Visiting Maryland, can I bring a pistol?

[jason10mm]

Hi everyone. I am going to DC for a 2 week conference. I will be staying just inside Maryland however, at a Holiday Inn in Silver Springs, Maryland. Is it legal (and advisable) to bring in my Kimber 1911 and keep it in my hotel room? I am flying into Regan airport, but will have a rental car for my stay. I would like to visit the NRA range and do a little target practice while I am there.

Just looking for informed advise before I head out. Thanks.

 

[greyhound]

Jason-

They are redoing the state gun laws page and it is very confusing to try to get a grip on our laws.

As far as advisible, Maryland is one of the most gun-unfriendly states in the U.S. Most of the people on these boards go out of their way while traveling just so they don't have to pass through Maryland.

Does the NRA range rent guns? I bet you could find some ranges in the DC Metro area that would rent guns (I'm more familiar with Baltimore).

Good Luck!

 

[MrAcheson]

Not sure about the hotel part, but IIRC a loaded magazine or speedloader is considered a loaded firearm by Maryland law. So when you transport your guns in Maryland, both your guns and magazines need to be unloaded. Welcome to PRM.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I wouldn't consider leaving anything more valuable than an empty pack of cigarettes in a motel or hotel room. If I were going to take a pistol to Maryland, I'd rent a bank box for a month.

 

[moa]

Is it against the law to store a gun in a bank safety deposit box? I thought I read it was a violation of Federal law. Not sure about that. I know my bank expressly says not to use their safety deposit box to store firearms among other things.

 

[MikeK]

My advice is NO. You can't bring the gun into DC, which means it stays in the hotel. You could ask them to lock it up in the hotel safe, but in MD that just might prompt a call to the police.

Not sure if the NRA range rents guns, but several in MD do. On Target, near Ft. Meade and Gilbert's in Rockville both do. Gilbert's is supposed to be a nice facility, but a little pricey. These are the closest public ranges in MD. They both should be listed on the NRA WEB site under where to shoot.

The NRA museum is worth the visit and that range is also supposed to be good.

The folks at On Target have always been great, but there is a thread in the General Discussion area about a MD shoot where the opinion differs. I havn't shot there in over a year, so things may have changed.

Let me know when you're coming out and we may be able to hook up, though I have a pretty full schedule right now.

Enjoy your visit - there are a lot of great things to see in DC.

 

[spacemanspiff]

you might be able to bring a water pistol? maybe you could have the water blessed by a priest so when you squirt a BG they will melt?

 

[Standing Wolf]

Is it against the law to store a gun in a bank safety deposit box?

It's none of government's business what's in my bank boxes.

 

[anapex]

On Target is a bit of a haul compared to the one in Rockville, so I'd suggest that as a first choice. Although I'm not even sure if I would recommend bringing in your firearm to MD.

 

[Kharn]

Leave the pistol at home, it wont be worth the constant worries or hassles.

Kharn

 

[Kaylee]

why do you want to bring a pistol?


no.. seriously.. what's your motivation? Judging from the responses I see here, if it's recreation, not worth it. If it's defense, well...

.. niether I nor THR can advise you to break the law. I will say though that the last time I really believed I'd need a weapon was when cornered on a street in New York City.. and I will not be traveling there unarmed again -- legal or no. Ya pays your money, ya takes your chances.

(And by the way Mr. NYPD.. good luck waiting at the border for me to visit the Godforsaken mess y'all have made that you call a city. It'll be a long wait. )

-K

oops -- edit to add..... the flying in and declaring it at the gate thing complicates what I just said. Guess you would have to at least work with the codes. darn.

 

[chaim]

Is it against the law to store a gun in a bank safety deposit box?

Yes it is. It is illegal to store a firearm or cash in a safe deposit box (I forget how many years exactly you can get in jail but it is quite a few). However, when I worked in banks and went to safe boxes with people it was strongly stressed that they were to be given privacy and we were not to see what was in their boxes. If you want to open in front of a teller or manager you can, and if they see the gun they HAVE to report you to the police. However, banks have stalls (sometimes rooms) for you to open your box in privacy. If you insist on privacy then no one but you will know what you keep in your box. Of course, I am only passing on information, I am by no means suggesting breaking any laws.

As for the bank box suggestion, law or no law, I wouldn't bother. You need to rent them on a yearly basis and some banks may require that you have an account (plus, these days some branches won't even have boxes). It has been a couple years since I've been a teller or account manager so I don't know today's prices, but 2-3 years ago a box large enough to hold a gun would go for about $50 around here.

For that you have a few other options:

-Rent a room in a storage facility. For one month you won't be over $50 and many have no minimum time periods and they have discounts on the first month so you could be significantly under $50. Of course, it would be odd to have a full storage room for only one pistol.

-Call the hotel first and see if they have lockboxes for guests and see if they have a policy against using them for guns. Alternatively, if you want to be discrete about having a gun with you, check to see their privacy policies and then use a small unassuming bag to hold your gun if they don't check on the contents.

-Buy (or bring if you have one) a small quick access safe.

-Buy a small, cheap, Brinks safe or storage box. Mine, in addition to the lock, has a place to double lock it using a padlock. I could easily run a thin diameter cable through that spot or a bike lock through the pad lock and lock the box to something stable in the room.

 

[chaim]

Jason,

I am not exactly sure the law but I'm pretty sure you don't have to be a resident to have a gun in MD, just don't carry.

For transport you must keep it unloaded, gun in a case (or holster) in your trunk, ammo in the passenger compartment. In MD a loaded speedloader or mag IS a loaded gun so keep them empty too.

To be sure that what you want to do is legal call the MD State Police, you can probably find a phone number online.

The biggest complication I see (as someone else mentioned) is DC. Isn't that airport in DC, or is it in Northern VA? (I'm not sure exactly if it is w/in DC's borders). If it is DC, or if you can change to Dulles and will pass through DC, you might be breaking the law by having a gun while in DC. The safest thing in that case might be to switch to a flight coming into BWI (if you still can).

When are you going to be in the area? If you'll be here on Sunday, Aug 24th we are having a Maryland shoot that day, look up the thread in the General section and maybe you might want to join us. If you just want to bring the gun for recreational shooting and not for defense in the hotel then I'm sure a few members would let you shoot their guns (I would). Also, On Target does have range rentals.