Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

My wife and I will be taking a trip up to PA and since PA has reciprocity for our CHP I would like to carry while there. But of course, Maryland is in the way. So I was thinking of having my gun unloaded and locked up in the trunk with ammo separate, "transport mode" which is protected under federal law 18 U.S. Code § 926A if I'm not mistaken, until in PA then load up and carry. Anyone have any experience transporting firearms through Maryland? Or know of any restriction to my idea that I'm not aware of? The thing that comes to mind is that story a few months back of that guy from Florida that wasnt even carrying or had one in the car but got pulled over and harassed by that Maryland cop

Couldnt tell ya but if i had to go thru md,i would go thru on i-81,shortest way thru


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I used to live in that socialist state. As you said, in the trunk unloaded in an enclosed bag or case and you will be good to go.

dont get pulled over, and if you do, for whatever reason, NEVER consent to a search. period. you have absolutely no duty or reason to blurt out 'IM TRANSPORTING A PISTOL' if youre getting a speeding ticket.

there is a very small chance youll get hassled. that being said, when i was traveling to VA from NJ house searching, i specifically took the eastern shore route, just for the fact that i only had 40 miles of md to go through.

Iirc,i-81 is like 5 or 6 miles or so


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The shortest route through MD is Rt 522 from Winchester.
Depends on where you are going in PA.
522 through MD is only about 3 miles and takes about 4 minutes.

Groovy,thanks


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smltooner wrote:The shortest route through MD is Rt 522 from Winchester.
Depends on where you are going in PA.
522 through MD is only about 3 miles and takes about 4 minutes.

That's the ONLY way I've gone through MD since I started carrying in 2004 when Ohio got concealed carry. But as was stated, it all depends where your starting and ending locations are.

Used to transport a lot into/through MD, havent been there since my friend moved to a more free state.

The problem I see now with MD and 'passing through' is, while federal law might give you the OK for moving the firearm, the accessories are not specifically exempted.

I know MD recently passed a mag capacity ban, as well as a bans on specific make/models. I'm not a lawyer, but I suspect the banned mags might give you some trouble. I do not know of any test cases where a person had exemption for the firearm under 926A, but was charged for having an excessively large magazine.

jdonovan wrote:Used to transport a lot into/through MD, havent been there since my friend moved to a more free state.

The problem I see now with MD and 'passing through' is, while federal law might give you the OK for moving the firearm, the accessories are not specifically exempted.

I know MD recently passed a mag capacity ban, as well as a bans on specific make/models. I'm not a lawyer, but I suspect the banned mags might give you some trouble. I do not know of any test cases where a person had exemption for the firearm under 926A, but was charged for having an excessively large magazine.

MD's magazine limit of 10 rounds only applies to sales and transfers within the state. A MD resident, or anyone else for that matter, can go to PA, VA or WV and buy all the 17 round pistol magazines they want and return to MD without a problem. It's OK to have em - just can't sell or transfer them within the state.

The outright ban on certain firearms such as some ARs only applies to those manufactured after October 1st of last year. However, even these would be OK by FOPA if you are engaged in interstate transport, so long as they are unloaded and properly stored in the vehicle.

MD's new restrictive gun laws affect mainly just MD residents. I would not live in MD if I had any reasonable way to avoid it. But, I shoot a fair number of pistol matches there because the new laws have almost no effect on me as a Virginia resident.

Given that the OP is from Fairfax County, the most direct route will be up 495 to 270 / 495 to 95N.

I travel through MD all the time and keep ammo and weapon separate and locked up. I also drive like an old lady to avoid any issues. If you don't get pulled over, then you don't have to worry about it.

Thanks for the info guys, gonna keep it locked up in the trunk with ammo separate and hope all goes well. Unfortunately theres no short way through MD for where I need to go in PA, heading to York county so its going to be 495/95/695/83. A nice long stretch of doing exactly the speed limit lol.

This is to be used at your own risk. I go to PA with my weapon often. I consulted with my attory. He advised me that if I have my weapon(s), mags and ammo all stored in 3 seperate locked containers and stored out of reach of the driver and passagers, I'd be fine. He also advised me that rounds in the mags was a problem.

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In the trunk or hatch where you dont have immediate access to it - unloaded, in a proper case that has some sort of lock on it.

I carry when I visit from NY and this is how I get my gun through NJ and MD.

This is the problem with some of these state gun laws I swear they leave them vague on purpose so they can use discretion and jam you up if they want.
I'm going to PA this week and can't find much conclusive info for MD and DE where reciprocity recently ended with VA

MarcSpaz wrote:He also advised me that rounds in the mags was a problem.

This used to be argued both ways quite a bit by residents, but a couple of years ago the MD Attorney General issued a statement that transporting loaded magazines was legal in MD. I don't personally know any shooters in MD who transport unloaded mags since then. Of course, all it takes is one uninformed cop to turn it into a bad day, so folks should do what they are comfortable with.

https://marylandshallissue.com/get-info ... -opinions/

ETA: I notice that interstate travel is not listed as an approved activity with section 4-203 of the criminal code, so I suppose one could argue that the Attorney General's statement does not pertain to travel under FOPA. I don't know, but it's yet another reminder of how happy I am to be on my way out of MD and to VA permanently.

EchoMirage wrote:dont get pulled over, and if you do, for whatever reason, NEVER consent to a search. period. you have absolutely no duty or reason to blurt out 'IM TRANSPORTING A PISTOL' if youre getting a speeding ticket.

there is a very small chance youll get hassled. that being said, when i was traveling to VA from NJ house searching, i specifically took the eastern shore route, just for the fact that i only had 40 miles of md to go through.

Hey echo! I'm in Bayonne moving to virginia beach va July 1st I believe you lived here to? We were on the njgunforums together.