Driving to & Visiting In CT & MD From Texas

[gamboolman]

The wife and I are planning a extended Poker road trip from Houston, Texas taking a convoluted path up North eventually ending up to Connecticut and Maryland playing the pokerz along the way. We have 3 or 4 months to enjoy the country besides playing cards.

Both the wife and I are of course normal Texans and have our CHL's.

When we get up North to the Yankee states that Texas does not have reciprocity with - Please advise what we should do with our pistols?

We have Gunvault Gun Safes that we carry on Road Trips for Hotel rooms. Will be OK and Legal if we put our pistols in one safe and our ammo in another and have both secured in the trunk of the car for states that Texas does not reciprocity with?

Thanks to all for their help and assistance.

gamboolman....

[CC Italian]

Bottom line, check every state you are going to drive through. I am originally from the northeast and I am glad I call Texas home. Once you get North of Virginia things change quick. Check state laws in Jersey, NY, Connecticut and any other New England state you drive through. Also, I am pretty sure many of those states have a 10 round limit of mags so make sure you are compliant.http://www.handgunlaw.us/ Check this website out. Look under rv/car carry because that applies to you more. Also, many hotels could have signage baring you from bringing your firearms in the hotel.

Best of luck

P.S Also, watch out with cities with handgun bans or restrictions.

[rc-mike]

When I lived in NY (State, not the city) you had to have a permit just to own a pistol. If you PCSed in, the military base there would store your handguns in the armory and you could not get them out until you were licensed (much more difficult) or PCSed again. Not sure if that's changed, but like the previous poster said, check all state laws carefully.

-Mike-

[baldeagle]

Do everything in your power to not draw the attention of police, and lie when they ask you if you have any weapons. Refuse to allow them to search your vehicle without a warrant. New York and New Jersey ignore the federal laws on traveling with weapons and will arrest you anyway. Or leave your guns at home. And while you're at it ask yourself why you are crazy enough to visit Tyranistan anyway.

[Jumping Frog]

Do everything in your power to not draw the attention of police, and lie when they ask you if you have any weapons.

They have databases tying CHL registries from other states to license plate numbers. That is how Maryland seems to consistently pop out of state CHL's. Remember John Filippidis of Florida getting searched? I've seen a subsequent article somewhere (that I can't find right now) that stated MD does actually have such a concealed carry database that was built using Department of Homeland Security funding and technology.

As for me, I would never under any circumstances drive through MD, NJ, NY, CT, RI, or MA with any firearms in the car. That means under normal circumstances I simply would not drive to those states. Under extraordinary circumstances, I have heard of people driving most of the way and then leaving their guns with a bordering state FFL (for example VA before entering MD, or PA before entering NJ.)

[Oldgringo]

Your Texas license plate is an anti-gun magnet. If you want to spend your time and money in states that hate your guns and, by extension, hate you, I suggest that you, ".....leave your gun at home son, don't take your gun to town....".

[doncb]

Do everything in your power to not draw the attention of police, and lie when they ask you if you have any weapons.

They have databases tying CHL registries from other states to license plate numbers. That is how Maryland seems to consistently pop out of state CHL's. Remember John Filippidis of Florida getting searched? I've seen a subsequent article somewhere (that I can't find right now) that stated MD does actually have such a concealed carry database that was built using Department of Homeland Security funding and technology.

As for me, I would never under any circumstances drive through MD, NJ, NY, CT, RI, or MA with any firearms in the car. That means under normal circumstances I simply would not drive to those states. Under extraordinary circumstances, I have heard of people driving most of the way and then leaving their guns with a bordering state FFL (for example VA before entering MD, or PA before entering NJ.)

From what I understand, there is no way to tie a license plate number to your CHL. A system like that would be less than useless. For example, the car I drive is a company owned vehicle in no way tied to me. I can use it on personal business, even driving it on vacations.

[K.Mooneyham]

Your Texas license plate is an anti-gun magnet. If you want to spend your time and money in states that hate your guns and, by extension, hate you, I suggest that you, ".....leave your gun at home son, don't take your gun to town....".

I'm with you on this one, Oldgringo. The Texas plate will be enough for some police up there to stop them.

[Jumping Frog]

Don't kid yourself. Although the CHL is tied to the driver license in Texas and not directly to the license plate number, it is a trivial exercise to create the database links between car registration records and driver license, and thus CHL.

Just because most law enforcement data systems in Texas do not explicitly make that link does not mean that it cannot be done.

In Ohio, for example, different local police forces use varying competitive brands of in car terminals. Some police forces enter the license plate number and it comes back with CHL status, while other police forces have to enter the inquiry based on the driver license. This is a software issue.

The point you made about a CHL driving a car that is not registered to them is valid. They cannot link your CHL to your employer's vehicle. However, do not extrapolate that to a vehicle that is registered to the CHL.

This would present an interesting angle on driving through Maryland or similar states: drive a rental car for the trip!

[Weg]

I drove to Maine in October , once I got to the border of Virginia and Maryland, I pulled the slide off my glock, locked it in a handgun case, locked the unloaded mag ( 10 round) in another case, and locked the ammo in another, did the same thing with my Garand (pulled the trigger group). I then put all of this in my locked cross bed tool box. I never got off the interstate except in Pennsylvania to sleep and fuel up. I did undo it all and take the glock loaded into my hotel room, i'm sure I broke some law on that, but was not staying in a hotel in Scranton without my gun. I even saved the info to a 3-gun match that was going to be held in Hampden Maine the weekend after I arrived, which I intended to participate in. I never got pulled over, but if I did and they asked, I would have told them about the guns. I may not have beat a ride if the officer was a zealot, but i'm confident I would have beat the rap.

[winters]

i know all we hear about on tv is the bad stuff. But i still wouldnt chance it through the NE states. they just cant be trusted at all.

im going to dc soon to see my sister and i make sure my luggage doesnt have any bullets,spent shell casing or anything.I dont even use my range bag to travel. I have been told they are not looking for gun powder with there sniffer machine though.

[ScottDLS]

i know all we hear about on tv is the bad stuff. But i still wouldnt chance it through the NE states. they just cant be trusted at all.

im going to dc soon to see my sister and i make sure my luggage doesnt have any bullets,spent shell casing or anything.I dont even use my range bag to travel. I have been told they are not looking for gun powder with there sniffer machine though.

I got a valid non-resident Connecticut pistol license for just this reason. So at least if I get stopped in CT I have a valid license. MD, NJ, I'd just have to rely on FOPA and have it locked up in the trunk separate from the ammo.

[gamboolman]

Thanks to all for their replies and advice. We are rethinking this road trip as we prefer to take our pistols with us when traveling, and we want to comply with the law.

It is disappointing that some of the states are so anti CHL.

We will likely do a sight seeing & poker road trip based on states that have Reciprocity with Texas.

Thanks, gamboolman

[Oldgringo]

Thanks to all for their replies and advice. We are rethinking this road trip as we prefer to take our pistols with us when traveling, and we want to comply with the law.

It is disappointing that some of the states are so anti CHL.

We will likely do a sight seeing & poker road trip based on states that have Reciprocity with Texas........
Thanks, gamboolman

I don't know about poker but the mountain west states offer nice sights and they do recognize Texas' CHLs.

Safe travels....

[CC Italian]

Go west young man!