Advice on moving cross country

[laxflier]

So in a few weeks, I will FINALLY be entering active duty in the Air Force (commissioned through ROTC in the spring) and moving down to Texas for pilot training. Moving along with me will be my two guns (a P226 and a 22LR), and I won't be shipping any of my stuff because most of it is just clothes and uniforms that I can stuff in my car.

Aside from keeping them both unloaded and locked in the back, does anyone have any advice as far as traveling across 10+ states down to TX over the course of 3-4 days? I will be staying in hotels here and there.

PS. I decided to actually go green since it seems every time I post I am asking a question, and the answers that I get are definitely worth the 19 bucks!

 

[Skald]

First, thank you for your coming service and hope you stay safe.

One thing you may want to do is find out which states also honor the MA LTC if you have ALP. Not sure which ones do, if any. If you can carry it, do. Take your time, don't rush it and when you go into your room for the night, take the pistols in with you since you never know the kind of area you'll be staying in.

if you stop to eat a truck stop try and park your vehicle so its in view of a window and ask to sit at the window so you can keep an eye on your vehicle.

 

[appraiser]

Nobody honors the MAss LTC do they?

edit... this comment was meant to be tongue in cheek, real opinion and possibly facts are below. ty

 

[Mike S]

By federal law you can leave them in the locked case while driving cross country *but can't carry them concealed or otherwise upon your person.

When you get to the great state of Texas, do what you have to do to conform to local laws which isn't much.

Thanks for serving and best of luck.

*I don't claim to be an expert by any means on any other states laws, it may be legal for you to carry in some of the states on your way, check local laws

 

[Jose]

Nobody honors the MAss LTC do they?

According to Hangunlaw.us, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, South Dakota, Montana, Utah, Arizona, and Idaho do.

I know Indiana and Missouri honor any permit or license issued in any state regardless of reciprocity, so that is probably the same case in all the others on the list.

 

[Jose]

Some advice for Ohio if your travels include I-80 or I-70. Ohio law considers a pistol to be loaded if there is a loaded magazine for it anywhere in the vehicle regardless of whether it is locked separately or not.

Don't get busted for an easy felony.

 

[appraiser]

I was looking here... and I don't take anything they say as gospel truth without further investigation (http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/massachusetts.pdf) and that site claims Kentucky and Tennesee along with Oklahoma and Texas accept MA permits, so in theory, under FOPA if you leave MA and get to Kentucky the first day, then leave Kentucky and high tail it to Texas or Oklahoma without layovers you in theory should be covered ASSUMING the info is correct and remember never assume, do due diligence!

In the trunk, unloaded, ammo separate and everything locked up is your best bet.

 

[Jose]

Guys, nobody needs FOPA outside of a few f***ed up states.

Even though your LTC is not recognized in many places, that is ONLY an issue if you wish to carry a pistol concealed. Merely possessing firearms in free America does not require ANY licenses at all in almost every state.

In states that do not recognize MA LTCs, all you need to do to be 100% legal is to unload all magazines and store the firearms separately from the passenger compartment. You do not even have to lock them for transport. That is Mass only crap.

You can also take them to your hotel room, load up, and use it to defend yourself if need be. No licenses needed for that since your hotel room is considered your legal domicile.

For real, the world outside your draconian gun laws will amaze you.

 

[RKG]

Nobody honors the MAss LTC do they?

I believe Texas recognizes a Massachusetts LTC, by Gubernatorial proclamation.

See:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/crime_records/chl/Massachusettsproc.pdf

 

[RKG]

You can also take them to your hotel room, load up, and use it to defend yourself if need be. No licenses needed for that since your hotel room is considered your legal domicile.

Not for a transient. A person residing in a residential hotel with a present intention to remain there for the indefinite future might acquire a domicile in the hotel, in some states at least, but a person staying and intending to stay only a couple of nights cannot.

 

[appraiser]

Jose, the problem is to get to Texas, he has to go through every "f***ed up state" to get there.

If he were to go down 95 and across 10, he has to go through NY, and NJ, and we know how they are. RI is gun friendly if you are passing through, I don't know about Ct, but we have enough CT members who can give reliable info I bet, and the rest I have no idea.

Jose I respect your point of view, and your information is usually spot on accurate, so I will defer to you on what states someone could travel to by car that on the way to Texas, having to go through "hostile territory" where he would find safe harbor without running afoul of the law.

 

[Jose]

Not for a transient. A person residing in a residential hotel with a present intention to remain there for the indefinite future might acquire a domicile in the hotel, in some states at least, but a person staying and intending to stay only a couple of nights cannot.

You can quibble the legal definition all you want. Perhaps a better phrase is place of abode. Ohio law recognizes the rights of all to be armed in their place of abode without requesting government permission to do so. So do the majority of all states.

 

[Jose]

Jose, the problem is to get to Texas, he has to go through every "f***ed up state" to get there.

Negative.

Take I-90 west to Albany NY, take I-87 south to Patterson, NJ (this avoids NYC). Take I-80 west into PA. Once there make your way to Harrisburg, then into MD, VA, NC, TN. Once in TN, drive west to Memphis, then through Arkansas, and finally into Texas.

Once you are out of New Jersey, you are in Free America where FOPA is completely unecessary in order to legally transport unloaded firearms or posses them loaded in your place of abode. Moreover, once in Texas, your LTC is good to go for concealed carry.

What's more, if you have a Florida CHL and you drive west to WV (to avoid Maryland) then southwest into Kentucky and Tennessee, you can carry loaded and concealed all the way to Texas as soon as you hit the Pennsylvania state line.

 

[appraiser]

I need to get out of NH more often

 

[Jose]

Whatever you do, make sure you have enough gas to go STRAIGHT through Memphis without stopping. Preferably in daytime.

 

[Jose]

I need to get out of NH more often

I've met people who have never lived anywhere but where they were born and never traveled more than one state over from it.

I cannot wrap my head around that concept.

 

[Mike S]

Jose, you're not from NE are you?

I ask because I'm not either, I grew up in Colorado, and have always been amazed at how few New Englander's, and especially MA residents never leave the state unless it's for Florida, and that is it.

I've never understood it either, such a beautiful country, to miss it is a shame.

 

[Jose]

Jose, you're not from NE are you?

I ask because I'm not either, I grew up in Colorado, and have always been amazed at how few New Englander's, and especially MA residents never leave the state unless it's for Florida, and that is it.

I've never understood it either, such a beautiful country, to miss it is a shame.

Correct. I was born and raised in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico). I joined the Navy after high school. Went to USNA in Maryland, then lived in Florida (Orlando), California (San Diego, San Pedro), Hawaii (Oahu), Washington (Silverdale), Kansas (Wichita), and now Troy, Ohio. Along the way I have visited or driven through every state in the union with the exception of North and South Dakota, Alaska, and Maine. Not to mention the fact that I have traveled to many parts of the world on my own and with the .mil.

I have climbed and skied on Mount Rainer, Mount Hood, and Mount Adams, visited the Grand Canyon, dove the Tongue of the Ocean off Andros Island in the Bahamas, sailed across the Gulfstream, and flown myself halfway across the country in a Beech Bonanza.

Life is too short to sit on your ass.

 

[laxflier]

Thanks for the tips, I think that I will sit down with a map and carefully plan out exactly which states I HAVE to pass through and which states it would make sense to avoid. As for the loaded magazine anywhere in the car constituting a loaded gun... that is ridiculous! I am going to steer clear of that jacked up state.

And Jose, I've been to N & S Dakota... you aren't missing much.

 

[Jose]

As for the loaded magazine anywhere in the car constituting a loaded gun... that is ridiculous!

Not as ridiculous as having to find the right town so you can have a chance of exercising the right to keep and bear arms.

 

[Jose]

Thanks for the tips, I think that I will sit down with a map and carefully plan out exactly which states I HAVE to pass through and which states it would make sense to avoid. As for the loaded magazine anywhere in the car constituting a loaded gun... that is ridiculous! I am going to steer clear of that jacked up state.

Dude, this isn't that hard. Get out of NY and NJ as quickly as you can. That means going south to NJ then west to PA. The only other way to PA is the long way through NY.

Once you are in PA, all you have to avoid is Illinois and there is no reason for you to go anywhere near it.

Follow the route I laid out and you will be in Texas ASAP. Your firearm possession is legal everywhere along that route. No need to worry about FOPA, length of stay, or any of that bullshit.

 

[RKG]

You can quibble the legal definition all you want. Perhaps a better phrase is place of abode. Ohio law recognizes the rights of all to be armed in their place of abode without requesting government permission to do so. So do the majority of all states.

A transient hotel room is no more a place of abode than it is a domicile.

Is this a quibble? I suppose that depends on why we're asking the question: is that hotel room your [place of abode/domicile]? If you are stipulating that the law of some state authorizes being armed in a place of abode or domicile (and not otherwise), then the "quibble" over whether the transient hotel room qualifies is a "quibble" over whether or not you go to jail.

 

[Jose]

A transient hotel room is no more a place of abode than it is a domicile.

Is this a quibble? I suppose that depends on why we're asking the question: is that hotel room your [place of abode/domicile]? If you are stipulating that the law of some state authorizes being armed in a place of abode or domicile (and not otherwise), then the "quibble" over whether the transient hotel room qualifies is a "quibble" over whether or not you go to jail.

I guess you could be right in some f-ed up parallel universe where possession of firearms is prohibited unless specifically authorized. Outside of there, however, posession of firearms is legal unless specifically prohbited. So whether or not you think a hotel is your domicile/residence/place of abode is irrelevant in the majority of all states when it comes to the possession of firearms ready for self defense.

ETA: From the Ohio Revised Code Section 2901.05

(B)(1) Subject to division (B)(2) of this section, a person is presumed to have acted in self defense or defense of another when using defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another if the person against whom the defensive force is used is in the process of unlawfully and without privilege to do so entering, or has unlawfully and without privilege to do so entered, the residence or vehicle occupied by the person using the defensive force.

(2)(a) The presumption set forth in division (B)(1) of this section does not apply if the person against whom the defensive force is used has a right to be in, or is a lawful resident of, the residence or vehicle.

(b) The presumption set forth in division (B)(1) of this section does not apply if the person who uses the defensive force uses it while in a residence or vehicle and the person is unlawfully, and without privilege to be, in that residence or vehicle.

(3) The presumption set forth in division (B)(1) of this section is a rebuttable presumption and may be rebutted by a preponderance of the evidence.

(C) As part of its charge to the jury in a criminal case, the court shall read the definitions of “reasonable doubt” and “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” contained in division (D) of this section.

(D) As used in this section:

(1) An “affirmative defense” is either of the following:

(a) A defense expressly designated as affirmative;

(b) A defense involving an excuse or justification peculiarly within the knowledge of the accused, on which the accused can fairly be required to adduce supporting evidence.

(2) “Dwelling” means a building or conveyance of any kind that has a roof over it and that is designed to be occupied by people lodging in the building or conveyance at night, regardless of whether the building or conveyance is temporary or permanent or is mobile or immobile. As used in this division, a building or conveyance includes, but is not limited to, an attached porch, and a building or conveyance with a roof over it includes, but is not limited to, a tent.

(3) “Residence” means a dwelling in which a person resides either temporarily or permanently or is visiting as a guest.

Almost every state outisde of yours has statutory language similar to that.

 

[RKG]

I guess you could be right in some f-ed up parallel universe where possession of firearms is prohibited unless specifically authorized. Outside of there, however, posession of firearms is legal unless specifically prohbited. So whether or not you think a hotel is your domicile/residence/place of abode is irrelevant in the majority of all states when it comes to the possession of firearms ready for self defense.

ETA: From the Ohio Revised Code Section 2901.05


Almost every state outisde of yours has statutory language similar to that.

The definition of "residence" in the quoted statute is quite unusual. There is nothing wrong with that: a statute can define a term it uses any way it pleases. However, in most jurisdictions -- and, for that matter, I strongly suspect even in Ohio for any purpose other than this statute -- "residence" means something quite different.

 

[bolt]

Unload you car at motels at night...........alot of breaking into cars happens and you loose you crap w/no way of thinking of ever getting it back, If you choose cheap motels as I have just protect yourself smartly. Good Luck! FWIW

 

[pdm]

The problem with living in New England is you have to go through New York to get out.

 

[skyhawk]

I don't know where in TX you're going but congrats on the pilot training!
Thanks for your service as well.

I drive this route once a year (across TX from MA).
We usually go I-95 through NYC (no toll Southbound) to I-80 in NJ.
Then I-287 South to I-78 to PA. Then I-81 South all the way to TN.
Here you can go I-40 to Little Rock, AR to I-30 to Dallas area etc.

If you're going further South/Eastern TX, take I-75 from TN down to
I-24 to I-59 through GA/AL to I-20 in Birmingham. Then across MS and
LA to TX.

If you want to avoid NYC, take I-84 through CT/NY to PA. Then hook
up with I-81 and go from above. Few more tolls this way, but spending
less time in NY/NJ .

The first day, leave early and get to Southern VA.

I think that once you get past the NJ/PA border you'll have a lot less
chance for some sort of trouble.

 

[skyhawk]

Whatever you do, make sure you have enough gas to go STRAIGHT through Memphis without stopping. Preferably in daytime.

Yeah and go a little further still . West Memphis, AR isn't much better
and I still feel creepy until I get past Little Rock...

 

[Jose]

I would avoid NYC at all costs, for several reasons.

Megalopolis give me the creeps

 

[skyhawk]

I would avoid NYC at all costs, for several reasons.

Megalopolis give me the creeps

It seems to me to be a likely target for pretty much whatever comes next.
Plus I agree about the city...it aggravates my Anthropophobia.