MD Transport Laws

[barracudamuscle]

Hello,

I was a little confused on the transport laws in MD. I read the laws and it states you gun must be kept unloaded with no ammo stored directly with the firearm. Does MD consider magazines ammunition?

Case law in Kali is surprisingly better in this regards as it states as long as a loaded magazine isn't in a immediate position to be fired (aka in the mag well) it's ok.

Also I plan on being in MD on business for just over 3 months. Since I'm not planning on becoming a resident is there anything I need to worry about with regards to registering my handgun? I won't be bringing any magazine that holds over 10 rounds for any firearm.

 

[Mr H]

In short...

No mag size limit in your case
No registration
Filled magazine OK if separate from the firearm (but some ranges don't allow pre-fill)
Be careful with when you are transporting... best to be only to-from the range
Enclosed case or holster--case is recommended IMO, and as far from you as the car will allow

And welcome.

 

[swinokur]

MD AG opinion on loaded mags.

Ammo does not need to be carried separately. just not in the firearm

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

Enclosed case or holster is the law, not just recommended. Gun can't be loaded. Doesn't matter where mags and ammo are as long as not in gun.

 

[Rack&Roll]

Welcome!

And if you don't mind a little suggestion: Try not to leave your house with obvious gun boxes or cases--you just never know who will hear any gossip about that.

Same for when you leave the range. Check to make sure you are not being followed. It is the new favorite way for the Bad People to acquire firearms.

Which means not good to run errands on the way home where you stop and run into the dry cleaners, for instance...

 

[fire_medic]

Welcome!

And if you don't mind a little suggestion: Try not to leave your house with obvious gun boxes or cases--you just never know who will hear any gossip about that.

Same for when you leave the range. Check to make sure you are not being followed. It is the new favorite way for the Bad People to acquire firearms.

Which means not good to run errands on the way home where you stop and run into the dry cleaners, for instance...

This something that I have always done and wondered if MSP would consider this a "Good and Substantial" reason to get a CCW? You know to keep the guns from the bad guys.

 

[redeemed.man]

Not sure what you plan on bringing with you but Maryland doesn't treat out of state handgun owners too well (heck they don't treat resident handgun owners too well) you will have more transport leeway with a long gun. As long as the long gun is unloaded there should be no restrictions on carrying it in your vehicle (Baltimore City and maybe 1 or 2 small towns are a no go even for unloaded long gun vehicle carry). Magazines can be kept loaded but separate. I wouldn't advertise it but you should be fine with that type of set up. If you must bring a handgun be very very careful when transporting and follow all laws including traffic!

 

[1ceman]

This something that I have always done and wondered if MSP would consider this a "Good and Substantial" reason to get a CCW? You know to keep the guns from the bad guys.

according to MD, there is virtually NO "Good and Substantial" reason to own or carry.

 

[beretta_maven]

And don't expect an MSP trooper to know the law if you get stopped - I was at the local MSP barracks recently doing a transfer when a gentleman walked in and asked the trooper on duty if he had to transport his magazines unloaded - the trooper quickly told the man (incorrectly) that it was MD law that he must transport the mags unloaded.

 

[barracudamuscle]

Not sure what you plan on bringing with you but Maryland doesn't treat out of state handgun owners too well (heck they don't treat resident handgun owners too well) you will have more transport leeway with a long gun. As long as the long gun is unloaded there should be no restrictions on carrying it in your vehicle (Baltimore City and maybe 1 or 2 small towns are a no go even for unloaded long gun vehicle carry). Magazines can be kept loaded but separate. I wouldn't advertise it but you should be fine with that type of set up. If you must bring a handgun be very very careful when transporting and follow all laws including traffic!

Thanks everyone for clearing it up. I was thinking of bringing my S&W 9mm shield along with some rifles. The out of state pistol warning does concern me though.

Reading the laws I know if I were moving to MD and become a resident I'd have 90 days to register them. Not really applicable to my situation.

 

[Mr H]

PM sent

 

[Mr H]

Not sure what you plan on bringing with you but Maryland doesn't treat out of state handgun owners too well (heck they don't treat resident handgun owners too well) you will have more transport leeway with a long gun. As long as the long gun is unloaded there should be no restrictions on carrying it in your vehicle (Baltimore City and maybe 1 or 2 small towns are a no go even for unloaded long gun vehicle carry). Magazines can be kept loaded but separate. I wouldn't advertise it but you should be fine with that type of set up. If you must bring a handgun be very very careful when transporting and follow all laws including traffic!

Would you be so kind as to elaborate?

Not being a pest, but the transport conditions are, at their most basic, pretty clear (assuming FOPA coming in, and then basic to/from the range). Plus, there is no distinction in law for resident v. non-resident that I've found.

 

[redeemed.man]

Would you be so kind as to elaborate?

Not being a pest, but the transport conditions are, at their most basic, pretty clear (assuming FOPA coming in, and then basic to/from the range). Plus, there is no distinction in law for resident v. non-resident that I've found.

Perhaps my understanding of the OP's intentions is incorrect. I was under the impression he may want to "vehicle carry" if you will while he is in MD. Without a permit that can only be done with an unloaded long gun and even then there are a few places with old laws on the books forbidding it. As far as a handgun if he is not traveling to one of the allowed places under MD law then he shouldn't be transporting. I agree that just the initial transport into and out of the state will be covered by FOPA. I agree that the laws don't differ between residents and non-residents traveling through/in MD. IANAL and my opinion about how an out of stater may be treated in MD by our LEO's (state agencies in particular) is just that an opinion (based on my own observations and experiences) and should not be mistaken for legal advice or construed as a prediction of what would happen to the OP in a traffic stop. My apologies to all if anyone believed me to be giving legal advice.

 

[barracudamuscle]

Bound,

Thanks for replying, first off I know anything on the internet is subjective and many of times easily misunderstood on both parties.

I'm only planning on transporting my weapons when going to the range. I will be flying into BWI airport so I still have to research transporting a pistol and possible a little .22 ammo in my check bag all the way down to Lexington park while ensuring I avoid DC jurisdiction.

Once again, thank you to everyone for their input! Just like the laws in Kali, it isn't always black and white and a lot of times the real world experiences differ from law and the police don't know the laws either.

 

[redeemed.man]

Bound,

Thanks for replying, first off I know anything on the internet is subjective and many of times easily misunderstood on both parties.

I'm only planning on transporting my weapons when going to the range. I will be flying into BWI airport so I still have to research transporting a pistol and possible a little .22 ammo in my check bag all the way down to Lexington park while ensuring I avoid DC jurisdiction.

Once again, thank you to everyone for their input! Just like the laws in Kali, it isn't always black and white and a lot of times the real world experiences differ from law and the police don't know the laws either.

There is an excellent thread on MDS about transporting via air travel. I utilized the advice within and have transported via air travel numerous times in the past year with no issues (Pelican Case idea was great). There are also numerous threads discussing FOPA and transporting within MD. Most have good advice and info. but ultimately a lawyer is your best bet if you can't make sense of all the applicable Federal and Local laws involved.

 

[swinokur]

You have no FOPA protection if MD is your origin or destination and you are in MD. You must comply with 4-203.

IANAL either

 

[Mark75H]

Your trip from BWI to Lexington Park is an easy one, it will take you nowhere near DC, so no worries about that.

I-97 South

MD Rt3 South (no change in direction, bear right onto the ramp going south while the main part of 97 turns left to the east)

US 301 South (again no change in direction, for you the lanes become 301)

MD Rt4 South (an easy, well marked, cloverleaf interchange)

Left at light onto MD Rt235 South

That's it, the gate is on your left a couple miles down 235

Your GPS should give you the same directions

 

[fred333]

If Franz Kafka were alive and living in a country with First and Second Amendment constitutional guarantees, these types of threads (i.e., asking whether law-abiding citizens can bear arms while in motion?) would inspire his next book about a man who awoke one morning in a world filled with "n" words and "hate" speech. But such a theme would be so unbelievable that there would be calls for the book to be banned in some of the most affluent counties in the country.

 

[Fox Mike]

Welcome!

And if you don't mind a little suggestion: Try not to leave your house with obvious gun boxes or cases--you just never know who will hear any gossip about that.

OK, and how does one get the guns from the house to the car and back to the house when rage time is over?

 

[Pinecone]

Discreet cases