Head East

[Mike38]

No, not the band. My adult children, grandkids, wife and myself are taking a vacation the week of Halloween and will be staying a few days in Salem Massachusetts to visit the scenes of the Salem Witch Trials. We have descendance that were accused and killed. I have an Illinois CCL and want to carry were possible. On the drive out there, I know I'm safe in Indiana and Ohio, as both those states honor the Illinois CCL. But then things get foggy.

I then will have to deal with "gun unfriendly" Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts.

Will those three states allow a nonresident to keep an unloaded and cased / locked pistol in my van? Would it be possible to leave my pistol at a gun shop in Ohio for a few dollars storage fee? Or would the pistol have to be transferred to the shop in Ohio and then re-transferred back to me on my way home?

I'm thinking my best choice is go on vacation unarmed. Any advice the experts out there can offer is appreciated. I can't seem to find anything very helpful on the internet.

[44 AMP]

Your destination is Mass. Can you legally possess your pistol in Mass?? I don't think you can, without the right paperwork from Mass. I don't even know if Mass has or allows such paperwork/permits.

You need to find that out, BEFORE traveling.

The FOPA protects people with gun while they are passing through restrictive states, BUT ONLY if your gun is legal for you to have in your origin and destination states.

Under the situation you describe, I do not think you would be protected by the FOPA law.

I'm not a lawyer, so that's just my opinion, and worth what you paid for it, or less.

[bamaranger]

My non lawyer understanding of the Firearm Owners Protection Act leads me to believe you may possess/transport a firearm across any state line provided you are not a prohibited person, and the firearm is unloaded and in a locked case, separate from the ammo, which may well also have to be locked as well.

However, given how goofy some prosecutors and LEO's can be in this day and age, there is nothing to say you might somehow find yourself charged anyhow and have a witch trial of your own, hoping FOPA and a local lawyer can save you.

Your witch trial vacation on Halloween sounds novel. Despite the flak it might cause you on the home front, I would try my very best to NOT spend my vacation money in states that would deny me the means to protect my family and myself. Lobby to vacation this fall elsewhere.

[jonnyc]

You'll love Salem, but not an extended stay in MA if they catch you with any firearm there. You will not be legal for any stop, especially overnight, in MA. Leave the guns at home and come up with some other defense strategy.

[stagpanther]

I passed through those states frequently with firearms that are not legal in some of them--but always strictly transporting from one personal legal residence to another where they are legal. As far as I know that is legal under federal law. If you're actually planning on staying in MA--leave the gun at home would be my advice.

[mehavey]

"...understanding of the Firearm Owners Protection Act leads me to believe you may possess/transport
a firearm across any state line provided you are not a prohibited person, and the firearm is unloaded and
in a locked case, separate from the ammo, which may well also have to be locked as well."

ONLY if your possession of the weapon is legal in the location you start from --AND-- legal in the final state you stop in.
(and even getting gas is risky)

Unless you have a Massachusetts Firearms Identification Card, do not consider taking/possessing a handgun into the
state of Massachusetts as destination under any circumstance.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/gu...-massachusetts

.

[5whiskey]

Mike, the advice I usually give to those carrying out of state is to contact attorney General offices of the state(s) you travel through. Get the full name of the person you talk to.

[Mike38]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like my best choice is to leave the pistol at home.

[WmMunny]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

Your destination is Mass. Can you legally possess your pistol in Mass?? I don't think you can, without the right paperwork from Mass. I don't even know if Mass has or allows such paperwork/permits

Some years back, the family and I were on vacation and stopped in at the L.L. Bean main store in Freeport, Maine. A truly amazing array of outdoor products-- including a stainless steal-framed hunting slingshot with thick surgical tubing power bands.

Big sign on the counter said: "No Sales to Massachusetts Residents."

[rmh3481]

Pa is not bad as long as you stay out of Philly. Through your shotgun in the trunk and have a good time.

[ZoieBarnett]

Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts, each of these states has its own firearms laws, and it's crucial to familiarize yourself with them before traveling. Generally, Pennsylvania allows nonresidents to transport firearms as long as they are unloaded and stored in a closed container, such as a locked vehicle trunk. New York has strict firearm laws, particularly in New York City, and it may not be advisable to possess firearms there. Massachusetts also has stringent regulations, and it may not permit nonresidents to possess firearms without a Massachusetts License to Carry Firearms (LTC).

[Kestrel4k]

Sounds like an unintentional reenactment of the Salem Witch Trials. :-(

[NH15-45]

Salem at Halloween is crazy. Not enough parking,
long lines, and you're in Massachusetts. Watch a documentary about the witch trials and take your family on a nice vacation in East Tennessee. Smokey Mountain National Park, Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, just to name a few. And you can bring and carry all the handguns your belt will hold.

[jmr40]

We drove from GA to Maine the last 2 summers. As a non-resident there is no way to legally possess ANY handgun stored any way in New York or New Jersey. There are ways to make it work everywhere else and once past NY and into VT, NH, and Maine gun laws are pretty relaxed. Technically if you're just passing through and don't stop in either state it is supposed to be legal.

But there were some places in New York state that we wanted to visit. I didn't like leaving my guns at home but ultimately decided to go unarmed.

A long gun is technically legal, but wouldn't have been very useful for the type of traveling we were doing.