Can I travel in the Northeast with a firearm? (DC vacation planned)

[Slalom.45]

Ladies and Gents in the Northeast.

My family and I will be driving from Louisiana to DC for vacation this fall. We have hotel stays in New Jersey, Virginia, and D.C. Will be driving through Maryland as well but no overnight stay.

I understand that once we hit these areas concealed carry is out of the question. My question is can I stay in the listed states overnight with a pistol locked in a case in the back of the Suburban, or will I be a felon if pulled over for speeding, etc.? I have gone through the concealed carry app on my phone, but in truth I don't understand if I can or can't. It would be far easier to not bring anything, but I hate to not even have an option or the ability to carry when in friendly states.

Lastly. I'm looking for advice from people who live and travel in the region. I can find the states web sites myself, but as mentioned the legal jargon is very unclear to me.

Thanks in advance...

[Lon]

Ladies and Gents in the Northeast.

My family and I will be driving from Louisiana to DC for vacation this fall. We have hotel stays in New Jersey, Virginia, and D.C. Will be driving through Maryland as well but no overnight stay.

I understand that once we hit these areas concealed carry is out of the question. My question is can I stay in the listed states overnight with a pistol locked in a case in the back of the Suburban, or will I be a felon if pulled over for speeding, etc.? I have gone through the concealed carry app on my phone, but in truth I don't understand if I can or can't. It would be far easier to not bring anything, but I hate to not even have an option or the ability to carry when in friendly states.

Lastly. I'm looking for advice from people who live and travel in the region. I can find the states web sites myself, but as mentioned the legal jargon is very unclear to me.

Thanks in advance...

Rethink your decision to stay in NJ. Nothing good will come from that if you have to deal with LE there in any way and you have firearms.

[45dotACP]

Yeah, NJ loves to arrest people who so much as stop at a gas station in their state with a legally transported gun.

I'd avoid even spending gas money in that state if at all possible.

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[5pins]

Don't stay in DC either. Find a hotel in VA instead.

[Lon]

+1 to stay in VA. The Metro makes it relatively easy to get from there to D.C.

[RoyGBiv]

http://handgunlaw.us/states/newjersey.pdf

From the bottom of page 5...


he law says you must have a FPIC or NJ Carry Permit to even transport firearms in NJ

Also... lots of banned weapons in NJ...

http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/info/pdf/firearms/062408_title13ch54.pdf

I would not transport a firearm through NJ. Not even on a bet.
If you are driving from VA to NH, FOPA protections apply in NJ, but you may still take the ride.
And if you overnight in NJ, FOPA doesn't apply.

This is my OPINION. Not legal advice as I am not a lawyer.

[Grey]

As others have said DC will arrest You over ammo, be careful going into the district Make sure You have No offending items. Keep it in va

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[Kyle Reese]

I'd seriously rethink entering D.C, Maryland or New Jersey with firearms or ammunition. While Maryland is (by far) the most permissive of the three, they're pretty strict on the possession and transport of handguns.

Stick to Virginia or West Virginia. Both are gun friendly and there's a lot to see and do. I like to spend my money in pro-gun states.

[TGS]

If you stay overnight in NJ with a firearm, you will be committing a state felony.

If you stop for gas in NJ, the language on "intermediate stops" is vague and you will likely be arrested.

[RevolverRob]

Short answer is No. Long answer is if you want to get arrested.

Drive to VA, take metro to visit DC. Skip NJ, Maryland, and all points north of DC.

[Peally]

Freedom was born in the East, and freedom was beaten the fuck to death in the East. If I can ever help it I'll never visit those states.

[okie john]

Not that long ago, we had a thread about a guy who was driving through one of the states you mentioned, perhaps Maryland. He had a valid CCW from his home state but did not have a weapon. He got pulled over for a minor traffic issue but when the LEOs there realized that he had a carry permit, they detained him for several hours while they went through his car looking for the piece that he didn't have.

I'd seriously consider re-routing a trip to avoid places like that.


Okie John

[Slalom.45]

Okay. You guys have confirmed what I thought. Haven't traveled naked in the US in some time and the thought of it feels weird. Survived Europe this summer so I guess we'll live through this as well.

It is really ridiculous. I'm just a normal dude, medical professional, USPSA competitor, concealed carrier, and family guy with absolutely no legal issue of any sort in my past. Being from the southern USA I don't normally worry about any interstate travel issues in this region. I've never traveled to the northeast, but we homeschool and are doing the historical thing of DC and surrounding area. I started looking at all the laws for those states and realized again why I've never really wanted to visit.

Idaho last summer was much more my speed! No issues at the airport there at all. My kind of folks....

[Peally]

Welcome to the other America.

[Kyle Reese]

Okay. You guys have confirmed what I thought. Haven't traveled naked in the US in some time and the thought of it feels weird. Survived Europe this summer so I guess we'll live through this as well.

It is really ridiculous. I'm just a normal dude, medical professional, USPSA competitor, concealed carrier, and family guy with absolutely no legal issue of any sort in my past. Being from the southern USA I don't normally worry about any interstate travel issues in this region. I've never traveled to the northeast, but we homeschool and are doing the historical thing of DC and surrounding area. I started looking at all the laws for those states and realized again why I've never really wanted to visit.

Idaho last summer was much more my speed! No issues at the airport there at all. My kind of folks....

If you do decide to come up to Virginia, drop me a PM.

Elite Shooting Sports (https://www.eliteshootingsports.com/) is definitely worth checking out.

West Virginia (https://gotowv.com/#/gallery/recent) is lovely in the fall, and the state is very pro-gun.

[RoyGBiv]

Skip NJ, Maryland, and all points north of DC.

NH, VT and Maine all have permitless carry.

[jc000]

Virginia is the NE? [snorts]

[5pins]

NH, VT and Maine all have permitless carry.

As does West Virginia.

[Duelist]

Virginia is the NE? [snorts]

Guess that depends on where you are...

If you live where it never snows? Yeah, maybe.

[LSP552]

If you stay overnight in NJ with a firearm, you will be committing a state felony.

If you stop for gas in NJ, the language on "intermediate stops" is vague and you will likely be arrested.

I'm covered under LEOSA but when I relocated to East Greenwich, RI last week, I went around NJ just because I had a bunch of other leagally carrried guns of all flavors locked in the bed of the truck. Too many horror stories of ignoring Fed law allowing interstate transportation of legal firearms.

[Mitchell, Esq.]

I'm covered under LEOSA but when I relocated to East Greenwich, RI last week, I went around NJ just because I had a bunch of other leagally carrried guns of all flavors locked in the bed of the truck. Too many horror stories of ignoring Fed law allowing interstate transportation of legal firearms.

It isn't that they ignore it...just that federal law doesn't apply in places that aren't America.

[Bobcat]

An option would be to drop off your guns at a gun shop in VA for cleaning, picking them up after you come back from occupied territories.
I live about 15 miles from the NJ border and avoid that state while carrying. Totally.

[frozentundra]

DC is a must for anybody who cares about American history. Seeing the Charters of Freedom is hard to describe. The Lincoln Memorial was a surprisingly powerful experience for me. I don't usually consider myself too sentimental or emotional, but DC is something else.

As suggested before, you can stay in Virginia along the metro line and travel in from there. That is how I handled the situation. I wouldn't want to bother with the DC traffic anyway.

I was told by some locals that it's better to visit on the weekend, because most government employees are off work and it makes moving around via public transportation easier. Less of a zoo.

The best advice I could possibly give anybody visiting DC is to schedule more time than you think you'll need. Whatever you do, don't cut yourself short and try to see it in a hurry. Go slow and let it soak in. You'll regret it if you don't.

[SJC3081]

Get a secure lock box, and keep your mouth shut. Police will need a warrant to break open the lock box and don't give them PC by admitting your firearm possession.

[walker2713]

Get a secure lock box, and keep your mouth shut. Police will need a warrant to break open the lock box and don't give them PC by admitting your firearm possession.

Even if you're right, and ultimately prevail in that kind of dispute, is it worth the time lost, aggravation and potential legals costs involved?

Better just skip those shitholes entirely.

[TGS]

Get a secure lock box, and keep your mouth shut. Police will need a warrant to break open the lock box and don't give them PC by admitting your firearm possession.

I'm under the impression that the NJ AG treats firearms lock boxes as PC that there's a firearm in the car.

If they see it, they can hold him and get a telephonic warrant, or arrest him and work it out the next day. At the very least it gives them RS to conduct a protective sweep of the vehicle.

In NJ. According to the state constitution firearms are illegal to possess, and citizens can only have them through exceptions. If an officer has RS that you simply have a firearm, on that alone then he has RS that crime is afoot which changes things from most of the US.

I'm sure I butchered some of that, but that's how it's been explained to me by local NJ cops.

[Peally]

DC is a must for anybody who cares about American history.

I love US history, and I'll take a hard pass on ever visiting DC.

Or New Jersey. Fuck New Jersey.

[LtDave]

Even if you are retired LE carrying under LEOSA you have to be careful. DC only allows 10 round mags and you can only carry one spare 10 rounder. I had no issues with carrying in several Smithsonian venues a couple of years ago, just informed the folks at the metal detectors.

Without LEOSA, I wouldn't even think of carrying weapons around any of those places.

[Kyle Reese]

I'm under the impression that the NJ AG treats firearms lock boxes as PC that there's a firearm in the car.

If they see it, they can hold him and get a telephonic warrant, or arrest him and work it out the next day. At the very least it gives them RS to conduct a protective sweep of the vehicle.

In NJ. According to the state constitution firearms are illegal to possess, and citizens can only have them through exceptions. If an officer has RS that you simply have a firearm, on that alone then he has RS that crime is afoot which changes things from most of the US.

I'm sure I butchered some of that, but that's how it's been explained to me by local NJ cops.

What if, just for the sake of argument, said firearms lock box was empty? [emoji3]


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[NEPAKevin]

I live about 15 miles from the NJ border and avoid that state while carrying. Totally.

This. I think I have willingly traveled across the Delaware River twice in the past twenty years and it took more time to clean out my truck of garden state contraband than I actually was physically in NJ. I say willingly as I once broke down near Philadelphia and the driver that towed me back home went into the PRNJ "because it's a short cut" unbeknownst to me until I asked him whereTF we were when I didn't recognize any of the town names. I decided the best course of action was to resume my normal antisocial posture, not leave the passenger seat, and keep the bad thoughts I was having about said driver to my self.

[psalms144.1]

Everything has already been covered, but I'll reiterate some points:

1. DON'T drive into DC. It's a wretched, fucked up horrible place to drive, and parking is an unholy nightmare. Stay in VA, secure your weapon in your vehicle or the hotel if you trust their room safe, and take the Metro.

2. DON'T cross the border into NJ on a bet with a firearm. I'm an active Federal LEO, and I've had NJ LEOs state that my partner agents shouldn't be carrying firearms off duty - because NJ. Fuck that hole state.

3. DON'T cross into any of the five boroughs of NYC or onto Long Island with a firearm unless you are covered under HR 218.

Having said all that, DC is a must do for everyone, IMHO. The history, monuments and museums are worth the ass pain.

I live 45 miles from Manhattan, and I don't go there, EVER, unless I HAVE TO for work purposes. It's a completely insane place, and the political environment makes my stomach turn.

There's lots of beautiful things to see and fun things to do in other parts of the NE - VT, NH and ME are all exceptional.

[Jaywalker]

Back in the Nineties I went through NY state just to avoid Massachusetts to get to Maine. Risky, but still... Coming back the same way wife wanted to visit Canada, so I dropped my pistol off with the security police on Plattsburg Air Force Base. We went to Canada for an hour. Came back and the SPs wouldn't give me my pistol back unless I had a carry permit, and wouldn't listen to my argument that I wasn't carrying it on my person, it was in the trunk. I finally found a guy there in the KC-135 squadron that I'd flown with who knew the SP squadron commander and he got it back for me. I asked the surly guard who didn't want to give it to me to put in in an ammo box and seal it with lead wire, which then went in the trunk. We then beelined out of Plattsburg 90° to the best direction to Virginia on the assumption that the surly guard may have been pissed enough to tip off the state police. And I was an active duty officer at the time. So, no, we don't go northeast anymore.