Maryland Laws..

R

RedBowTies88

New member
So I've been having a hard time finding answeres on the web so i figure I may as well ask here.

I know maryland is almost as bad as NJ and I know my UT CCW wont do me any good at all but what I'm not sure on is their vehicle carry laws concerning both hand and long guns.

Can I keep anything loaded and uncased in the truck with me at all? I heard you can open carry longguns but didn't know if it applied to vehicles or not... also don't know if they have any of the rediculious expanding ammo laws NJ suffers from...
 
Also, to get there I will be driving through DE. My CCW permit is valid there but also want to be sure I'll be ok with an uncased loaded longgun.

Basically the plan is, arrive in DE uncase the Saiga (.223 with 15 round mag) and throw it behind the backseat. Then continue on to Ocean City MD
 
Basically the plan is, arrive in DE uncase the Saiga (.223 with 15 round mag) and throw it behind the backseat. Then continue on to Ocean City MD
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Bad idea.
Follow me here as I respond to the rest of the post so you'll understand why.

Can I keep anything loaded and uncased in the truck with me at all?
No you can't. You can have an empty unloaded long gun as long as it isn't on the MD regulated list. (Rifles on the regulated list are for all practical purposes handguns.)

I heard you can open carry longguns but didn't know if it applied to vehicles or not.
You can technically open carry long guns that are lever, bolt & other non-regulated guns. However, in practice I'd not try that as individual LEOs may not be aware of that law. It actually has nothing to do with where you have it, just what it is. It is legal to have loaded magazines for unregulated rifles with you as long as:
1, Its not a regulated arm (Saigas are regulated), &
2, The magazines are in a "container" (which may be just a range bag or something similar.)
3, they are not in the rifle at all, no matter what it is.

Also don't know if they have any of the rediculious expanding ammo laws NJ suffers from.

Nope, we're better off than NJ on that point at least.

So why a bad idea? Because it is confusing & horribly open to interpretation & you better be darn sure you know every itsy-teensy-tiny bit of the law before you get tagged for a detail.:p For example an AR-15 standard barrel IS regulated, an AR-15 Target HB is not.:confused:

Example:
I have a Lee-Enfield, its non regulated. I have with me in a car (or in my pocket) a magazine with 10 rounds of .303 British hollow point ammunition. Is it legal?

Yes absolutely.
Can I guarantee you that a MD state trooper won't pull you over for "brandishing" & that you won't have the rifle confiscated, be arrested & have to go to court to get it back?
Nope.

Example 2: I have a FN-FAL semi-auto in .308 Winchester. I have a reduced capacity 10-round magazine of .308 FMJ amo, again seperate & in a pocket. Legal?

Nope its a pistol.:eek: (at least legally it is even though it obviously isn't in the real world.)

Hope this helps a bit.
 
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I think you're only protected traveling through MD, not if MD is your destination. I know in NJ, I can't take my guns to my own relatives' home because I am not the owner.
 
Been a while since I lived there but when I was there unless you were traveling directly to or from a sanctioned activity, range, shop, smith etc. you were not to have any firearm. Said firearm better be cased and unloaded. At least when I was there loaded magazines would bring grief to you. We were not to stop in between said sanctioned activities either. No running by the store on the way home etc.

That being said ownership laws were not that bad.

If I were you I personnally wouldn't have a firearm unless you are passing through or heading to your stopping point. But that is just me.
 
MD Resident & Gun Owner

NEVER carry any guns in your car in MD. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER. MD laws permit the carry of UNLOADED guns in the car but the guns & ammo MUST be separated physically. This means guns in the trunk, ammo in the glove box or console or in a bag on the seat or some other arrangement where the 2 can't be combined IN THE VEHICLE. Since I drive a regular cab pickup this presents major problems. There is no law I know of regarding magazines but you'll be arrested for having loaded magazines for sure. So DON'T have any. The law says unloaded handguns can be transpored in an automobile either in a closed container or a holster, but you'll be arrested for transporting an unloaded handgun in a holster for sure. If the long guns are visible you'll be arrested for them even if they are UNLOADED. The charges for any or all of the above are "possession of a deadly weapon on a public thoroughfare". You will also most likely be charged with possession of a concealed weapon (simply because it is in your car MD law claims it is concealed). MD law permits open carry of long guns in theory, but in practice you'll be arrested. Again "possession of a deadly weapon in public" will be the charge.

As to transporting guns to/from the range or sanctioned shooting event: DON'T. You will be arrested for it. As was noted MD laws REQUIRES you to travel DIRECTLY to/from your home to the range/etc without any stops. No gas, no phone calls, no groceries or bank/atm, no breakdowns, no accidents, no excuses. It is a ridiculous law, but that's what's enforced. If you go to the range you are better off to rent a gun than to transport your own. Trust me.

I'm not sure what the standards are for transporting weapons through/among the several states post-McDonald. The right to "keep arms" has not been clarified (yet?) so I wouldn't try it. I believe the Supreme Court ruled in McDonald that the RIGHT to keep & bear is a personal right enforceable against all states & their subdivisions. This means I can take my guns with me if I want. But this nonesense about any weapon in an automobile being "concealed" by royal decree means that there are more Supreme Court challenges before this issue gets resolved - if ever. Currently there is no Federal "Concealed Carry Permit" to apply for that allows citizens their 2nd Amendment RIGHT throughout the land, only Federal Law Enforcement and the US Military have this "permission". I don't think this will ever happen for the average citizen, at least not in my lifetime.

Good Luck
 
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