magazines that don't load into the grip, or don't seat flush with the grip, etc.) and is legal to possess in the state.

To posters that ask "why would you get pulled over?", there was a high profile case recently (covered several times in this forum) where a resident, legally transporting his weapons, was in a car accident. The police noticed the weapons, and he spent the next two years in prison until his sentence was overturned on Second Amendment claims.

 

[Zeeemu]

edit

 

[highlander 5]

Under Ma law even a fired 22 case can get you jammed up. Me and NH don't require a permit to possess a firearm so bring shotgun. NH is easy for a CCW copy of your permit and $100 shall issue,Me I have to admit I unfamiliar with the procees. Ma non resident don't waste your time once you apply you have to go to the Dept. of Public Safety to be interviewed in person and no guarantee you'll get the permit plus IF you get it it's only good for CC if you needed ammo you can't buy it with a non resident permit. If I may make a suggestion why not get a can of pepper spray that should be legal to carry in most if not all the states you'll be traveling thru even Ma.