Hello from a new MD shooter + couple of Q's

[GOG-MD]

Hi all,

Current NM resident here, moving to Maryland next month - probably either QA or AA county, but could be PG. I'll know in the next couple of weeks after a house hunting trip with my wife. Reason for the move is a job offer in MD that was too good to pass up. Trust me, I tried to figure out a way we could live in VA or DE, but the commute would be too long to make sense.

I'm a new gun owner (CZ P10c so far) and NRA member, and plan to join MSI as well. Here's hoping the laws in MD will eventually look more like those enjoyed by law-abiding citizens in other states.

Anyway, I have a couple of questions I hope some of you can help with. Are there any clubs/ranges that any of you would recommend in QA, AA or PG counties? I'm looking for one with reasonable fees (ideally $200 or less per year), evening/weekend hours, allow target shooting for pistols, rifles, shotguns and bows (I only own the P10c so far, but plan to expand as budget allows) and allow permanent resident shooters (I'm Canadian, wife's American). My local sportsmen's club in NM ticks all those boxes, but my research in Maryland has come up lacking so far.

Second, actually moving to Maryland: I understand that I'm allowed to bring my pistol to Maryland and don't require an HQL until I want to buy another one. The consensus on this forum and elsewhere seems to be that I have to register it with the MSP within 90 days of the move. The MSP's website backs that up. However, another MSP page talking about "voluntary" registration says "The registration of a regulated firearm that is not required by Maryland State statute to be registered in the Maryland Automated Firearms Services System (i.e., Firearm(s) that were legally purchased in another state by an individual who resided in that state who has now established residency in the State of Maryland and moved their estate belongings into the State of Maryland, an individual who possesses regulated firearms or other types of firearms not previously registered in the State of Maryland who desires to register it).

Now, these two MSP pages seem to conflict - one says when I move to MD, I have to register my handgun, the other says firearms legally purchased in another state when I lived in that state are not required by Maryland State statute to be registered. Which is it? I'd rather not register my firearm if it's strictly "voluntary", but on the other hand I definitely want to make sure I adhere to the law. I reached out to the NRA-ILA and they said to consult a lawyer. If everyone here is pretty sure I have to register it though, then I'll save myself the lawyer fee and just register it.

Sorry for the long-winded welcome, and thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide!

Edit: If this is the wrong place for these questions, please advise which forum topic I should nest them under. Thanks.

 

[Dave MP]

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[swinokur]

Howdy. Join our fight.

www.marylandshallissue.org
.
.

 

[Mr.Smalls]

Hello from Queen Anne's. There is a range in massey, Alexanders game farm, ticks all your boxes except bow. I've never timed it but, i think its about 20 minutes from the bay bridge. The price for a year is 250 each. But I think you can do a family deal for a little less.

 

[Michigander08]

Welcome to MD! It is like a purgatory for gun lovers. I think you have to register "regulated firearms". Check on the regulated list. If you own a 22r rifle, no one cares.

I moved here in 2008 and did not have to. They changed the law after Oct 2013.

 

[GOG-MD]

Hello from Queen Anne's. There is a range in massey, Alexanders game farm, ticks all your boxes except bow. I've never timed it but, i think its about 20 minutes from the bay bridge. The price for a year is 250 each. But I think you can do a family deal for a little less.

Hmm, that's not a bad price. Google's saying it's about 45 minutes from the bay bridge, but that's still certainly doable at least on weekends. Thanks for suggesting it.

 

[GOG-MD]

Welcome to MD! It is like a purgatory for gun lovers. I think you have to register "regulated firearms". Check on the regulated list. If you own a 22r rifle, no one cares.

I moved here in 2008 and did not have to. They changed the law after Oct 2013.

Yeah, there were a few forum posts here I read on the issue and noticed from the date stamp that it was before that new law. Had to be careful which ones I was reading!

I don't own a .22 yet, but that's what I plan to buy next - I want a Ruger 10/22 Takedown and a Henry Golden Boy, but haven't decided which to buy yet.

I'm probably going to end up just registering the CZ to be on the safe side. Especially with a green card, I don't want to take any chances.

 

[rbird7282]

If you end up in AA County you might consider Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore (in Baltimore County) they have almost everything on your list and are about $200 year


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[Mr.Smalls]

Hmm, that's not a bad price. Google's saying it's about 45 minutes from the bay bridge, but that's still certainly doable at least on weekends. Thanks for suggesting it.

Happy to help. If any more questions, ie. Gun shops, sport stores, just ask.

 

[Biggfoot44]

The word "voluntary" is a fiction, registering your handgun(s) , and grandfathered Evil Rifles is mandatory.

Depending on where you locate, you will have Gun Club options, albeit with a few caveats :

Be prepared to spend more than you did in NM.

Be prepared to have different concept of "nearby-ish".

And 50/50 chances of waiting list to join .

But you will also have additional options for pay by hour/ session operations, albeit not offering all of your interests at the same time.

 

[AlBeight]

Hmm, that's not a bad price. Google's saying it's about 45 minutes from the bay bridge, but that's still certainly doable at least on weekends. Thanks for suggesting it.

Slightly off-topic: Sorry to burst your commute bubble, please allow me to give you some helpful advice (at least I think it is). "Doable at least on weekends"?? Being from NM, you've probably never been over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on a weekend (making assumption). Especially during the warmer weather months (roughly May to October), unless you cross East extremely early Sat AM or relatively late Sat afternoon, you'll be in simply awful traffic . Sunday AM's would be more "doable" heading over, but then coming home Westward is a nightmare on Sunday afternoon. I think something like 60 trillion (+/- a few) folks head to the Shore/Beach every weekend during the fair weather days. Forget Friday PM's too, there you have beachgoers & daily work commuters heading home/east starting at about 1 pm.

Seriously though, welcome ahead of time to MD. Even with comically silly stupid gun laws & a generally toxic political environment, it really is a great place to live and work (despite the ruling majority's best efforts).

Again, I really didn't wanna discourage you, but if you settle on the Western Shore, then weekend Eastern Shore options for ranges will require a little compromise and/or extra planning on your part. Other folks on here might be able to give some fantastic tips on finding that sweet spot in timing your Bay Bridge/Shore trips. It does loosen up a bunch after early-mid October usually, until it warms up again in late April or May. Personally I'd find a range on whatever side of the Bay you end up on.

BTW, as far as work commuting goes - everyone I know that works in AA Co and lives in QA, works some version of irregular hours so they can either telecommute, be off, or leave way early on Fridays to beat or eliminate the rush (summer peak rush hour on Fridays starts at about 1pm). Not trying to sway you either way, just would hate to see you find this out the hard way. Much luck.....

 

[K31]

What AlBeight said about the William Preston Memorial Bridge (although everyone around here calls it the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, that is actually the bridge that connects the Va Eastern and Western shores and some will probably give a blank stare if you refer to the Preston Bridge). It is so bad that some people commuting from the Eastern shore do not make the commute Fridays during the summer months. Thursdays have become almost as bad due to the rental agreements for vacationers.

This same thing can be said for some eastern parts of AA county coming from a western origin such as DC since they share the same main roads and pretty much a single bridge to reach them (shared with the beach goers) unless you want to take massive detours through similarly clogged roads.

I would personally avoid PG. Look at the taxes for starters compared to your other choices and definitely look at the crime reports for any place you want to move into. That goes for some areas of northern AA and close to Annapolis as well.

 

[Cal68]

Welcome to MD. I used to be a member of On Target, an indoor range in Severn in AA county. It was great and I really liked shooting there. But it was too far from my house (75 min each way) and so when a range opened up closer to my house, I cancelled my membership at On Target. I do not recall seeing anyone shoot bows in there, but you can check their website and give them a call if you have any questions. If memory serves me right, I used to pay about $200 for a year's membership.

Cal68

 

[MikeTF]

Do not use the MD State Police's website as a legal reference. They have often gotten it wrong. Look up the actual Annotated Code of MD and read it for yourself.

When you come to MD, you are going to experience culture shock. MD is a liberal nanny state consisting of a lot of highly educated people with elitist attitudes mixed with a high number of 'new americans' that take advantage of idealistic and generous aid programs from those that never enter the neighborhoods that their tax dollars are supporting. It is a failed system, not unlike California where the unproductive flock in and the productive leave.

Welcome. Put on a helmet and tighten your chin strap. Good luck.

 

[swinokur]

This woman reportedly lives in Chevy Chase

she fits your definition of a typical MD lib.

 

[tallen702]

Welcome. Here's a couple of things to think about given the area you're looking to move.

1) If you can't find one "do-all" club to join, take a look at the public ranges or even public range days at private ranges to fill in the gaps. For example, if you find a club that offers rifle and pistol within your budget, there's PG Trap and Skeet (Trap, Skeet, Wobble Trap, International/Bunker Trap, Sporting Clays, etc) which is a public range managed by the Maryland National Capital-Area Parks and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) and is well maintained, well staffed, and very reasonably priced ($6/round for trap and skeet for example). In addition, if you're willing to trek south a bit to practice with your bow, Myrtle Grove WMA has an archery range including elevated shooting platforms for tree-stand practice (about 1 hour in good traffic from Annapolis) and is inexpensive as well ($5 range fee daily, or $20 annually).

2) Use Google Maps real-time traffic to research what the commute will be like from home to work when deciding on where to look for a house or apartment. It's either all green, or all red. Figure out what time you need to be at your job and use their trip planning tools to see what time you'd need to leave on average from any prospective place of work. Commutes can be insane in the Baltimore-DC corridor. I have a young woman who is coming to work for me in a lower-ranking position than she currently holds and at $10k/year less salary simply because her commute goes from 2 hours each way to 15 minutes each way.

3) Definitely check crime reports. Some areas will look nice, but hide lots of criminal activity behind the nice-looking facade. Germantown in Montgomery County, for example, looks nice to the casual observer, but has major issues with crime. General advice is that if there's a major bus terminal/transit mall nearby, you don't want to live there. Same with major metro stops. Public transit can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.

4) PG county on a whole is to be avoided when considering where to live. Yes, there are some decent places to live there, but if you aren't going to stay there permanently, good luck getting your money back on any house you buy there. I have relatives who are facing that issue in Cheverly right now.

Good luck in your house/apartment hunt and welcome to the forum. It's a great group of people.

 

[GOG-MD]

If you end up in AA County you might consider Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore (in Baltimore County) they have almost everything on your list and are about $200 year


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Price sounds about right, and the range facilities look nice on the website. Is it one club, or are there multiple affiliated clubs that you get membership to at the same time?

 

[cms1528]

DO NOT MOVE TO PG COUNTY

 

[LGood48]

Greetings!

 

[rbird7282]

Price sounds about right, and the range facilities look nice on the website. Is it one club, or are there multiple affiliated clubs that you get membership to at the same time?

You join one of the affiliated clubs (I think there are around 20-25, don't remember exactly) and then purchase your range badge from AGC directly. Baltimore rifle is probably the cheapest at $25/year plus the range badge which is $175/year I believe. (I might be off by $5 with those numbers)
To join Baltimore rifle you contact one of the club officers, schedule a walk through (takes about 60-90 min, pay for your club membership and then you can get your range badge. Membership starts on Jan 1st or if it's after the start of July you can get a 1/2 year badge.


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