Traveling to Maryland

[Ultimate12]

Hello everyone,
Newbie to this forum. Been lookin at some of the post and you guys have some great info. I live in South Carolina (have CWP) and will be traveling up to Maryland going through NC and Virginia. I know NC and Virginia are covered with my current CWP but I would like some better input from you guys on whether to carry or leave in vehicle. Where to carry in vehicle etc. Or simply leave it home and avoid any hassle. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kingpin008]

Concealed carry in Maryland is all but impossible, especially for non-residents. Your only option is to transport it with you, but not on you.

You can have it with you, but you're going to have to unload it (at least remove the loaded mags from the gun and remove the round from the chamber if one is present) and store them in a locked container (a plain old gun case is fine) in an area not readily accessible by you or any passengers.

Technically, you're covered by the FOPA. But there is a law in MD in regards to tranporting guns - if you're not going to or from either a range, gunshop, gunsmith, or organized shooting event, you're in violation of the law.

If you are stopped, the trooper or officer may give you trouble, but if you explain that you're traveling through you should be fine.

 

[kingpin008]

Ah, good point.

Ultimate - my best advice to you, is to either leave it home, or bring it with you but follow the advice I posted earlier. I think it'd be unlikely that you'd be hassled too much if you were pulled over and found to have a pistol in the car, but you never know. Maryland may have generally anti-gun laws, but the LEO's here are not known to be jerks like the ones in other states.

BTW - where in MD are you traveling to? Depending on the area, I might be able to recommend some good shooting spots or restaurants.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

It's easier to just strip the gun, lock the thing in a small box with a lock into the trunk and store the clips (Without ammo) in another place on trunk. And finally haul no ammuntion. Buy it wherever you get to your destination.

use I-81, 20 minutes of ho hum following the speed limit and yer through into PA or whatever.

Avoid south baltimore and between Wash DC-Baltimore and east of Frederick. Many wolfpacks operate in those areas 24/7 Oh, and stay OUT of Prince Georges County. At night, the LEO's rule that county.

that is all I have to say about that state. Maybe someday they will be free. But it will have to wait until one of the incumbants pass on or something I dont know.

 

[Ultimate12]

KingPin,
I will be in Bethesda for 2 weeks. My son has to have some tests done at the hospital there.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

God speed you on your journey. I lived in Maryland for five years. And that's all I have to say about that.

 

[JohnBT]

Good luck with your visit, they have some excellent local hospitals there, plus NIH and the Naval Medical Center. Bethesda has gotten crowded since I was in high school just up Wisconsin Ave., but it's still a great place.

John

 

[amprecon]

Just expect to hear this phrase:
могло я видеть вашу бумагу пожалуйста
"may I see your papers please"

 

[mdguy90]

If you're bringing it to MD, keep it unloaded, ammo seperate, mags unloaded.

 

[chris in va]

Commit these words to memory...

"I'm passing through officer".

BTW DC boundaries are weird. The Beltway passes through MD and DC, be aware of that.

 

[Phil Lee]

The beltway does not pass through DC.

If you have temporary accommodations in Maryland, then you can transport the gun to your new "home".

The gun must be unloaded, encased, out of reach, etc. in the car in any case.

Best make sure that gun are tolerated in your accommodations before you bring it.

Also, check with the State Police web site to make sure your handgun is not banned (certain pistols).

 

[Hungry Seagull]

I'll be darned.

MSP Web

http://www.mdsp.org/

Handguns

http://www.msp.maryland.gov/services/handgun.asp

Smith and Wesson, hunting my M&P .45 ACP

http://www.msp.maryland.gov/services/handgun_2.asp

Nope, My gun is not on that list therefore it's not legal in Maryland

 

[kingpin008]

Just expect to hear this phrase:
могло я видеть вашу бумагу пожалуйста
"may I see your papers please"

Oh come on. I love it when people who aren't from here post stuff like this. I'm not saying things aren't tough here, but we're not a damned police state for cripe's sake.

Get real.

Hungry Seagull - your M&P .45 is indeed legal here - they've got two of them for sale in my local shop.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Kingpin008, as school kids we used to stare through the bus window at the mall going field tripping to Smithsonian trying to guess which was KGB or which was a US Govt Official.

That was a long time ago.

I also recall the food under the Natural History Musuem when they had that Elephant in the Routanda some of the most outrageous pricing ever. I think apple was 3.00 each when apples would sell for .10 A POUND.

They used to call Maryland "Little America" because we had everything from Beaches all the way to the Mountains and everything in between that the rest of the USA did.

 

[tang22]

"The beltway does not pass through DC."

The beltway does in fact pass through DC when crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.


"Also, check with the State Police web site to make sure your handgun is not banned (certain pistols)."

To buy/transfer handguns in MD they must be on the state approved list, but you can own them even if they are not. MD does ban certain "assault pistols" by name, so watch out if you are bringing an UZI, or Mac10 or the like.

If your end goal is Bethesda, I would recommend checking out staying in Virginia right across the border and leaving the gun there.

 

[kingpin008]

Yeah, its sad, kingpin. As an ex-resident of Annapolis, I can attest Maryland is a most beautiful state.

It is indeed. As you mention below, Maryland is a fantastic state. We just have some idiots on board running the show at the moment.

It's jerks like the commenter above, who likely have never stepped foot in my home state yet feel entitled to trash it, that bother me. What right does anyone have to say such things, when they have no idea what happens here on a daily basis?

And that goes double for those that have lived here and since moved on. I find that those indivduals hurt us the most - they've resigned from the fight and fled, only to come back and snipe at those of us still here doing our best to restore order to things. Childish and cowardly, if you ask me.

My late, much older brother who served 6 years in the Marine Corps and was severely wounded at Guadalcanal, spent almost his entire life in the state. Although being a staunch 2A defender, he loved Maryland so much that once he settled there in 1954 he never moved. He passed on in 1987.

Thank you for your brother's service, and his sacrifice. It's greatly appreciated. I think I know why he stayed, even though he was such a staunch 2A supporter - it's because Maryland is worth fighting for. It's an amazing state, and a wonderful place to call home. There are, of course, some problems, but we're working on them as we speak.

You have a great state with some lousy politicians. But it does not stop me from returning every year. And the future looks brighter. Keep the faith.

You couldn't be more right, Sir. I (and many others) will indeed keep the faith, regardless of what some internet know-it-all's want to spew about my home. When you're back in the neighborhood, please feel free to look me up - lunch is on me.

 

[MAKster]

Bethesda, MD has one of the highest per capita household incomes in the country. Your biggest concern is not crime but those darn speed cameras. They are everywhere in Montgomery County.

 

[4Freedom]

Maryland I am sure is beautiful, but I do hear Baltimore does have a a real bad crime problem. Seems the scum from DC managed to migrate to its next door neighbor. I have a friend there I like to visit, but he is in a shady part of town. He is going to theology school in Maryland. Seeing that I cannot carry a gun with me while I am there, I think I just have to pass on visitng that city. Seeing its a liberal runned state, if I get caught, I am sure I will get to experience some of the wonderful jails Baltimore has to offer. I hate being a second class citizen who is at the mercy of thugs. However, I would like to see Maryland and the rest of the east coast one day.

 

[JohnBT]

"The beltway does in fact pass through DC when crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge."

That info is a year or three out of date. "The second bridge span was dedicated on May 15, 2008; on May 30, 2008, Inner Loop traffic was shifted onto it." The old bridge ran through 300 feet of D.C. fwiw, but they blew that one up and built new ones...

"After the completion of the Wilson Bridge project, the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia will become the joint owners of the completed bridge, and both states will exercise joint responsibility and oversight of bridge activities, maintenance and operations.[12] The District of Columbia, a jurisdiction that once had ownership rights to the 1961 Wilson Bridge span, will relinquish future ownership rights and responsibility for the new bridge.[12] Additionally, the District will grant a permanent easement to Maryland and Virginia for the portion of the bridge located within its boundaries."

 

[woof]

I grew up in western Maryland (Cumberland) long ago and it was more like western PA than the rest of Maryland. Guns were just a part of everyday life. It makes me sick now to see gun ads that read "No shipping to maryland"

 

[kingpin008]

Anyone who won't ship to MD is an idiot. Even Bud's Guns reversed their policy on not shipping to us. It's really not an issue.

 

[Kharn]

Hungry Seagull:
That's the list of handguns approved for sale in MD, you can still bring others in from out-of-state.

The ones that are banned (if you did not register before '96) are these:

AA Arms AP-9 semi-automatics
Bushmaster semi-automatic pistol; (note this is the old-school Bushmaster pistol, not an AR15 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.

The list only applies to pistols, not carbine or NFA variants.

Kharn

 

[45Badger]

You guys have a good fight. I got transferred to "Baltimore area" for work 7 years ago. Property values, schools, taxes, and gun rights drove my choice to live in Pennsyl-tucky. As a very close neighbor who flies out of BWI almost every week, my observations on MD-

1) 695/95/295/795/70 traffic- You guys need serious school reform- in Driver's Education!

2) You may be proud of your efforts/fight, but I still have to check my rights at the border. When that changes, I might move south. Until then, your state is only a hair better than Illinois. It's easier to get a CCW license in NY and much of CA state than MD!

3) We all get the gov't we deserve, and Fast Eddie Rendell is no better than MOM. Unlike MD/Baltimore (cesspool) we have kept him and Philly (more crackheads in cesspool) in check.

Back on topic-

Drive safely, close to the speed limit, and make sure your taillights work. You will have no cause to be pulled over.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Thank you Kharn.

As far as those of us who once lived in Maryland and got out, the getting out was particularly profitable for me. Vehicle tags only cost 27 dollars, no emissions testing, no nothing except a sales tax on total purchase price vehicle when you buy one. And the driver's license is only another... 40 some dollars.

My last time in Maryland getting that done was around 230 dollars all done for my CDL renewal, Tags, emissions, failed inspection repairs etc. That vehicle got sold onto auction out of state and gone.

Dont misunderstand me, I enjoy Maryland alot as I still have family up there, but each decade the numbers dwindle.

And more importantly, new languages and ethnic groups are spoken in the old neighborhoods where no one is left to recall any family. Plus the grafitti indicates to me of gangs from Latin America and such. Best to stay away and out. Particularly at night.

You can never go back home again. HOWEVER, if you are fortunate you can make it work. But not in the city.

Recent news regarding speed cameras, camera cameras, light cameras enforcement cameras etc etc etc etc infringe on my freedom. Too much like UK.

Where I am now, the only camera is that of maybe the ATM machine taking my photo if I moved cash and only maybe once a year. Alot of game cameras for sure but I leave them alone, other people own them and use em alot.

Finally but not last. Im glad they actually replaced the WW Bridge. Bout time too I say. But Ive grown accustomed to coming up past New Market and into Whites Ferry and crossing near Harpers Ferry on a quiet road, bypassing all of that DC madness traffic. And this is coming from a trucker who used to have a first job fighting traffic at odark 5 30 in the left two lanes of the Legion Bridge at 90 mph racing to get the ready mix silo at the pentagon with a group of other tankers. The first 5 to get a silo gets extra load for the day.

Speeding tickets back then were less than the profit of the extra load. Now I see that they restrict trucks to the far right two lanes where it is impossible to make any time at all.

/rant. They can have the traffic. It's durn peaceful right where I am now. In maryland I replaced brake pads once a year and tires every winter. Now I might replace brake pads every 10 years and tires ever other winter.

Finally I think the best evidence of getting out of that rat race up there is my blood pressure.

Up there I average about 160/100 and thought that was round a normal day for me. Now Im around... 120/70 if I dont have my coffee and 128/76 with coffee. I added years to my life just moving one time.

 

[tang22]

"That info is a year or three out of date. "The second bridge span was dedicated on May 15, 2008; on May 30, 2008, Inner Loop traffic was shifted onto it." The old bridge ran through 300 feet of D.C. fwiw, but they blew that one up and built new ones..."

And the new bridge STILL goes through DC.

" Additionally, the District will grant a permanent easement to Maryland and Virginia for the portion of the bridge located within its boundaries."


They are granting a permanent easement. They still own the land. When you drive on that portion of the bridge you are in DC. If DC didn't own the land that the bridge was on(well water) they wouldn't be granting an easement would they?

Yes. The beltway still goes through DC in that area.