Posted: 2/16/2005 7:13:14 PM EDT
| I have to take a road trip out of state very soon, and I was wondering what the legalities of bringing a handgun would be? If I keep the gun unloaded and locked with the ammo seperate, and only had access to it in my hotel room, is that legal? Would the hotel room be the same as my house under the law? Or do I have to be going somewhere with the pistol, such as a range or a gunsmith? Ill be traveling from NJ to Florida if that makes any difference. |
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Check packing.org and NRA-ILA for some good info, but basically, your allowed to transport a handgun from one place in which it's legal for you to posess it, to another place that it is legal for you to posess it. In doing this, you must store the handgun in a locked case, inaccessible from the driver's seat, and seperately from the ammunition. This is provided by the Federal Interstate Firearms Transport Law. I assume that you have the required permits to possess a handgun in NJ, since that's where your starting from, but do you have what is necessary for Florida? If you don't, then forget about it. If so, then it should be possible, but stopping in hotels can complicate it somewhat. I would not remove the pistol from the case AT ALL unless I was legally able to in whatever state I was in. Of course, IANAL, so you should really check up on this on your own. Be advised that there are always stories of this law being violated, most recently in NYC airports, so be aware. You may end up being proven right, but it doesn't make up for the amount of hassle you would have to go through. Mike |
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The first thing you should do is to get your Florida CCW. It will allow you to CCW in approx. 28 states. licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/ |
Wouldn't that require one to have Florida residency? |
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There are no residency requirements for a Florida CCW. Unlike the state of NJ the good people of the state of Florida believe in your right to keep and bear arms. You must carefully review what states the permit is good in as a non-resident of Florida. Fill out the application, send in your fingerprint card (get your local PD to print you) and application fee and you should receive your permit in about 90 days. |