Maryland and surrounding states

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klcmschlesinger

klcmschlesinger

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Hey there The High Road,
I am possibly taking a new job in Maryland. I know, I know. Terrible 2A state. Where the job is I can live in West Virginia, Virgina or Pennsylvania. Virginia seems too expensive but the other two are options.
First question: If I do end up living in Maryland what can i and can't I take with me. AR-15, 30 round mags, pistols that hold more than 10 rounds etc. I have read over the laws but am not clear on what i can take and what you can't buy if you are a resident (I will of course visit the state police in Maryland befoe I take anything there to make sure I only bring what is legal).
Second question : Should I pick West Virginia or Pennsylvania as the alternative.
 
Don't rule out VA completely - western Loudoun, Clarke and Frederick counties can have more reasonable pricing.
 
You can bring pretty well anything into MD, if you owned it prior to 1 Oct 2013. Pistols aren't a problem. Some self-loading rifles can be a problem if recently acquired...AKs, normal ARs (HBARs are OK), M1As, FALs. There's a laundry list...I'd recommend the Maryland Shooters BB for details.

Magazines are legal to own, not to buy or sell in state. Fortunately, MD is surrounded by civilized states with gun shows.

If you're planning on living out of state, check the traffic and commuting time carefully. The DC area has some of the worst traffic in the world.
 
It's good you have options. Definitely avoid actually living in MD if you can help it. You probably need to compare a lot more than the gun laws to make an informed choice. Maybe down to shopping for houses in WV and PA, comparing prices, real-estate taxes, commute, communities (schools if kid might enter into the equation, now or someday).
 
PA, WV, and to a large extent VA as well are shooter's HEAVEN. More great ranges than you could want, and a very active shooting population with lots of competition venues and events, groups, clubs, teams, leagues, etc, if that sort of thing is your bag. Widely reciprocated "shall issue" carry permits that are easy to get. Good laws and a culture that is very accommodating of shooters and shooting.

MD has a lot of active, dedicated shooters but it is a very scary place these days.
 
Thanks so far

Thank you all for the responses so far.

To clarify, I have been looking at real estate, schools, taxes, etc. and am comfortable with Pennsylvania or West Virginia in the areas i have been checking for everything I have found so far. So yes, I am taking more than gun laws into consideration.

I may have to look at Virginia again, but i could have swore that the real estate i looked at was outrageous compared to the others.

Thanks again and keep the info coming.
 
A lot depends on where in Maryland the job is, from the point of view of commuting from out of state. If it's a long, slow commute, paying more for housing closer in would be worth it.
 
I live in the Eastern Panhandle of WV now (Harpers Ferry area) after having lived off and on in MD for many years. Before retiring, I worked in Frederick, about a 45-minute commute with little traffic. I know folks who commuted to Baltimore (about twice as long a trip), but that would've been too far for me. Ditto if your job's on the Eastern Shore of MD - that commute would be even worse. Given their gun laws now, there's no way I'd ever live in MD again.

One of my daughters lives in Wayesboro, PA and commutes to Frederick. It's not a bad trip either. PA's gun laws are great, but being a Commonwealth, it has some very strange laws (especially when it comes to taxes). And if it matters to you (doesn't to me), their liquor laws are weird as well.
 
=where= is this new job? There are very few places in MD where you could actually work in MD and live in VA or WVA or PA (unless you LOVE commuting)
 
Yeah, the "where" question is very important. Gaithersburg or Frederick or even Baltimore would be commutable from PA, if you don't mind commuting, but it is an investment of many hours over the course of the year, and a big hit to your finances. (This I know WELL from personal experience.) Any place farther in gets to be a huge PITB.
 
Any AR type rifle you owned prior to Oct 1 last year is ok to bring. Same for handguns. You will need to register regulated firearms (handguns too) with the Maryland State Police within 90 days of establishing residency.

All the other advice is good. Northern VA traffic is awful. I'd look in PA or WV if it was me.

Register the firearms here.

https://www.mdsp.org/Organization/S...andRegistration/Registration/NewResident.aspx
 
Issues of this type I`d go to the source..... Opinions may or not be on point.

I`d rather be right than trying to defend what somebody said. :)
 
Clarify

The job is in Frederick. I commute 50 miles now from Southern Illinois to St. Louis. So a commute is normal for me. Thanks for all the input and as stated I will visit the MD state police before I move there to make sure i make no mistakes.
I saw someone mentioned Harper's Ferry. That is one are i was looking at. The Charles Town area as well. In PA I was looking at Fairfield and Waynesboro area.
Thanks again everyone.
 
Frederick makes this very easy.

Your two options would be the Waynesboro -- Fairfield -- Gettysburg area of PA and the Charlestown -- Kearneysville -- Martinsburg area of WV. Those should be 30-45 minute commutes through clear and beautiful countryside.

Both states have close to perfect gun laws.

No reason to go all the way down into VA.

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I live in Western Loudoun County VA, it's beautiful here and prices can be more reasonable. Of course it depends on where in MD you would be commuting. I avoid MD like the plague, and if you value your gun rights, I suggest you do the same.
 
Sam1911 said:
No reason to go all the way down into VA.
Click to expand...

Now hold on, them's fightin' words...

Actually, Adams County (Gettysburg area) is a good suggestion - the drive on 15 to/from Frederick is pretty quick and mild most times.

A friend of mine moved from Frederick MD area to Martinsburg WV area a number of years ago, and loves it (no 2a issues, he just feels a better general quality of life).

VA can be a tough commute up to MD when you run into traffic on 15, and homes on the VA side of the Potomac get pricey. Further out - in Winchester, VA - things get a lot more affordable, and you could take 340 up to Frederick MD (but you'd be passing thru Charlestown WV anyways...)
 
wojownik said:
Now hold on, them's fightin' words...

Actually, Adams County (Gettysburg area) is a good suggestion - the drive on 15 to/from Frederick is pretty quick and mild most times.

A friend of mine moved from Frederick MD area to Martinsburg WV area a number of years ago, and loves it (no 2a issues, he just feels a better general quality of life).

VA can be a tough commute up to MD when you run into traffic on 15, and homes on the VA side of the Potomac get pricey. Further out - in Winchester, VA - things get a lot more affordable, and you could take 340 up to Frederick MD (but you'd be passing thru Charlestown WV anyways...)
Click to expand...

Funny, I live in VA (love the gun laws here), but I have family in MD. According to them, MD is more expensive than VA. When it comes to real estate however, it all boils down to location, location, location no matter what state you're in.

just my opinion, I wouldn't want to plant roots in a state that does not have a history of being all that gun friendly and is being ran mostly by politicians who have an antigun agenda. I say this because even if their gun laws are bearable, there's an even greater chance with the "event" that they'll be able to push something through like they are in WA state right now...
 
If the job's in Frederick, I can hook you up with a great gun club - been a member for nearly 30 years. There's also a public range close by.
 
We work in Baltimore and commute from York Pa....75 miles one-way. It can be a long commute home but traveling in each morning is only one hour-twenty.

Pa real estate taxes, specifically the school taxes can be extremely high. We purchased a large piece of property since anything over ten acres qualifies for Pa's Clean and Green program which greatly reduces taxes. We own eleven acres with a 3500 sq ft 1999-built home and pay around $2300 per year taxes.

Naturally, with this much property, we also built our own range and regularly shoot.

We chose Pa due to Marylands silly, archaic gun laws.

If working in Frederick, I would strongly consider W. Va as recommended. Harpers Ferry and the surrounding areas are beautiful and a fairly easy commute.
 
Frederick, MD, is practically ideal in the OP's situation. My first choice on where to live would be the Gettysburg, PA, area. The commute would be straight up Rt. 15, a pleasant drive through the Catoctin Mountains. It used to be that Rt. 15 was a dangerous highway (lots of speeding drunks on the weekends), but now that's less of an issue since the road has been improved (almost up to Interstate standards). Second choice would be Harpers Ferry, WV, another interesting historical venue and an equally easy commute. There's a MARC train that runs morning and evening on weekdays from Harpers Ferry down to DC, if you ever need to go down that way.

As a side note, the three counties of the Eastern Panhandle of WV have more in common with Virginia than with WV proper. When WV was split off from VA in 1863 and made a state, the local residents there did not want to go along with this. They were forced to do so because the B&O Railroad went through there, and since the outcome of the Civil War was still in doubt, the Union side wanted make sure it would finally control that railroad route.

Frederick has a very good gun show that's held periodically at the Fair Grounds. It's good enough that I often drive up from Virginia.
 
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