We're passing through on our way to the Grand Canyon from Atlanta. I tried to scan all the states on handgunlaw.us for the key factoids (which I summarized below), but please help me with anything important I may have overlooked (or anything I have wrong below). Sorry for not reading tacked threads on local laws, but I'm having to do this for about 10 states on this trip.

1) Reciprocity with GWL - YES
2) Must Inform - NO
3) Sign = Force of Law - NO
4) Capacity limits - YES
5) Park carry - YES
6) Restaurant w/alcohol carry - YES
7) Store w/alcohol carry (ex: Walmart) - YES

What is the best way to handle the mag capacity limit?  My M&P has a standard 17 round magazine - can I unload it down to 15 (or 14+1?) and be okay, or do I need to keep it unloaded and magazines separate until we leave the state?

Thanks in advance!

We are banned from buying new magazines greater than 15 rounds, but all magazines owned prior to the law are grandfathered in.  So you don't need to worry about it.  In addition, the law is all but ignored by everybody so far.  As for the Alcohol, you can carry anywhere that serves alcohol, but you cannot legally drink while you are carrying.

It also doesn't expressly say anything about non residents

I have yet to see this. The law says "while under the influence of intoxicating liquor." How does the state define "under the influence"? I'm not advocating drinking and carrying, but I would argue a single beer doesn't influence many people. Granted there are several factors to be taken into consideration, but a 220 lb male drinking A beer at dinner... any LEOs...does you handy, dandy book of laws define "under the influence"?

I have never gotten this definitively answered, even from folks at BoCo SD when I bluntly emailed.  This appears to be an "officer discretion loophole" - act like an asshole, admit to having had a sip of beer an hour ago, you're now "under the influence."  Be able to pass a roadside test, conduct yourself like a mature adult, no problem.

This is easy enough.  My wife doesn't carry all the time, and I don't drink.

Good to know about the magazines being grandfathered in.  We're thinking of a night in Durango and a trip on the Durango-Silverston Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Yeah, the mags are gtg. When are you heading out? The railroad is pretty cool. I have actually driven from Atlanta to Montrose, back to Atlanta, and back to Montrose one summer. I was actually coming from Jax, and have family in the Buford area. It's a LONG drive!

That's the way I see it. If I know more than one beer will be involved, I leave it at home. From what I am seeing for driving laws, .05 - .08 is an impaired range, .08 and above are under the influence. However, I'm sure they would come up with some excuse why that doesn't apply to a firearm...

I hate that part. Way to open to interpretation. For the most part we follow the driving laws. So basically you'd have to be drunk for most of us to charge, but I've seen any alcohol at all charged and stick

We're thinking early summer.   We're about 15-20 min from Buford via the back roads (such as they are in metro Atl).  

That's a lot of driving you did!  It would be a lot faster if we weren't limiting ourselves to around 6-7 hours of driving each day, but we have to get the kids some non-seat time and then account for campsite setup/tear down each day.

My question is to do with denver, do they still have their strange "assault weapon" ordinance? like, say i was coming to denver for a few days next week, and wanted to have my AR or AR pistol along for the ride..... anything to worry about there?

That got neutered to a 20 round limit on mags. But it's barely enforced. Meaning if you have to call the cops they might confiscate any larger mags they see

"Reasonable Person" standard.  Roots in common law and such.  Wiki has an excellent article and there are various legal interpretations depending on state.  Generally applied to use of force by actor type situations, but can be broader than that.

In other words - If a hypothetical "reasonable person" within a community would or would not agree said person were intoxicated.