Are you considering taking your firearm on a trip in which you cross state lines? If so, you will absolutely need to do a bit of homework on the legalities of such an excursion. Failure to do so could land you in prison for a very long time.
In case it sounds as though I’m trying to dissuade people from carrying across state lines, that might be an accurate presumption. This is a complex topic that cannot be even nearly covered in one article; it would literally take volumes due to all the state laws and red tape.
Take hard note: the information in this article may change between the time it is written and the time you read it! Do not take anything that I write here as though it is set in stone. Further, it’s possible that I might misinterpret state laws and simply get it wrong. So don’t trust me—do your own research.
The problem is that most of us aren’t lawyers, and so when reading state statutes, it’s pretty easy to get tripped up and interpret things the wrong way. The way you and I see things might not match how the court sees it.
Despite the precautions that I take when traveling interstate with firearms, I’m still on pins and needles while traveling through “hostile territory” until I reach “friendly territory.”
Resources
The USCCA website has a wealth of information regarding firearms legalities for various states. They even have a map that shows “Concealed Carry Reciprocity.” Reciprocity means that if you have a license to carry firearms in one state, some other states might honor that same license.
For instance, I live in PA. Several states will honor my license to carry. In fact, in 16 states, my license to carry is honored. In another 16 states, it is honored, but with some restrictions.
Make note of all the states that you will be traveling through and see what their requirements are for transporting weapons and ammunition. These days, the internet makes it so easy and convenient to research these topics.
Traveling with Firearms
Generally speaking—the key word being generally—if you’re taking a trip and have to travel through states that do not recognize your license to carry with reciprocity, there are some simple steps you can take. These should give you a reasonable expectation of getting there without too much drama.
- Unload all firearms.
- Lock unloaded firearms in secure containers.
- Lock ammunition in separate containers.
- Place them all in the trunk of your vehicle and lock it.
Your mission is to make the firearms appear to be as non-threatening as possible. And you, the owner, should appear as law-abiding and as reasonable as you humanly can.
A good start is to take off the bumper stickers from your vehicle. You know the ones I’m talking about. Driving through New York City with bumper stickers that say, “NRA”, or “Black Rifles Matter” (Complete with an outline of an AR-15), and other such rolling advertisements that indicate you are a foaming-at-the-mouth Second Amendment advocate will not help your cause. If a police officer is behind you, he may just decide to pull you over and see if you have any of the advertised items on board.
Is that legal? That’s irrelevant. If you happen to find yourself in handcuffs, you have now entered the legal system, which is not good. You’ll require a lawyer, which will cost a mountain of money. Beyond that, you might be locked up in county jail for a time. Even if you just spend one night there, that’s one night too many!
The bottom line is to make your vehicle look as normal and unremarkable as possible. I get it, I used to do the bumper sticker/window sticker thing myself. I love seeing vehicles advertising products and ideas that I hold dear on the roadways. Seeing another vehicle plastered with gun stickers is cool, and I think to myself, “He’s one of us!”
Such things, though, can bring trouble, and I avoid such displays these days. You should too.
Merely unloading your pistol and throwing it into the glove box will not be enough if you don’t have a valid permit for that particular state. But don’t take my word for it. Check out the transportation laws in every state that you plan on traveling through. Most are going to tell you that the firearms need to be inaccessible and secured.
If there is no trunk to lock them in, such as in the case of an SUV or hatchback, place them as far back in the vehicle as you can. If there is a compartment to lock them in or place them in that is out of sight, use that. If you’re on vacation and have a ton of luggage in the back, place it underneath all of that.
Just as you have the firearm(s) locked in a case, do the same with the ammunition and magazines.
Your Destination
Before arriving, ensure that you can legally possess the firearm(s) at your destination. For example, if I were traveling to New Jersey, I would not take an AR-15 or my Glock 19X. They are considered to be “Assault Weapons” due to their standard capacity magazines, pistol grips, and other features. As such, they are completely banned there.
Handguns such as revolvers or those with magazine capacities of 10 rounds or less would be more appropriate for such a locality. In fact, just to be on the safe side, it’s best to travel with weapons that hold 10 rounds or less, as that seems to be the legal cutoff for banned weapons. The Glock 43X works well for this with its 10-round magazines.
Another good pistol would be the Smith & Wesson CSX because it too has 10-round magazines available for it.
Hollow Points
Red tape, followed by more red tape. Certain states, such as New Jersey, frown upon hollow point ammunition. People cannot carry it in their firearms unless they are engaged in hunting or target practice at a range. Police, certain security, military, and a few others who are exempted may possess this type of ammunition. Homeowners can possess hollow point rounds, but most people can’t walk around with them if they carry concealed. Not that many people in NJ carry concealed; it’s nearly impossible to get a license to do so.
New York is also not fond of hollow points. However, the vast majority of people there are not going to have a license to carry firearms, so it’s almost a moot point, as in New Jersey.
For jurisdictions that do not permit hollow point ammunition, there is ammunition out there that performs well and does not have that evil hollow point. Hornady’s Critical Defense Ammunition comes to mind. From what I understand, it performs fairly well in ballistics gelatin and is, beyond the shadow of a doubt, far more effective than stuffing your magazines with full metal jacket (FMJ) ammunition.
The Final Word
The very best advice that I can offer you when crossing state lines is to do your research on the legalities for the state(s) that you’ll be going to or passing through. If I’ve done nothing more than impart the importance of doing your own research in this article, then I’ve done my job. Find out what they require and then follow it, as best you can decipher, to a tee. Don’t take shortcuts, because that could cost you your freedom. Regardless of whether we agree with the gun laws or not, we still must be cognizant of them to safeguard our well-being.
