Here's a summary of the federal law on interstate transportation of firearms from the NRA / ILA website.mr.72 wrote:We are helping a friend move up to the Baltimore area, and will be turning it into a "road trip" vacation on the route home visiting many New England cities. Kind of the American Revolution tour.
Looks like we are driving through states with TX CHL reciprocity up through Virginia and then MD, NY, MA, VT, NH, etc. do not have reciprocity. Looks like VT, NH are A-OK. Looks like NY, MA and MD may be real problems.
I am reading up on the laws regarding these states but it really looks like somehow any gun I have in the car for this 20-state tour is going to have to magically vanish when I get to NY, MD or MA. I don't plan on being stopped by the police but you can never know when a car accident or some other thing may result in an inadvertent search of one's car. I mean, I will have TX plates after all.
Any advice?
Thx-
FEDERAL LAW ON TRANSPORTATION OF FIREARMS
This sounds good on its face, but the rest of the document is less encouraging.A provision of federal law serves as a defense to state or local laws which would prohibit the passage of persons with firearms in interstate travel.
Notwithstanding any state or local law, a person shall be entitled to transport a firearm from any place where he may lawfully possess it to any other place where he may lawfully possess such firearm if the firearm is unloaded and in the trunk. In vehicles without a trunk, the unloaded firearm shall be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. Necessary stops, like gasoline and rest, seem permissible.
Here's a link to the full document which should get you off to a good start on figuring out how to manage your trip. There are lots of caveats and apparently contradictory information on states' laws. You'll need to do some research on this, and quite likely follow up with state attorneys' general just to be sure. Unless you're a retired LEO with current certification under the Law Enforcement Safety Act of 2004, there are a number of states where transporting a handgun would be dicey to say the least.
You may want to consider storing your gun with a family member or friend in a reciprocity state and picking it up on the return trip after visiting the less friendly ones. In some areas, a local PD may do this for you as well if you make arrangements in advance.