Travel to New Joisey?

MikeJ · Post by **MikeJ** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 10:59 am

My wife is dragging me to New Jersey. We're driving. Texas has CHL reciprocity with all the states between here and Virginia inclusive. The trouble starts when you get into some of the more leftist areas on the East Coast, beginning with DC. Under NJ law, as the NRA reports it, I'm not even legal if I put my unloaded pistol in a locked case before I cross the state line.

Are there places to check your gun before crossing from Virginia into DC? Aside from telling the wife to go to NJ by herself, what would you do?

seamusTX · Post by **seamusTX** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:26 am

You're technically legal with the weapon unloaded and locked in a case while traveling, but if the New Jersey cops decide to make your life miserable, they will ignore the federal law. The NRA has documented several cases of that.

I've heard the suggestion of checking the piece with a gunsmith in a more hospitable locality.

I don't know why you would go through DC to get from Texas to New Jersey. The traffic in DC is horrible.

- Jim

MikeJ · Post by **MikeJ** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:38 am

seamus,

DC seems to be on the shortest interstate route, according to both AAA and the Yahoo driving directions. Worse yet, we go through Baltimore and Philadelphia. We have reciprocity with PA (except for Philly, I expect), but I see no easy way to avoid Maryland. By whatever route we take, we still end up in NJ. My personal preference would be to avoid states that don't recognize my right to self-defense. If I could get out of this trip by any means short of divorce, I would.

Maybe I'll surf the net for gun stores in VA. One of them might hold my weapon until the return trip.

We're actually going to a bird dog trial. I sure hope we don't get into trouble for transporting evil, dangerous blank pistols into NJ.

Post by **Charles L. Cotton** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:42 am

If your destination is New Jersey, then FOPA (Firearms Owner Protection Act) does not protect you while in New Jersey. Do not take the gun into NJ!!!

Even when FOPA applies, they are ignoring it and arresting people. The NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund is currently funding a suit against NJ on this very issue. The Plaintiff's story about what happened to him during his five days in a Newark jail and statements by NJ LEO's about not caring about federal law "because this is New Jersey" is chilling.

Chas.

seamusTX · Post by **seamusTX** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:46 am

I can't help with the driving directions, never having made the trip. Please just keep in mind that the shortest distance doesn't equal the shortest time in those East-Coast cities.

Good luck.

- Jim

MikeJ · Post by **MikeJ** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:17 pm

Charles, I guess you're referring to the case of Gregg Revell. That is a horror story, all right.

It occurs to me that the FOPA wouldn't apply in my case. It's not legal for me to even possess a firearm in New Jersey. I'll certainly follow your advice.

Has anyone ever considered the possibility of secession in reverse? I mean voting these retarded states that don't recognize our Constitutional rights out of the Union. It seems like an idea whose time has come.

MikeJ · Post by **MikeJ** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:22 pm

seamusTX wrote:I can't help with the driving directions, never having made the trip. Please just keep in mind that the shortest distance doesn't equal the shortest time in those East-Coast cities.

Good luck.

- Jim

I don't know the area well enough to find better routes. I remember once, back in 1982, noticing a little road on the map that seemed to bypass Houston. It was FM 1960

, and we spend three hours in stop-and-go traffic before we got back to a freeway. I'll just hope to miss the major rush hours in the big cities. Thanks.

Post by **Charles L. Cotton** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:30 pm

MikeJ wrote:Charles, I guess you're referring to the case of Gregg Revell. That is a horror story, all right.

That's the one! Everyone should read this short version of what this man endured. Everyone responsible for this should spend 20 years in a federal prison. This is scary folks.

BTW. the Brady Campaign has added repeal of the 1986 Firearms Owner Protection Act to their legislative agenda.

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but New Jersey and this case make my blood boil!

Chas.

txinvestigator · Post by **txinvestigator** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 12:34 pm

Follow the green line.

MikeJ · Post by **MikeJ** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:05 pm

txinvestigator wrote:Follow the green line.

That's not bad. Possession would still be illegal under Maryland state law. I don't know whether Maryland complies with the FOPA. I should have specified that I'm going to Medford, NJ, which is just a few miles out of Philadelphia, so the green line takes me a bit farther north than I want to go. Thanks, anyway.

I guess I'll either pawn my pistol in Virginia or leave it home.

KBCraig · Post by **KBCraig** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:16 pm

MikeJ wrote:
txinvestigator wrote:Follow the green line.

Yeah, what txinvestigator said.

Never, ever, trust the driving directions from Mapquest, Yahoo, Google, etc. Break out an atlas and look at where the interstates actually go, not what a computer-generated "shortest route" is.

I should have specified that I'm going to Medford, NJ, which is just a few miles out of Philadelphia, so the green line takes me a bit farther north than I want to go. Thanks, anyway.

Then at Harrisburg, just take I-76 east to Philadelphia.

I've made this drive a couple of times. Going up I-81 and avoiding DC/Baltimore is strongly recommended.

Kevin

MikeJ · Post by **MikeJ** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 2:09 pm

KBCraig wrote:Then at Harrisburg, just take I-76 east to Philadelphia.

I've made this drive a couple of times. Going up I-81 and avoiding DC/Baltimore is strongly recommended.

Thanks, Kevin. I've just looked at this route, and it requires me to go through Camden, NJ, on surface roads, unarmed. Maybe Yahoo and AAA considered the probability of being carjacked.

Upon closer inspection, the Yahoo/AAA route bypasses Philadelphia and Camden. You pick up the NJ Turnpike (I-295) in Wilmington, DE. It's a tough call. The best move is not to go.

tomneal · Post by **tomneal** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 5:20 pm

Gun dealers in Allentown Pennsylvania

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Al ... gle+Search

GlockenHammer · Post by **GlockenHammer** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 6:06 pm

As I recall, NJ has a prohibition on hollow point bullets. So, even if you were just traveling through NJ, if you had decent ammo with you, there might still be a problem.

Roger Howard · Post by **Roger Howard** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 2:58 pm

PM sent to Mike