IL_MD_Shooter
Member
Hi there,
I have been lurking on this site for a while and thought it was time to come out into the open.
I am new to Maryland from town in rural west-central Illinois, about 30 miles from the Mississippi River. My wife and I spent 35 /38 years in high school education and retired a few years ago. We have 2 daughters and 5 grandkids in the area and when 'grandma' said "we are moving near the grandkids," we moved to Maryland. So, it is too late for the oft mentioned advice regarding moving to Maryland (DON'T!!!) as we are now here. The grandkid card would have trumped the gun card anyway.
My shooting is recreational/target- pistols, shotguns and rifles, as well as some reloading. Back in Illinois I had ~90 acres of wooded family land near me that I could shoot on anytime I felt the urge. That part of the move was a tough loss. I started out with BB guns and when I got older my father would take me out to the land, give me a box of 22 shells with the admonishment- "Don't shoot yourself..." as I would head off into the woods with my rifle.
Gun laws and restrictions in Illinois were bad, but Maryland takes it to a whole new level. I am coming up on my 90 days as a Maryland resident and dealing with registration. I am struggling with the idea of giving the government a list of the firearms I own. I can't think of any good that can come from such a list, but I want to have some of my handguns here, so I am swallowing hard and moving forward with it. Those of you on the site have all come to some sort of personal reconciliation with it. I don't want to have my guns here in Maryland but worry about taking them out to shoot since they are not registered.
I do have a question regarding the handgun registry and the new resident status- (And if I need to move this question to another thread please let me know.)
Having researched the Maryland registration requirements I decided that, at least in the short term, I would 'loan' several of my handguns and a couple of rifles to a family member back in Illinois. That way I do not actually possess them in Maryland. The few handguns I brought with me when I moved will be registered by the 90th day. My question/concern has to do with any future decision to bring these other guns into the state. Will I be able to register them after the fact or will they then each require a HQL and a FFL transfer. If they will require the FFL transfer I will need to decide to either leave them behind or register them all now. Neither of these options is particularly appealing. Anyone out there have any insight or advice?
If we ever get past COVID, and I can find a nice place to shoot, maybe I'll see some of you at a range.
Thanks for the welcome.
Steve E
I have been lurking on this site for a while and thought it was time to come out into the open.
I am new to Maryland from town in rural west-central Illinois, about 30 miles from the Mississippi River. My wife and I spent 35 /38 years in high school education and retired a few years ago. We have 2 daughters and 5 grandkids in the area and when 'grandma' said "we are moving near the grandkids," we moved to Maryland. So, it is too late for the oft mentioned advice regarding moving to Maryland (DON'T!!!) as we are now here. The grandkid card would have trumped the gun card anyway.
My shooting is recreational/target- pistols, shotguns and rifles, as well as some reloading. Back in Illinois I had ~90 acres of wooded family land near me that I could shoot on anytime I felt the urge. That part of the move was a tough loss. I started out with BB guns and when I got older my father would take me out to the land, give me a box of 22 shells with the admonishment- "Don't shoot yourself..." as I would head off into the woods with my rifle.
Gun laws and restrictions in Illinois were bad, but Maryland takes it to a whole new level. I am coming up on my 90 days as a Maryland resident and dealing with registration. I am struggling with the idea of giving the government a list of the firearms I own. I can't think of any good that can come from such a list, but I want to have some of my handguns here, so I am swallowing hard and moving forward with it. Those of you on the site have all come to some sort of personal reconciliation with it. I don't want to have my guns here in Maryland but worry about taking them out to shoot since they are not registered.
I do have a question regarding the handgun registry and the new resident status- (And if I need to move this question to another thread please let me know.)
Having researched the Maryland registration requirements I decided that, at least in the short term, I would 'loan' several of my handguns and a couple of rifles to a family member back in Illinois. That way I do not actually possess them in Maryland. The few handguns I brought with me when I moved will be registered by the 90th day. My question/concern has to do with any future decision to bring these other guns into the state. Will I be able to register them after the fact or will they then each require a HQL and a FFL transfer. If they will require the FFL transfer I will need to decide to either leave them behind or register them all now. Neither of these options is particularly appealing. Anyone out there have any insight or advice?
If we ever get past COVID, and I can find a nice place to shoot, maybe I'll see some of you at a range.
Thanks for the welcome.
Steve E
